The following information outlines the forty (40) states that require lawyers to take mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) courses in order to practice law within that particular jurisdiction, and their requirements:

For further information on your state MCLE requirements, contact your state regulatory entity by clicking here.

STATE REQUIREMENTS

Alabama

12 hrs. per calendar year. Reporting date: December 31.

Arizona

15 hrs. Per calendar year including 3 hrs. ethics/professional responsibility, professionalism, substance abuse, or ADR. Reporting date: September 15.

Arkansas

12 hrs. Per year including 1 hour of legal ethics. Reporting date: June 30.

California

25 hrs. over 3-year period including 4 hrs. of legal ethics; 1 hr. substance abuse and 1 hr. elimination of bias in the profession. Reporting date: January 31.

Colorado

45 hrs. over 3-year period including 7 hrs. legal ethics, professionalism. Reporting date: anytime within 3 year period.

Delaware

24 hrs. over 2-year period including 4 hrs. Enhanced Ethics, Fundamentals of Law 3-day series for new admittees (within 4yrs of admission) Reporting date: December 31.

Florida

30 hrs. over 3-year period including 5hrs. legal ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, or mental illness awareness; basic skills course for newly admitted attorneys. Reporting date: assigned month every 3 years.

Georgia

12 hrs. per year including 1 hr. legal ethics, professionalism, basic skills within 1st 2 yrs., ADR 3 hrs. one time only. Reporting date: January 31.

Idaho

30 hrs. over 3-year period including 2 hrs. legal ethics, basic skills course for new admittees. Reporting date: every 3rd year depending on year of admission.

Indiana

36 hrs. over 3 calendar year period with 6 hr. minimum per year including 3 hrs. legal ethics. Reporting date: December 31.

Iowa

15 hrs. per calendar year including 2 hrs. legal ethics every 2 years. Reporting date: March 1.

Kansas

12 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. legal ethics. Reporting date: 30 days after program.

Kentucky

12.50 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. legal ethics, new lawyer skills training within 12 mos. of admission. Reporting date: June 30.

Louisiana

12.50 hrs per year including 1 hr ethics and 1 hr professionalism. Newly admitted attorneys need 12.50 hrs including 8 hrs ethics, professionalism or law practice management. CLE Completion deadline: December 31. Reporting date January 31.

Maine

11 hours per year including 1 hour ethics/professional responsibility. Reporting date: Annually in connection with filing of registration statement required by Maine Bar Rule 6(a).

Minnesota

45 hrs. over 3-year period, 3 hrs. legal ethics, 2 hrs. elimination of bias required, maximum of 6hrs. law office management.. Reporting date: August 30.

Mississippi

12 hrs. per year including 1 hr. legal ethics, prof. responsibility, or malpractice prevention each year. Reporting date: July 31.

Missouri

15 hours per year including 3 hrs. ethics every 3 years, new admittees 3 hrs. professionalism, legal/judicial ethics within 12 mos. Reporting date: July 31.

Montana

15 hrs. per year. Reporting date: March 1.

Nevada

12 hrs. per year of which 2 must be in ethics. Reporting date: March 1.

New Hampshire

12 hrs. per year/at least 6 from out of the office live programs, including 2 hrs legal ethics/professionalism, or substance abuse. Reporting date:August 1.

New Mexico

15 hrs. per year including 1 hr. ethics and 2 hrs. professionalism. Reporting date: Prior to December 31st annually.

New York

Newly Admitted Attorneys: Practicing less than 2 years in NY (or less than 5 years in another jurisdiction immediately preceding admission to the NY Bar.)
32 hrs. "transitional" education within the first two years admission to the Bar. 16 hrs. completed each year including 3 hrs ethics/professionalism, 6 hrs. practical skills, 7 hrs. practice management and areas of professional practice. ("Transitional" courses help the newly admitted attorney develop a foundation in practical skills, techniques and procedures essential to the practice of law.)

 Experienced Attorneys: 24 hrs. over two year period including 4 hrs. ethics/professionalism

 All Attorneys: Reporting period: every two years from the time admitted to the bar.

 All Lawyers are encouraged to contact their state accreditation body to discern any state particularities, limitations or regulations in any and all formats.

North Carolina

12 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. ethics, 9 of the 12 hrs. in practical skills during first 3 yrs. of admission, and 1 hr. substance abuse or debilitating mental conditions every 3 yrs. Reporting date: February 28.

North Dakota

45 hrs. over 3-year period, 3 hrs. ethics every 3 yrs. Reporting date: June 30.

Ohio

24 hrs. every two years including 2 hr. of ethics based on the Code of Professional Responsibility, 1 hour of professionalism based on A Lawyer’s Creed and A Lawyer’s Aspirational Ideals and thirty minutes of substance abuse education that includes a discussion of prevention, detection, causes and treatment alternatives.  An attorney’s reporting date is determined by the alphabetical grouping of the attorney’s last name and is every two years on January 31.

Attorneys can only receive self-study credit for courses APPROVED by the Commission for self-study credits.  Additionally, self-study hours are capped and attorneys can only receive 6 hours of self-study credit every two years.  This includes audio, video, internet-based, and CD-Rom based educational activities.

Oklahoma

12 hrs. per year including 1 hr. ethics. Reporting date: February 15.

Oregon

45 hrs. over 3-year period including 6 hrs. ethics, 1 of those 6 hrs. on child abuse reporting, 3 of the general hours must be in courses pertaining to the role of lawyers concerning racial and ethnic issues, gender fairness, disability issues, and access to justice. New admittees-15 hrs. of which 10 must be in practical skills and 2 hrs. in ethics. Reporting date: December 31st every 3 years.

Pennsylvania

12 hrs. per year for all 3 compliance groups. 1 hr. ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse and a minimum of 11 hrs. of substantive law, practice and procedure, CLE credits for ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse may be applied to any substantive law, practice and procedure requirement, no more than two times the current annual CLE requirement may be carried forward into the two succeeding years. Reporting date: 30 days after program.

Rhode Island

10 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. ethics. Reporting date: July 1-June 30 annually.

South Carolina

14 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. ethics/professional responsibility each reporting period. Reporting date: January 15.

Tennessee

15 hrs. per year. Including 3 hrs. ethics/professionalism. Reporting date: March 1.

Texas

15 hrs. per year including 3 hours legal ethics. 1 hr. of the 3 hrs. of legal ethics may be completed through self-study. 5 hrs. of the total 15 hrs. may be completed through self-study. Reporting date: last day of birth month each year.

Utah

27 hrs. every 2-years including 3 hrs. ethics each reporting period . Reporting date: end of second year compliance period.

Vermont

20 hrs. over 2-yrs. including 2 hrs. ethics each reporting period. Reporting date: July 15.

Virginia

12 hrs. per year including 2 hrs. ethics each reporting period. CLE compliance deadline October 31, reporting date: December 15.

Washington

45 hrs. over 3 yrs. including 6 hrs. ethics, professional responsibility, professionalism, anti-bias and diversity. At least 30 credits must be earned by attendance at live CLE's, and up to 15 may be earned by self-study. Reporting date: January 31.

West Virginia

24 hrs. over 2-yrs. including 3 hrs. ethics or office management or substance abuse per cycle. Reporting date: June 30 every 2 yrs.

Wisconsin

30 hrs. over 2-yrs. including 3 hrs. ethics and professional responsibility. Reporting date: December 31st every other year.

Wyoming

15 hrs. per year including 1 hr. ethics. Reporting date: January 30.