Requirements by State: What you Need to Know

Latest Update: 07/22/2021 @3:44 PM CDT

As Coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, we are all affected by this virus in one way or another.  Our hearts go out to all of our community members in these trying times. Many aspects of our daily lives have changed, and we are looking at a new normal for the time being.  As conferences continue to cancel well into the summer, many State Bar Associations are rethinking their live CLE requirements.  Below, we have listed the changes and updates you can expect from each state:

  • Alabama: Unless exempt, all Alabama attorneys must earn at least 12.0 total MCLE credits (including 1.0 ethics) by December 31 of each year.
  • Alaska: December 31, 2020 is the deadline for earning 2020 credits. February 1, 2021 is the deadline for filing 2020 MCLE Reports.  Inactive Bar members and 2020 admittees are exempt from MCLE requirements.
  • Arizona: The educational cycle is July 1 to the following June 30.  During that time, each lawyer, unless exempted, must acquire a total of 15 hours of CLE, of which a minimum of 3 hours must be in professional responsibility/ethics. The Supreme Court of the State of Arizona issued an order extending the 2019-2020 CLE and reporting deadlines to December 30, 2020 (previously June 30 and September 15 respectively).  For more information, please see the official FAQ here. Arizona lawyers have annual CLE reporting requirements.
  • Arkansas: By June 30 of each year, an attorney must report at least 12 hours of approved CLE which must include at least 1 hour of ethics.
  • California: With a few exceptions, most attorneys who are actively practicing law in California must take 25 hours of Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) every three years and file a report with the State Bar.
  • Colorado: At this time, the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education has not revised the MCLE credit requirements for Colorado due to concerns regarding the coronavirus.
  • Connecticut: The Connecticut Supreme Court has suspended the MCLE Rule for 2020 (attorneys not required to obtain 12 credits per previous). No further guidance has been provided by the Rules Committee. https://jud.ct.gov/Committees/rules/Appendix_A.pdf
  • Delaware: The Supreme Court of the State of Delaware issued an order temporarily waiving the 12-hour Live credit requirement for attorneys for the reporting cycles ending on December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2021. All 24 CLE credits for those two-year reporting cycles may be satisfied by approved courses in any format including On Demand. Previously, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a similar order waving the Live requirement for those who have not completed their 2019 requirement.
  • Florida: The Florida Bar issued an order extending CLE reporting deadlines for February, March, April and May 2020 to August 31, 2020. All other annual compliance deadlines remain the same.
  • Georgia: The Supreme court of Georgia will waive the 6-hour in-person CLE requirement.  Attorneys may take All 12 courses through on-demand and Self-Study Courses.
  • Hawaii: 
  • Idaho: 
  • Illinois:
  • Indiana: The Indiana Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the credit limitation for distance education as follows: Attorneys with a CLE deadline on December 31, 2020 may complete all of their credits via online courses. Attorneys with a deadline on or before December 31, 2022 may complete up to 24 credits via online courses.
  • Iowa: The Iowa Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the credit limitation for unmoderated courses. Iowa attorneys may complete any portion of their requirement as On-Demand courses until further notice from the Iowa Supreme Court.
  • Iowa:  The Supreme court of Iowa is waiving the live in-person and online-moderated CLE requirement until further notice.  Iowa attorneys may complete all MCLE requirements via On-demand courses.
  • Kansas: The Supreme Court of the State of Kansas has issued an order granting an automatic extension for the 2019-2020 CLE and Reporting Deadlines to September 30, 2020 for attorneys unable to complete their requirement by June 30, 2020. They have also removed the credit limitation on pre-recorded CLE for this same period. Kansas attorneys can complete their entire 2019-2020 requirement via On Demand CLE courses.
  • Louisiana: 
  • Maine: The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the in-person CLE requirement. Maine attorneys may complete their entire CLE requirement via On-Demand courses until further notice. Also, the board of overseers of the bar is extending the 2018/2019 reporting until may 2020.  There will also be no late fees for this period.
  • Minnesota: Minnesota is waiving the credit limits for On-demand courses.  Attorneys in category 3 (deadline of 08/31/20) may complete all 45 courses On-demand.
  • Missouri: The Supreme court of Missouri has extended the 2020 deadline to September 30, 2020 and waiving late fees.
  • Mississippi: 
  • Montana:  The Supreme Court of Montana Commission of Continuing Legal Education will not assess any late fees as long as the required credits are completed and reported by May 15, 2020 (the usual deadline for completion is March 31). Montana attorneys can complete all of their credits online via a combination of live webcasts and on-demand programs.
  • Nebraska: The supreme court of Nebraska is removing the limit of distance education credits that can be earned. Attorneys may complete 10 courses On-Demand before their due date of 1/20/2021.
  • Nevada: 
  • New Hampshire: The Supreme Court of New Hampshire has postponed all MCLE requirements until April 6th while the MCLE offices are closed.  Additional postponements are expected thereafter.  We will continue to update this post as information becomes available.
  • New Jersey: The Supreme court of New Jersey is waiving the 12-hour in-person CLE requirement until further notice.  NJ attorneys may satisfy all 24 MCLE course requirements On-demand.
  • New Mexico: The Supreme Court of the State of New Mexico issued an order extending the MCLE late reporting deadlines by 30 days. The new deadlines are as follows:

                            April 30, 2020: 2019 credits can be reported with a $100 late fee

                           May 31, 2020: 2019 credits can be reported with a $350 late fee

                           June 1, 2020: The list of non-compliant attorney names will be sent to the Supreme Court

  • New York: The New York CLE board is waiving the live skills- training requirement for Newly Admitted Attorneys. Live skills training credits can be completed online through 6/30/2020.
  • North Carolina: The supreme court of North Carolina had previously issued an amendment (on 1/20/2020) to remove all live in-person CLE requirements.  NC attorneys may complete all MCLE requirements On-demand from 1/20/2020 further.
  • North Dakota: Attorneys with 2020 reporting may now complete all or a portion of their 45 credits via self-study.
  • Ohio: The Ohio Commission on CLE has extended the 2018/2019 Late Compliance deadline until 6/29/2020, AND waived the cap on Self-Study credits for the same period.
  • Oklahoma: 
  • Oregon: 
  • Pennsylvania: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has issued two orders for attorneys. First: Attorneys within the 4/30/2020 deadline postponing this MCLE deadline to 8/31/2020. The second order waives the distance learning cap for all 2020 deadlines. Pennsylvania Attorneys may now complete their entire 2020 requirement online via On-Demand, Webcast, or MP3 courses.
  • South Carolina: The Supreme Court of South Carolina is waiving all in-person MCLE requirements for the 2019-2020 reporting period ending 4/15/2020.  South Carolina Attorneys may satisfy all 14 MCLE credits On-demand. View our South Carolina course library here.
  • Tennessee: The Supreme court of Tennessee is waiving the 8-hour distance learning limit for credits within the 2019 reporting period ending 3/31/2020.  TN attorneys may complete all MCLE courses online. View our Tennessee course library here.
  • Texas: The Supreme court of Texas has extended the deadline by 60 days for attorneys with compliance deadlines in March, April and May.  Attorneys with missed deadlines in January and February may also take advantage of this 60 day extension.  Attorneys subject to suspension for failing to meet their November or December deadlines are granted a 30 day extension.
  • Utah: The Supreme court of Utah is waiving all in person MCLE requirements until 6/30/2020.  Utah attorneys with 6/30/2020 deadlines may complete all MCLE courses On-demand.
  • Vermont: The Vermont Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the 10-hour limitation on self-study CLE for the 2018-2020 reporting period. Vermont attorneys with an upcoming deadline on June 30, 2020, can complete their entire requirement through approved self-study courses.
  • Virginia: The Supreme Court of Virginia has issued an order extending the 2020 MCLE deadline to midnight EST December 31, 2020 (usually October 31). The required CLE hours must be reported no later than 4:45 p.m. EST February 15, 2021.
  • West Virginia: The West Virginia Commission on MCLE is waiving the live CLE requirement through 6/30/2020.  WV attorneys may take all 24 courses On-demand.  View our West Virginia course library here.
  • Wisconsin: The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has temporarily increased the number of MCLE credits that attorneys can complete On-demand through 12/31/2020.  This includes attorneys working to complete late filings from their 2019 deadline.  WI attorneys may take all 30 MCLE required courses online.  Ethics requirements must be completed via Live-Stream format.  View our Wisconsin course library here.
  • Wyoming: 

About the Author:

Kristin Davidson founded CLE Companion with a mission is to take Continuing Education into the next phase of Legal Technology by creating the most innovative, convenient, and cost-effective CLE platform in the industry.

Through insight and direct attorney feedback, she and her executive team created an easy to navigate website, with the convenience of online learning, a place to track credits, and advanced API functionality.

Kristin integrated Legal Technology into every facet of CLE Companion to keep costs down without sacrificing integrity. This allows us to provide courses at a fraction of the traditional CLE cost.  Our goals of quality, service, and value guide our everyday interactions as well as the industry-leading innovations we create.