Maine CLE Requirements

Active status attorneys in Maine must complete 12.00 CLE credits (including 1.00 ethics credit) every year to maintain good standing with the Maine State Bar.

In addition, all attorneys need 1.00 CLE credit in harassment and discriminatory education. This credit must be earned through in-person programs.*

*However, the in-person requirement has been temporarily waived, allowing this credit to be earned through live online programs.

Each year, Maine attorneys must complete all 12.00 required credits by December 31. Attorneys shall certify the accuracy of their individual MCLE Annual Report Statement to the CLE Committee no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern on the last business day of February.

The reporting period is 1 year and ends on December 31.

NBI reports your credit for live credit courses to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar CLE Committee.

For self-study courses, you must track and report your own credits. NBI will send you a verified certificate of completion, which you should sign and submit to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar CLE Committee. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.

Each year, you must certify compliance by submitting your MCLE Annual Report Statement. This can be done online through your Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar CLE website.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Maine CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. Examples of accepted course formats include:

Live CLE (Minimum 7.00 Hours)

• Live CLE Webinars
• In Person
• Satellite/Groupcast
• Teleseminar
• Moderator Video Replay
• Webcast/Webinar Replay

Self-Study (Maximum 5.00 Hours)

• OnDemand courses, aka Independent Study

Maine attorneys may carry over 10.00 CLE credits to the next reporting period.

• No more than 5.00 self study credits may carry over.
• The live requirement for ethics and professionalism credit must be satisfied each reporting period.
• The in-person requirement for harassment and discriminatory must be satisfied each reporting period.*
• Excess harassment and discriminatory education credits may be used to satisfy ethics and professionalism requirements. Once ethics requirements are complete, harassment and discriminatory education credits carry over as general credits.

*In-person requirement has been temporarily waived, allowing this credit to be earned through live online programs.

Attorneys in Maine can earn a maximum of 5.00 CLE credits with self-study courses.

No. In-program attendance verification is not required.

Teaching—An attorney who teaches a regularly scheduled law-related course offered for academic credit at an accredited post-secondary educational institution may earn six credit hours under this rule for every hour of academic credit awarded by the institution for the course. An attorney who assists or participates in such a regularly scheduled course will earn 1 credit hour for every hour of actual participation, up to a maximum of 6 hours.

Authorship—Upon written request, attorneys may be awarded ethics and professionalism credit hours each calendar year for authoring or co-authoring written material that is published in a legal periodical, journal, book, or treatise approved by the CLE Committee. Attorneys may earn 5 credit hours each calendar year.

Volunteer service—Upon written request, attorneys may be awarded up to 3 ethics and professionalism credit hours each calendar year for their volunteer service as members of a board, commission, or committee established by the Court or the Board, which is primarily concerned with ethics or professional responsibility.

Attending or auditing a regularly scheduled course offered at an accredited law school—Upon written request to the Board, an attorney who formally takes for credit or officially audits a regularly scheduled course offered for academic credit at a law school approved by the American Bar Association will earn 4 credit hours under this rule for every hour of academic credit awarded by the institution for the course, provided that the attorney attends at least 75% of the classes in the course and (if enrolled for academic credit) receives a passing grade.

Credits may also be awarded to court-appointed receivers and monitors.

• State Contact Information:
  • Address: Board of Overseers of the Bar, PO Box 527, Augusta, ME 14332
  • Phone Number: 207-623-1121
  • Email Address: cdoucette@mebaroverseers.org
  • Website: https://www.mecle.org/

• Maine CLE FAQ, Rules, and Resources
  • Maine CLE FAQ Page
  • Maine CLE Rules
  • Course Application for Attorneys
  • Ethics Helpline
  • Board Resources

Newly admitted attorneys in Maine are exempt if they have been admitted for less than 3 months of the calendar year.

Newly admitted attorneys in Maine are exempt if they have been admitted for less than 3 months of the calendar year.

Newly admitted attorneys admitted for more than 3 months of the calendar year can fulfill their Maine CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. Examples of accepted course formats include:

Live CLE (Minimum 7.00 Hours)

• Live CLE Webinars
• In Person
• Satellite/Groupcast
• Teleseminar
• Moderator Video Replay
• Webcast/Webinar Replay

Self-Study (Maximum 5.00 Hours)

• OnDemand courses, aka Independent Study

The reporting period ends on December 31 of each year. If you have been admitted for less than 3 months of the calendar year, you are exempt from reporting for that year. For example, if you were admitted in October, your first reporting period ends on December 31 of the following year.

No, there are no special CLE credit requirements for newly admitted attorneys in Maine.