Beware: California Has New CLE Compliance Deadlines

Although attorneys are still responsible for taking the same amount and types of CLE, detailed below, there have been changes to compliance reporting periods for all three Groups of California attorneys. For attorneys in Group 1 (last names A-G), the compliance deadline has been extended to a single 38-month cycle ending on March 29, 2025, with a deadline to report of March 30, 2025.

For attorneys in Group 2 (last names H-M), the compliance period has also been extended to a single 38-month cycle running from February 1, 2024 trough March 29, 2027, with a deadline to report of March 30, 2027. 

Finally, for attorneys in Group 3 (last names ending N-Z), the compliance period has been extended to a single 38-month cycle running from February 1, 2023 to March 29, 2026, with a reporting deadline of March 30, 2026.

After each Group’s respective 38-month cycle, each Group will return to a standard 36-month cycle beginning March 30 of their respective year and ending the day before the deadline 36 months later.       

CA MCLE Requirements

The California Bar MCLE requirements state that attorneys are required to complete 25.00 credit hours every three (3) years.

As part of their 25.00 credits required every 3 years to comply with the California Bar MCLE requirements, California attorneys must complete MCLE in the following topics before the California CLE deadline:

• 4.00 credits in legal ethics.
• 2.00 credits in competence issues(1.00 hour of which must focus on Prevention and Detection Competence and 1.00 hour of which may focus on Attorney Wellness).
• 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 credit in technology.
• 1.00 credit in civility.

There are different California MCLE requirements for participatory MCLE and self-study MCLE. Participatory courses consist of NBI’s Live In-Person CLE Courses, Live Webinars, CLE-Accredited Podcasts and OnDemand CLE Courses, while self-study courses consist of downloadable courses, CDs, DVDs, & books. At least 12.50 credit hours must be earned with participatory credit. Specialty credit hours may be taken as participatory or self-study; however, CA MCLE requirements dictate that a maximum of 12.50 credit hours may be taken as self-study during a given MCLE reporting period.

Reporting CA MCLE Credits

If you are not an NBI member, you must keep track of your own MCLE credits and certify compliance with your MCLE requirements by completing an attestation online using your State Bar attorney login or by submitting an MCLE Compliance Form. NBI users and subscription holders, on the other hand, have the benefit of NBI reporting their credit to the California State Bar on their behalf.

NBI will send you a Verified Certificate of Completion via email after completion of MCLE course(s). Please retain the Certificate(s) for your records.

Contact Information and Additional Resources

You can find more information concerning the California State Bar CLE requirements on the California State Bar website. NBI offers numerous California continuing legal education courses to ensure California attorneys can satisfy their requirements and meet the MCLE deadline. Need credit? We have California-accredited Live Webinars. Prefer OnDemand? Choose from more than 1,500 OnDemand Courses, including California-specific OnDemand Courses.

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This blog post is for general informative purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or a solicitation to provide legal services. You should consult with an attorney before you rely on this information. While we attempted to ensure accuracy, completeness and timeliness, we assume no responsibility for this post’s accuracy, completeness or timeliness.