California MCLE Requirements

Active status California attorneys must complete 25.00 CLE credits every 3 years to maintain good standing with the State Bar of California.

As part of their 25.00 credits required every 3 years, CA attorneys must complete CLE in the following topics:

• 4.00 credits in legal ethics.
• 2.00 credit in competence issues (one hour must focus on prevention and detection).
• 2.00 credits in elimination of bias (at least 1.00 of which must be in implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies).
• 1.00 credits in technology.
• 1.00 credits in civility.

Specialty credit may be taken in participatory or self-study format.

Attorneys in California must complete all 25.00 required credits by March 29th of their assigned reporting year. CLE sponsors will report your attendance to the California State Bar.

You are permanently assigned to a compliance group based on the first letter of your last name as it is listed on your admit card. All compliance periods end on March 29th, but reporting years vary depending on your assigned compliance group.

• Compliance Group 1 (Last Names A-G): 2025
• Compliance Group 2 (Last Names H-M): 2027
• Compliance Group 3 (Last Names N-Z): 2026

NBI reports your credit to the State Bar of California.

California attorneys must report MCLE compliance to the State Bar of California at the end of their three-year compliance period.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their California CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the State Bar of California CLE Commission. Examples of accepted course formats include:

Live Participatory CLE (Minimum 12.50 Hours)

• In-person courses
• Electronic/online activities with interaction

Self-Study (Maximum 12.50 Hours)

• OnDemand courses

No. MCLE credit can only be applied to the compliance period in which it is completed. No credits may be carried over.

You can earn up to 12.50 credits of your CA MCLE requirements with self-study courses.

You must complete 12.50 credits with courses approved as a participatory activity. A participatory activity may be in-person or online and is an MCLE activity for which the provider must verify attendance.

No. In-program attendance verification is not required.

• State Contact Information
  • Website: http://www.cabar.ca.gov/Attorneys/MCLE-CLE
  • Main Office Address: 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105
  • Main Office Phone Number: (415) 538-2000
  • Los Angeles Office Address: 845 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017-2515
  • Los Angeles Phone Number: (213) 765-1000

• California CLE Resources
  • California List of Approved Providers
  • Additional Information for California Newly Admitted Attorneys

Newly admitted attorneys in California must complete a State Bar New Attorney Training Program during their first year of admission. New Attorney Training Program courses are accessed via your My State Bar Profile. Once you have established an individual My State Bar Profile, you will be added to the e-learning portal and will receive a confirmation email from the State Bar providing information about accessing the New Attorney Training Program courses.

You may have prorated CA MCLE requirements for your first reporting period, depending on your date of admission to the State Bar of California.

No. CLE credits may not be carried over. However, credits earned from your State Bar New Attorney Training Program count toward your CLE requirement.

You are permanently assigned to a compliance group based on the first letter of your last name as it is listed on your admit card. Your first reporting period begins on the first day of the month in which you were admitted. All compliance periods end on March 29th, but reporting years vary depending on your assigned compliance group.

• Compliance Group 1 (Last Names A-G): 2025
• Compliance Group 2 (Last Names H-M): 2027
• Compliance Group 3 (Last Names N-Z): 2026

Yes. Newly admitted attorneys in California must complete the 10-hour New Attorney Training Program provided by the State Bar of California. You may apply these hours to the MCLE requirement for the compliance period in which they were completed. The courses are available only through your California attorney online login.

You must complete the New Attorney Training Program within 1 year from the last day of the month in which you were admitted to the bar. For example, if you were admitted to the bar on December 1, 2022, you must complete the New Attorney Training Program by December 31, 2023.

An attorney in their first year following admission is considered a California Newly Admitted Attorney.