NEW YORK - June 5, 2000 - This is the year when the over 162,000 lawyers licensed to practice in New York State must complete new continuing legal education [CLE] courses certified by the NY State Continuing Legal Education Board. The new requirement, which was instituted in January 1, 1999, requires that lawyers earn 24-32 hours of CLE credits every two years.

For lawyers who have not yet met the CLE conditions and do not want to spend 24-36 hours sitting in a classroom, there's an alternative. LAWLINE.COM, the leading broadcaster of law-related media programming on the Web, is now offering CLE courses online.

And, through June 30, 2000, LAWLINE.COM is offering CLE courses at no cost. Lawyers can save hundreds of dollars by obtaining their credits online. (A typical 1-credit course costs as much as $60.)

"But the real saving is in the time and convenience of not having to travel to a classroom," said Alan Schnurman, founder and president of LAWLINE.COM. "With LAWLINE.COM," he continued, "attorneys can take courses when they want and where they want -- at their desks, at home and while traveling. They can also control their own time with the ability to stop and start an online course as they choose."

LAWLINE.COM's first CLE courses include seven topics as varied as settling employment discrimination, marital property distribution, estate planning and expert witness testimony in presentations by notable attorneys including Ben Brafman, named the Best Criminal Defense Lawyer by New York magazine.

LAWLINE.COM, "The Internet's Legal Broadcast Network," was developed by New York City-based attorney Alan Schnurman. His team includes top-webcast producer Ron Diorio. Schnurman, a legal marketing pioneer, created the television legal affairs program LAWLINE in 1983, and continues to add to his broadcast library of more than 400 half-hour shows, with new weekly programs.