Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

As society evolves, the legal landscape becomes increasingly complex. To ensure that legal professionals remain competent and up-to-date, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is essential. This article provides a comprehensive overview of CLE requirements, covering various aspects such as the purpose of CLE, specific requirements in different states, methods of obtaining CLE credits, and resources available to attorneys. The public expects that lawyers and LLPs, in their practice of law, and judges, in the performance of their duties, will continue their legal and judicial education throughout their legal career.

The Purpose of Continuing Legal Education

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is ongoing training for lawyers to stay updated on legal practices, ethics, and developments. CLE programs help lawyers stay current with legal developments, practices, and ethics. While lawyer CLE requirements may seem burdensome, the good news is there are numerous lawyer CLE credit providers that can help meet these requirements, often with easy-to-attend online courses. Moreover, ongoing education can be viewed as a positive thing, regardless of your state bar’s particular requirements. CLE credits are clearly important as part of a minimum requirement to practice law in your jurisdiction. However, CLE credits should be viewed as more than simply a box to check off. They can also help attorneys stay abreast of changes within the profession. Those changes can be updates in their particular practice area or broader-ranging industry shifts.

General CLE Requirements

The vast majority of state bars require continuing legal education (CLE) for lawyers, in order to ensure they remain up-to-date on the most current laws and ethics requirements. CLE requirements vary by state, but they all include a minimum number of CLE hours per reporting period, whether that period is one year, two years, or more.

State-Specific CLE Requirements

CLE requirements vary widely by jurisdiction. The variations often include the actual number of CLE credits required, the reporting period-generally ranging from one to three years-and the time of year the credits are due. There are also differences in the types of activities that are CLE-eligible and the required topics, such as ethics or diversity.

California

According to the California CLE requirements, attorneys must complete 25 CLE hours every three years. At least half of the 25 CLE hours - meaning no less than 12.5 hours - must be for “participatory” CLE credit, and no more than 12.5 hours can be self-study.

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Colorado

In Colorado, the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel has authority to ensure that every Colorado lawyer and LLP is complying with their CLE requirements as set forth under C.R.C.P. 250, et seq.

Attorneys- the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirement for all actively licensed Colorado lawyers (under the age of 72) is 45 credit hours of CLE, of which seven must be professional responsibility. C.R.C.P. 250.2(1).

LLPs- the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirement for all actively licensed Colorado LLPs (under the age of 72) is 30 credit hours of CLE, of which 5 must be professional responsibility. C.R.C.P. 250.2(2).

Your MCLE obligation begins on the date of your admission or certification to the bar of the State of Colorado. The first compliance period begins on the date of admission or certification and ends on the 31st of December of the third full calendar year following the year of admission or certification to practice law in Colorado. For example, if you are admitted to Colorado on May 10, 2019, your first compliance period runs from May 10, 2019 to December 31, 2022 - assuming you were on active status during that entire time. You must complete all CLE activities by December 31 of the final year in your compliance period, but you have until January 31 of the following month to report compliance. In the above example, you would need to complete your CLE activities by December 31, 2022, but you would have until January 31, 2023 to report the activities to our Office.

Attorneys are required to complete 45 CLE hours, of which seven must be devoted to professional responsibility. LLPs are required to complete 30 CLE hours, of which five must be devoted to professional responsibility. Colorado is a self-reporting state. Most lawyers and LLPs complete their MCLE requirements by attending live CLE programs or on-demand pre-recorded programs that have been accredited by our Office. If you attend a CLE program or complete an on-demand CLE program, the sponsor of that program WILL NOT report your attendance or the completion of an on-demand program to our Office. You must certify and submit notice of your attendance to a CLE program or completion of an on-demand program to your online transcript at cletrack.coloradosupremecourt.com. The easiest way to report your attendance at a program or completion of an on-demand program is to have the Colorado Program ID before you begin entry. Only programs that have been accredited by our Office can be entered online directly to your transcript.

To report an activity to our Office other than attending a Colorado-accredited live program or homestudy/on-demand program, you will need to complete and submit the appropriate form to our Office for review and processing. Click here for Forms. When entering your credit hours on your online CLE Transcript, remember that ‘general’ credits comprise the total number of hours for which a program has been accredited. If a program has also been granted credit for professional responsibility (legal ethics, legal professionalism, and/or equity, diversity and inclusivity), do not subtract those credits from the ‘general’ category. For instance, if a program has been accredited for 6 general credits, of which 4 legal ethics credits have been granted - if you attended 100% of the program you will enter 6 in the general credits box and 4 in the legal ethics box. DO not subtract from these categories unless you did not attend the full course.

You should keep a record of all accredited courses you attend or complete, as well as other activities that you have submitted to our Office for approval for CLE credit. To determine which courses have received accreditation, consult the list of accredited courses. Lawyers admitted by On Motion, UBE Score Transfer, or as a Single Client, Judge Advocate, Military Spouse, or Law Professor must complete the required professionalism course within six months of their admission.

Last names A-G (compliance Group 1): Extended to a single 38-month cycle ending March 29, 2025.Last names N-Z (compliance Group 3): Extended to a single 38-month cycle ending March 29, 2026.Last names H-M (compliance Group 2): Extended to a single 38-month cycle ending March 29, 2027.

Florida

Florida attorneys are required to complete 30 CLE hours every three years. Of these hours, at least five of the 30 CLE credit hours must be in approved legal ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, or mental health and wellness. As part of the five credit hours, each member must complete, during each reporting cycle, the two-credit hour Florida Legal Professionalism course produced by The Florida Bar and approved by the Supreme Court of Florida.

Illinois

Illinois attorneys must complete 30 CLE hours for every two-year reporting period. These hours must include six professional responsibility hours. Of the professional responsibility hours, one hour must cover diversity/inclusion, and another hour must cover mental health/substance abuse.

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Indiana

In Indiana, attorneys will only receive credit for attending accredited courses, which have been approved by the Commission for CLE. In addition to approving courses, the Commission also approves sponsors. These are typically organizations that host a significant number of approved CLE courses each year.

New attorneys admitted by examination are required to complete a 6-hour applied professionalism course.

An attorney in Indiana may be certified as a specialist by a Commission-accredited certifying organization. In order to be certified, an attorney must attain a demonstrated proficiency.

Continuing education credit for attorneys can be labeled in four ways:

Applied professionalism credit
Ethics credit
Non-legal subject credit
All other education

Applied professionalism credit is for newly-admitted attorneys. Ethics credit, or any ethics portion of a course, shall be directed to the ethics of attorneys as opposed to the ethical or moral behavior of other professionals or of people in general. Such courses shall include instruction focusing on the Rules of Professional Responsibility as they relate to law firm management, malpractice avoidance, attorney fees, legal ethics, and the duties of attorneys to the judicial system, the public, clients and other attorneys.

Attorneys may have up to 12 hours of Non-legal subject (NLS) credit per three-year educational period.

Traditional courses generally have faculty in the room and must provide a discussion leader or two-way communication, a classroom setting away from attorneys’ offices, an opportunity to ask questions, and monitored attendance. Distance education courses do not require attorneys to be in the same room as the speaker, but the courses must be interactive, and the sponsor must be able to verify continuing attendance of the attorney through such means as random prompts, polling or quizzes during the course. In-house programs include those primarily designed for the exclusive benefit of attorneys employed by a private organization or law firm.

Nebraska

The Nebraska Supreme Court Rule mandating continuing legal education requires all active attorneys complete 10 hours of continuing legal education per year beginning in 2010. The programs of an accredited CLE sponsor shall be considered approved for CLE credit so long as the sponsor's accreditation remains active. When attorneys attend courses from accredited sponsors, the sponsor must submit the course for approval by the MCLE Commission.

New York

There is also a difference in the breakdown of types of lawyer CLE credits required for newly admitted and experienced attorneys in New York. New York CLE requirements depend on experience. Newly admitted attorneys must complete 32 credits over their first two years-16 credits annually.

Texas

The State Bar of Texas requires admitted attorneys to complete 15 CLE hours annually. 12 of these hours must be in accredited CLE courses, which can include live group presentations, online courses and webinars, and downloadable programs.

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia (DC) Bar does not have mandatory Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements for its attorneys at this time.

Methods of Obtaining CLE Credits

The appropriate methods of obtaining CLE credits will depend on state bar requirements, but they generally include attendance at online courses, webinars, and legal conferences. The easiest way to fulfill CLE requirements is through online CLE courses offered by accredited providers.

Online CLE Courses and Webinars

This is often the most convenient method. Clio webinars cover a wide variety of topics and often include CLE credit, depending on the jurisdiction.

Legal Conferences

Attending legal conferences such as ClioCon often provide CLE credits for attendance at certain sessions.

Self-Study

Some states allow a certain number of CLE hours to be completed through self-study methods.

CLE for Attorneys Licensed in Multiple Jurisdictions

For lawyers admitted in multiple jurisdictions, what do CLE requirements look like for them? While this ultimately depends on the jurisdictions involved and the specific state requirements, an attorney may be able to earn credits from both jurisdictions for one course. It is advisable to seek out courses that are approved for CLE credit in all states you are admitted.

Resources for Finding CLE Programs

There are many excellent resources available for obtaining lawyer CLE credits.

State Bar Associations

Most state bar associations have a list of accredited CLE providers and courses.

Online CLE Providers

Numerous online platforms offer CLE courses, often with accreditation in multiple states.

Legal Conferences and Seminars

Keep an eye out for legal conferences and seminars that offer CLE credits for attendance.

The Benefits of Continuing Legal Education

While CLE requirements are minimum standards imposed by state bar associations, lawyers can benefit from the ongoing training provided by CLE courses. First understand the CLE requirements of your jurisdiction, and then you can craft a CLE plan that fits your own aspirations.

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