General Colorado Continuing Legal Education Credit Requirements
In Colorado, active status attorneys must complete 45.00 CLE credits (including 7.00 in professional responsibility - at least 2.00 credit hours in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusivity) every 3 years to maintain good standing with the Colorado Bar. Colorado attorneys age 72 and older are exempt from CLE requirements.
Credit Hour: 50 minutes, general hours are rounded to the nearest whole, ethics is rounded to the nearest 1/10.
Professional responsibility credit includes topics such as legal ethics, civility, bias elimination, equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Of the 7 required professional responsibility hours, mandatory CLE requirements cite that at least 2 must specifically address equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) topics.
Colorado attorneys must complete all 45.00 required credits by December 31 in their reporting year. Attorneys must report their credits by January 31 following their compliance period.
The reporting period is 3 years and ends on December 31 for all attorneys. Your first compliance period begins on the date of admission or certification to the Colorado Bar and ends on December 31 of the third full calendar year following the year of admission or certification to practice law in Colorado.
Failure to complete or report the required CLE credits by the deadline may result in administrative suspension of your license. You may also be required to complete make-up credits and pay late fees to return to good standing.
In certain cases, the Office of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education may grant extensions or waivers for medical hardship, military service, or other extenuating circumstances. Requests must be submitted in writing before your compliance period ends.
Colorado is a self-reporting state. Attorneys are responsible for certifying and submitting their own attendance to a CLE program or completion of a home-study program on the Colorado Supreme Court website.
Yes. While in-program attendance verification is not required, attorneys are responsible for self-reporting CLE completions through the Colorado CLE Online Affidavit System (CLEtrack).
Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Colorado CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Supreme Court Continuing Legal and Judicial Education Committee. Examples of accepted course formats include:
Live CLE
- Real-time or live online CLE webcasts
- Videoconferences
- Teleconference
Home Study
- Prerecorded ondemand video
- Downloadable audio file
- DVD
- Audio CD
In Colorado, attorneys who complete Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses receive certificates of completion, which are essential for reporting and maintaining their active bar status.
No. You may not carry over any CLE credits. Attorneys must earn all 45.00 CLE credits within the 3-year compliance period.
Yes. Colorado has no limit on the number of CLE credits that can be earned through home study or OnDemand formats, including professional responsibility and EDI credits.
No. In-program attendance verification is not required.
You can view your CLE transcript and reporting status at any time by logging in to the Colorado CLE Online Affidavit System. This portal allows you to track progress and view any outstanding requirements.
No. All active Colorado attorneys - including those practicing in-house or in government - must comply with the same CLE requirements, including ethics and EDI credit.
Yes. You may receive CLE credit for preparing and presenting CLE-accredited material. You must report your role and submit documentation to the Colorado Supreme Court’s CLE office for approval.
Possibly. CLE credit may be available for published legal writing if it meets specific content and authorship requirements. Contact the Colorado Supreme Court’s CLE office for approval criteria and credit calculation.
Yes. Attorneys in the state of Colorado must complete CLE unless they are on inactive or retired status, or have reached age 72, at which point they become automatically exempt from CLE requirements.
- State Contact Information:
- Address: Colorado Supreme Court Office of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education 1300 Broadway, Suite 510, Denver, CO 80203
- Phone Number: 303-928-7771
- Email Address: cleinfo@csc.state.co.us
- Website: http://www.coloradosupremecourt.com/Current%20Lawyers/Cle.asp
- Colorado CLE Rules, Requirements, FAQs, Sponsors and Affidavit System
Are you newly admitted to the Colorado Bar? Here’s what you need to know:
New attorneys are subject to the same CLE requirements as all other attorneys in Colorado.
You are subject to CLE reporting beginning on the date of admission to the Colorado Bar. Any CLE credits you earn after admission to the Colorado Bar will be credited to your first compliance period. Any CLE credits earned from taking the required Practicing with Professionalism course required for bar admission will also be credited to your first compliance period.
Your first reporting period ends on December 31 of the third full calendar year following your admission to the Colorado Bar.
All new Colorado attorneys admitted by On Motion, UBE Score Transfer, or as a Single Client, Judge Advocate, Military Spouse, or Law Professor must complete a mandatory one-day Practicing with Professionalism course within 6 months of their admission.
New Colorado attorneys admitted for the first time in Colorado will have completed this requirement before gaining admission to the Colorado Bar. CLE credits earned for the Practicing with Professionalism course will be applied to your first CLE compliance period.