Georgia CLE Requirements

In Georgia, active status attorneys must complete 12.00 CLE credits every year to maintain good standing with the State Bar of Georgia. Attorneys 70 and older are exempt.

In addition, all Georgia attorneys must complete 1.00 credit in ethical considerations and 1.00 credit in professionalism every year. Trial attorneys must complete 3.00 trial hours credits every year.

Georgia attorneys must complete all 12.00 required credits by December 31 of each year. In January of each year, you will receive an Annual Report showing the CLE credit earned for the prior year. You have until January 31 to make any corrections.

You have a grace period until March 31 during which you may make up CLE credit without paying a penalty. However, you must still file your Annual Report by January 31.

The CLE reporting period is 1 year and ends on December 31 for all Georgia attorneys.

NBI reports your credit to the Georgia Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency.

The Commission will provide an Annual Report of your CLE record at the end of each year. You can check your transcript on the State Bar of Georgia website.

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

Traditional

• Live In Person

Distance Learning

• OnDemand programs
• Live webcasts/webinars
• Teleconference programs
• Live video
• Live audio

Georgia attorneys may carry over 12.00 general CLE credits for one year. You may carry over a maximum of 2.00 ethics credits, 2.00 professionalism credits, and 3.00 trial hours credits.

You may earn all 12.00 of your required 12.00 CLE credits with distance learning courses.

Georgia attorneys who appear as sole or lead counsel in the Superior or State Courts of Georgia in any contested civil case or in the trial of a criminal case are subject to the MCLE requirement to complete 3.00 trial hours credits for that year.

No. In-program attendance verification is not required.

An attorney in the year of their admission to the State Bar and during the following calendar year is considered a new attorney. New attorneys are required to complete the State Bar of Georgia Transition Into Law Practice Program. This is completed through the State Bar of Georgia.

If a newly admitted attorney is a Judicial Law Clerk, they are exempt from completing the State Bar of Georgia Transition Into Law Practice Program during the period of the clerkship. More information can be found at State Bar Handbook (gabar.org).

• State Contact Information:
  • Address: GA Commission of Continuing Lawyer Competency, 50 Hurt Plaza, Atlanta, GA, 30303
  • Phone Number: 404-527-8700
  • Email Address: cle@gabar.org
  • Website: http://gabar.org/

• Georgia CLE FAQ, Information, and Exemptions
  • Georgia CLE FAQ Page
  • Georgia Newly Admitted Lawyer Information
  • Mandatory CLE Exemptions for Georgia Attorneys

Newly admitted attorneys in Georgia must complete the State Bar of Georgia Transition Into Law Practice Program (TILPP) by December 31 of the first full calendar year after they were admitted. TILPP involves both a mentoring and CLE component.

For the CLE component, Prosecutors and Public Defenders have specialized programs. All other lawyers complete a mandatory 6-hour Beginning Lawyers Program, and an additional 6 hours of their choice.

Completion of the Transition Into Law Practice Program satisfies Georgia CLE requirements for both the year of admission and the next succeeding year.

Newly Admitted attorneys must complete the Transition Into Law Practice Program (TILPP)/Beginning Lawyer Program offered by the State Bar of Georgia within the year of his or her admission or in the next calendar year. This program requires 6 of 12 credit hours needed.

The remaining 6 credits can be satisfied by basic-level NBI programs in the following categories:

Traditional

• Live In Person

Distance Learning

• OnDemand programs
• Live webcasts/webinars
• Teleconference programs
• Live video
• Live audio

Keep in mind that the mandatory Transition Into Law Practice Program satisfies your Georgia CLE requirements for the year of admission and the following reporting year. You do not have to report additional CLE credits while you are participating in the Transition Into Law Practice Program. The first reporting period when you must report regular CLE credits ends on December 31 the second calendar year after your admission to the State Bar of Georgia.

Yes. In the year of admission, or in the next calendar year, new attorneys must complete the State Bar of Georgia Transition Into Law Practice Program. Completion of the Transition Into Law Practice Program will satisfy your Georgia CLE requirements for both the year of admission and the next succeeding year.

If you practiced law in another United States jurisdiction for two or more years immediately prior to admission to practice in Georgia, you may be exempted from completing the Transition Into Law Practice Program upon the submission of an affidavit to the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency within three months of admission.