Advocates of MCE argue that MCE is a national trend that will soon be accepted in every state and every profession. It’s a “no brainer,” they say—“everybody” is doing it and we’ll have to, too. Sometimes it does sound like an irresistible force, which is discouraging to those of us who think it will be a disaster for our profession.

For those of us who have a hard time picturing ourselves filling out little Likert scales measuring audience satisfaction and “learning” after the next psychoanalytic conference, here is some good news, and it happened right here in Michigan.

From what I have read, the legal profession in Michigan has gone through a battle over MCE and the opponents won. First MCE was imposed on attorneys, then repealed due to widespread dissatisfaction. A few years later, another attempt was made by a new president of the Bar Association to impose MCE, but it was defeated due to opposition both by the Michigan Supreme Court (which had to approve the rules) and by outspoken members of the bar who had the nerve to ask—what for? And found that there was no good answer.