Pilot Project to help Alaska lawyers meet the requirements of Alaska's innovative Voluntary Continuing Legal Education Rule in time for first deadline.

ANCHORAGE and SEATTLE, December 6, 2000 - The Alaska State Bar Association has contracted with Taecan.com, the recognized leader for Online CLE, to be its partner in making the Alaska Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses available to all Alaska attorneys over the internet. The Alaska Bar CLE content will be added to the expanding Taecan.com CLE online library and will be accessible to Alaska attorneys wherever they may be.

The Alaska Bar-Taecan.com program is designated as a "Pilot Project" for the first three months, and during this time Alaska attorneys may take the first two Alaska Bar Online CLE courses-Risk Management and Ethics--without charge. Thereafter, assuming the program is accomplishing its goals, the term of the Alaska Bar-Taecan.com agreement converts to three years, more content will be added, and there will be a charge to take the courses.

This partnership will greatly assist Alaska attorneys in meeting Voluntary CLE requirements established in 1999 by the Alaska Supreme Court (see next section). The first deadline for Alaska attorneys to have taken 12 hours of CLE is December 31, 2000. The Alaska Bar-Taecan.com Online CLE Program is designed to assist Alaska lawyers in meeting this deadline by making the Alaska Bar's courses available over the internet, and thus accessible to attorneys 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Background on the New Continuing Legal Education Standards

Effective September 2, 1999, the Alaska Supreme Court approved a Voluntary Continuing Legal Education Rule (VCLE) which suggested minimum recommended hours of approved Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for all active Alaska Bar members. Members are encouraged to complete at least 12 hours of CLE per calendar year, including one hour of ethics.

This Rule takes an innovative approach to CLE by providing incentives for completing the minimum recommended hours of CLE. Incentives include:

* a reduction in Bar dues (determined annually by the Board of Governors);

* inclusion in a published listing of Alaska Bar members who have completed the minimum recommended hours of approved CLE;

* eligibility to participate in the Bar's Lawyer Referral Service;

* non-compliance may be taken into account in any Bar disciplinary matter involving Alaska Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 dealing with competency.

Alaska is the first state to adopt a voluntary CLE rule that includes incentives for compliance.

The Alaska Bar Association Chooses Taecan.com for an Online CLE Pilot Project

In order to help Alaska attorneys meet the new CLE requirements, the Alaska Bar Association identified Online CLE as a sensible service to offer its members. The Alaska Bar then selected Taecan.com, the recognized leader for Online CLE, to be their partner in this pilot project.

" By partnering with Taecan.com for this pilot project, the Alaska Bar Association is providing its member lawyers with a convenient, cost-effective way to satisfy their CLE requirements and meet the new deadlines. It will particularly benefit the many attorneys who practice in outlying areas-they can satisfy their CLE requirements without traveling. We are committed to serving our members, wherever they may be."

Barbara Armstrong
CLE Director
Alaska Bar Association

Likewise, Taecan.com sees this project with the Alaska Bar as a natural extension of its services.

"Taecan.com is extremely pleased to be part of the Alaska Bar's innovative Voluntary Continuing Legal Education Project. We are confident that by working together we can show Alaska's attorneys that Online CLE is not only a great way to meet their CLE requirements, but an excellent reference tool as well."

Patrick Vane
CEO of Taecan.com

About Taecan.com. Taecan is Old English for " To teach". Taecan.com is a Seattle based Internet company that offers a convenient and affordable alternative to seminar style " fixed time and place" CLE seminars. The company, founded by an attorney and educator, has rapidly aggregated the largest online library of approved CLE titles in the world by partnering with Bar Organizations to deploy their content over the Internet. Taecan.com has similar contracts with numerous other Bar organizations including the State Bar of California, the Florida Bar, the New York City Bar, the Ohio Bar, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Houston Bar; and with numerous other CLE content providers.

About the Alaska Bar Association Founded in 1896, the Alaska Bar Association has 3,494 active members. The Alaska Bar has developed high-quality Continuing Education Programs in a broad range of legal areas. Currently one-half of all Alaska Bar members attend at least one Alaska Bar Association CLE seminar each year.



In addition to the courses offered for purchase, any user may take a free sample course at Taecan.com. This course is being offered to Ohio lawyers to familiarize them with Taecan.com and the Internet as a legal education delivery tool. The sample class does not allow the user to receive credit for the course, but it allows the attorney to have the Taecan.com experience. This fully-functional site enables users to review course materials, take quizzes and tests, and report CLE credit electronically, all online. While significant effort went into the implementation of this site, it is only the beginning: improvements will be added based on Taecan.com's business-plan directives and customer and investor feedback.