2022 December CLE Requirements: A State-By-State Guide
This year’s largest CLE deadline is approaching! By the end of December, attorneys in 24 states must fulfill their CLE credit requirements. These requirements vary per state in terms of how many CLE credits are needed, and how many can be carried over.
If you believe your CLE reporting deadline is upcoming, check this list. Here’s what you need to know about every state’s December deadline!
States with CLE Deadlines in December
Alabama CLE Requirements
To maintain compliance, Alabama attorneys must complete 12 CLE credits every year. One of these credits must be ethics. Through December 31, 2022 all credit hours may be taken as live or OnDemand programs. New attorneys are exempt from the mandatory CLE requirements, but they must complete a 3-hour course in professionalism within the first 12 months of being admitted to the bar. These credits may be carried over to the new attorney’s first compliance period.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, 1 one of which must be ethics
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit
Check out our Alabama CLE Courses
Alaska CLE Requirements
Alaska attorneys must complete at least 3 ethics credits every year. All credits can be satisfied through technology-delivered programming. Topics that qualify as an ethics CLE include professional responsibility, workplace ethics, law office management, attention to cases and clients, time management, malpractice prevention, collegiality, general attorney wellness, and professionalism. Alaska attorneys are encouraged to complete an additional 9 CLE credits; however, this is not a requirement.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 3 ethics credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 credits, including 3 ethics credits
Check out our Alaska CLE Courses
Colorado CLE Requirements
Colorado attorneys must complete 45 CLE credits every 3 years. All 45 credits can be earned by either attending live sessions or via home study activities. Of these 45 credits, Colorado attorneys must complete 7 credits of professional responsibility.
Colorado CLE rules were updated in 2021. For attorneys whose compliance periods started January 1, 2021, 2 of the 7 professional responsibility credits must be equity, diversity, and inclusivity credits.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 45 credits, 7 of which must be professional responsibility/ethics credits. Of the 7 professional responsibility/ethics credits, 2 must be equity, diversity, and inclusivity credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 3 years
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: No credits may be carried over
Check out our Colorado CLE Courses
Connecticut CLE Requirements
Connecticut attorneys must complete 12 CLE credits every reporting period, which is 1 year long. Of these 12 credits, 2 must be ethics/professionalism credits. Connecticut allows attorneys to carry over 2 credits every year, which can be either general or ethics credits. All credit hours can be earned using live or self-study CLE activities.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, 2 of which must be ethics credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 2 credits, which may be general or ethics credits
Check out our Connecticut CLE Courses
Delaware CLE Requirements
Delaware attorneys must complete 24 CLE credits every 2 years. Four of these credits must be enhanced ethics credits. Compliance periods correspond with the attorney’s year of admittance to the bar. Accordingly, the compliance period for attorneys who were admitted during an even year ends this year on December 31, 2022.
The requirement that 12 of 24 CLE credit hours must be earned by attending in-person, live CLE courses has been temporarily suspended by the Delaware Supreme Court. You may earn all 24 credits with eCLE programs through December 31, 2022.
Newly admitted attorneys in Delaware begin their CLE compliance period on January 1 following the date they are admitted to the Delaware State Bar. New attorneys must complete 7 specific fundamentals courses offered by the Delaware State Bar Association within 4 years after their first compliance period begins.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 24 credits, 4 of which must be enhanced ethics credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 2 years
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 20 credits. Ethics credits do not carry over as ethics but will count as substantive credits.
Check out our Delaware CLE Courses
Georgia CLE Requirements
Georgia attorneys are required to complete a total of 12 CLE credits every year. All credits may be taken as live or distance learning programs. One of the 12 credits must be legal ethics, one must be professionalism. If the attorney is a trial attorney, then 3 of their required CLE credits must be in trial practice.
New attorneys must complete the Transition into Law Practice Program (TILPP) by December 31 of the first full calendar year after they were admitted. Completion of the Transition Into Law Practice Program satisfies Georgia CLE requirements for both the year of admission and the next succeeding year.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, of which one must be ethics, one must be professionalism every year. Trial attorneys must complete 3 trial hours credits every year.
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 regular credits, 2 ethics credits, 2 professionalism credits, and 3 trial practice credits can be carried over.
Check out our Georgia CLE Courses
Hawaii CLE Requirements
Hawaii attorneys must complete at least 3 CLE credits every year through live or alternate format CLE activities. One CLE credit every 3 years must be in ethics or professional responsibility. All credits may be taken as live or alternative format programs.
New attorneys are exempt from CLE requirements for the first year of practice, but they must complete the Hawaii Professionalism Course by December 31 of the year following the year of admission.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 3 credits every year; every 3 years, 1 credit completed must be in ethics or professional responsibility
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 3 credits may be carried over. This may include ethics or professional responsibility credits.
Check out our Hawaii CLE Courses
Idaho CLE Requirements
Idaho attorneys are subject to a 3-year reporting period. Every 3 years, they must complete 30 CLE credits, 15 of which must be approved for live CLE credit. No more than 6 credits can be published legal writing credits. Three of these credits must be in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
New attorneys must complete at least 10 New Admittee Credit-Approved (NAC-Approved) CLE credits. If the newly admitted attorney has already practiced for at least 3 years, they must still complete the NAC-Approved CLE credits in their first year as bar members.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 30 credits, 3 of which must be legal ethics or professional responsibility
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 3 years, the first period ending on December 31 of the third full year following admission
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: Idaho attorneys cannot carry over CLE credits
Check out our Idaho CLE Courses
Indiana CLE Requirements
Indiana attorneys must complete 36 credits every 3 years. Of these 36 credits, 3 credits must be professional responsibility CLE credits. As per an Indiana Supreme Court order signed on June 6, Indiana attorneys can earn all of their credits via distance education.
Newly admitted attorneys in Indiana must satisfy at least 6.00 hours of their CLE requirement by completing the Applied Professionalism Program for Newly Admitted Attorneys which has been accredited by the Indiana Commission for Continuing Legal Education. You must complete this program within your first 3-year educational period.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 36 credits, 3 of which must be professional responsibility credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 3 years
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: Indiana attorneys cannot carry over CLE credits
Check out our Indiana CLE Courses
Iowa CLE Requirements
Iowa attorneys must complete at least 15 CLE credits every year. Of these 15 credits, 1 credit must be a legal ethics CLE and 1 credit must be devoted to either attorney wellness or diversity and inclusion. All Iowa CLE credits can be earned in either moderated activities or unmoderated activities. Unmoderated activity means that the CLE is presented by delayed or On-Demand broadcast but has an interactive component and is approved by the commission.
Newly admitted attorneys are exempt from CLE reporting requirements in the year in which they are admitted to practice law in Iowa.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 15 credits, of which 1 must be ethics and 1 must be in attorney wellness or diversity and inclusion
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: Iowa attorneys may carry over up to 30 credits for a maximum of 2 years. Ethics, attorney wellness, and diversity & inclusion credits will be carried over as general credits.
Check out our Iowa CLE Courses
Louisiana CLE Requirements
Louisiana attorneys are required to complete 12.5 CLE credits every year. Of the 12.5 required credits, 1 must be in legal ethics, and 1 must be in professionalism.
For the 2022 compliance year, the Louisiana Supreme Court increased the number of allowable self-study credits to 6. The self-study credit maximum is normally 4.
A maximum of 8 CLE credits can be carried over to the following year. No ethics or professionalism CLE credit can be carried over. Up to 8 excess credits earned in the 2019 compliance year can also be carried forward to the 2022 or 2023 compliance years.
New attorneys have additional CLE requirements: they must complete 8 CLE credits in either ethics, professionalism, or law practice management. These credits can be earned either in the year of admission, or the following year.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12.5 credits, of which 1 must be in ethics, and 1 must be in professionalism
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 8 credits. Ethics and professionalism credits can’t be carried over.
Check out our Louisiana CLE Courses
Maine CLE Requirements
Attorneys licensed to practice in Maine must complete 12 CLE credits every year, 7 of which must be completed with activities approved for live CLE credit.
Maine attorneys must complete at least 1 credit in Ethics and Professionalism and 1 credit in harassment and Discriminatory Education. The in-person requirement for harassment/discrimination programs has been waived through December 31, 2023, but this credit must still be taken via live programs.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 CLE credits, of which 1 must be Ethics and Professionalism, and 1 must be Harassment and Discriminatory Education
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 10 credit hours, provided that no more than 5 of the credit hours may be earned through self-study programs.
Check out our Maine CLE Courses
Nebraska CLE Requirements
Nebraska attorneys must complete 10 CLE credits every year, 2 of which must be professional responsibility credits.
The Nebraska Supreme Court has lifted the 5-hour cap on computer-based legal education for 2022. Traditionally, Nebraska attorneys are limited to 5 credit hours of computer-based legal education per reporting period.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 10 credits, 2 of which must be professional responsibility credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 5 live, in-person, general credits.
Check out our Nebraska CLE Courses
Nevada CLE Requirements
Nevada attorneys must complete 13 CLE credit hours every year through live or alternative format CLE activities. Of these 13 credit hours, 2 credits must be legal ethics credits, and 1 credit must be in substance abuse, addictive disorders, and/or mental health.
Newly admitted attorneys are exempt from CLE reporting requirements for the year in which they’re admitted. Still, new attorneys must participate in the Nevada State Bar Association’s Transitioning into Practice (TIPs) program.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 13 credits, of which 2 must be ethics credits and 1 must address substance abuse, addictive disorders, or mental health
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 20 general credits, 4 ethics credits, and 2 substance abuse credits
Check out our Nevada CLE Courses
New Jersey CLE Requirements
New Jersey attorneys must complete 24 CLE credit hours every 2 years. Five credit hours must be in legal ethics or professionalism. Of the 5 ethics credits, 2 must be in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.
Due to the impact of Covid-19, the Supreme Court of New Jersey relaxed the live classroom instruction requirement until further notice. Temporarily, attorneys can complete all 24 credits via live online seminars, webinars, or other alternative verifiable learning formats. Traditionally, New Jersey attorneys have a 12-credit hour cap on learning from alternative verifiable learning formats.
Newly admitted attorneys in New Jersey have specific CLE requirements. During their first 2-year reporting period, new attorneys must complete 15 of the required 24 CLE credits in any 5 of the following 9 topics specific to the state of New Jersey:
- Basic estate administration
- Basic estate planning
- Civil or criminal trial preparation
- Family law practice
- Real estate closing procedures
- Trust and business accounting
- Landlord/tenant practice
- Municipal court practice
- Law office management
Reporting groups are determined by birthday
- Compliance Group 1: Birthdays from January 1 - June 30 (certify compliance in even-numbered years)
- Compliance Group 2: Birthdays from July 1 - December 31 (certify compliance in odd-numbered years)
This year Compliance Group 1 must report CLEs.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 24 credits, of which 5 must be ethics credits. Two ethics credits must be diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 2 years, determined by birthday
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 credits
Check out our New Jersey CLE Courses
New Mexico CLE Requirements
New Mexico attorneys must complete 12 CLE credits every year, 8 of which with activities approved for live CLE credit. Of these 12 credits, attorneys must complete 2 ethics and professionalism credits.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, 2 of which must be legal ethics and professionalism
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 live credits, 2 of which can be ethics and professionalism
Check out our New Mexico CLE Courses
North Carolina CLE Requirements
North Carolina attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours every year through live or online activities. Among these 12 credits are multiple special credit requirements. First, attorneys must complete 2 professional responsibility credits and 1 credit of technology training.
Second, every 3 years, attorneys must complete 1 credit of substance abuse and debilitating mental conditions. Finally, any attorney or supervised employee who has check signing authority must complete 1 credit of trust account management.
Newly admitted attorneys in North Carolina must complete the Professionalism for New Attorneys (PNA) program during the first year in which they must report CLEs. Attorneys new to the bar, but who have practiced for at least 5 years, are exempt and must report that they are exempt.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, including 1 professional responsibility credit, 1 technology training credit, 1 substance abuse credit every 3 years, and 1 trust account management credit if applicable
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 credits, including 2 professional responsibility credits
North Carolina CLE Requirements
Check out our North Carolina CLE Courses
Ohio CLE Requirements
Ohio attorneys must complete at least 24 CLE credits in every 2-year compliance period. Compliance periods are determined by the last name. The compliance period for attorneys with last names beginning with M-Z ends this December 31, 2022. Accordingly, the compliance period for attorneys with last names beginning with A-L ends December 31, 2023.
The Supreme Court of Ohio has adopted rule changes that permanently remove the CLE self-study cap, effective January 1, 2023. The self-study cap has already been waived for the 2021-2022 compliance period.
All Ohio attorneys must complete at least 2.5 credits of professional conduct every reporting period. Topics may include legal ethics, professionalism, alcoholism/substance abuse, mental health, and access to justice.
New attorneys are exempt from regular CLE requirements for their first biennial compliance period. New attorneys must complete a 12-hour New Lawyers Training Program (NLTP) during that time.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, including 2.5 professional conduct credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 2 years
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 general credits. Ethics credits can only be carried over as general credits.
Check out our Ohio CLE Courses
Oklahoma CLE Requirements
Oklahoma attorneys must complete 12 CLE credits every year. All credits can be earned using On-Demand CLE courses or activities. Of these 12 credits, at least 2 must be legal ethics and professionalism credits.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, 2 of which must be legal ethics and professionalism credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 12 credits, including 2 ethics credits
Check out our Oklahoma CLE Courses
Pennsylvania CLE Requirements
Only attorneys in Compliance Group 3 must complete their CLE credits by December 31st. In Pennsylvania, attorneys must complete 12.00 CLE credits. A maximum of 6.00 credit hours may be taken as distance learning programs, though the cap on distance learning credits earned through live online seminars and live webinars has been elimited for 2022 and 2023 compliance periods. There is still a limit of 6.00 credit hours for pre-recorded online courses for 2022 and 2023 compliance periods. Of these credits at least 2 must be legal ethics.
CLE Credit Requirement: 12 credits, 2 of which must be ethics credits
Deadline: December 31 for Group 3
Reporting Period: 1 Year
Carry-Over Credit Limit: 24 live in-person credits. Due to COVID-19, a temporary rule change permits distance learning credits earned through live online seminars or live webinars during 2022 and 2023 compliance periods to carry over.
Check out our Pennsylvania CLE Courses
Tennessee CLE Requirements
Tennessee attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours every year. Of the 15 credit hours, 3 must be in legal ethics and professionalism.
The Tennessee Supreme Court removed limitations on distance learning CLE credits on November 1, 2022.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 15 credits, 3 of which must be ethics and professionalism credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 15 credits, including 3 ethics and professionalism credits.
Check out our Tennessee CLE Courses
Washington CLE Requirements
Washington attorneys must complete at least 45 CLE credits every 3 years. Of these 45 CLE credits, 6 must be legal ethics credits. Effective September 1, 2022, at least one of these ethics credits must be on the topic of equity, inclusion, and the mitigation of both implicit and explicit bias.
Pursuant to a temporary rule change, Lawyers in the 2018-2020 reporting period were granted a 1-year extension for reporting for the 2018-2020 compliance period. Attorneys in that compliance group have a shortened 2-year reporting period for 2022-2023.
Group 1 is required to report this year.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 45 credits, 6 of which must be ethics credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 3 years
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 15 credits, including 2 ethics credits (increased for attorneys whose compliance period would have ended in 2020)
Check out our Washington CLE Courses
Wisconsin CLE Requirements
Wisconsin attorneys must complete a minimum of 30 CLE credits every 2 years. Of the 30 required CLE credit hours, 3 must be ethics and professional responsibility (EPR) credits. The EPR credits must be taken live.
Pursuant to a temporary rule change, the 15.00 credit hour maximum for repeated on-demand programs has been increased to 30.00 credit hours through December 31, 2022.
Attorneys who were admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin in an even year are required to report in 2022.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 30 credits, 3 of which must be EPR credits
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 2 years, alternating even and odd years of admission
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: 15 credits. Ethics and professional responsibility credits may not be carried over.
Check out our Wisconsin CLE Courses
Wyoming CLE Requirements
Wyoming attorneys must complete 15 credit hours every year, 7 of which must be fulfilled with activities approved for live CLE credit. Two hours of legal ethics are required.
- CLE Credit Requirement: 15 credits, including 2 hours of legal ethics
- Deadline: December 31
- Reporting Period: 1 year
- Carry-Over Credit Limit: Attorneys can carry over live credit for two years. Self-study credit may not be carried over.
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