Missouri CLE Requirements

In Missouri, active status attorneys must complete 15.00 CLE credits every reporting period (July 1 - June 30) to maintain good standing with The Missouri Bar. Judges and commissioners of the family court division must complete 6.00 credits in family court issues and law (these may count toward the 15.00 credit total).

In addition, Missouri attorneys must complete 3.00 credits every reporting period in ethics, professionalism or malpractice prevention, which may include professionalism, substance use, mental health, legal or judicial ethics, malpractice prevention, explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion, or cultural competency. However, 1.00 credit must be in explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion, or cultural competency.

Specialty credits must be earned through courses approved for live credit.

Credit Hour: 50 minutes (rounded to the nearest 1/10 hour).

You must earn 3.00 specialty credits per year. Of these:

• At least 1.00 credit must cover bias, diversity, inclusion, or cultural competency
• All specialty credits must be taken live

Missouri attorneys must complete all 15.00 required credits by June 30 each year. Attorneys must report their credits to The Missouri Bar by July 31.

The reporting period is 1 year and runs from July 1 to June 30 for all attorneys. New attorneys are exempt for the duration of the reporting year that they are admitted.

You must file an annual report of compliance on The Missouri Bar website. You can also view your CLE transcript and report credits online throughout the year.

Live CLE programs require a reporting number, which you’ll use when reporting those credits. Self-study courses (such as OnDemand) are treated as self-study by The Missouri Bar, do not receive a reporting number, and must be self-reported.

NBI reports live program attendance where applicable, but you are responsible for submitting your CLE credits, especially for self-study programs.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Missouri CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by The Missouri Bar. Examples of accepted course formats include:

Live CLE (Minimum 9.00 Hours)

• Webinars
• CLE classes in Live Traditional classroom

Self-Study (Maximum 6.00 Hours)

• OnDemand courses
• Videotape or Audiotape

Yes. You may carry over CLE credits for one reporting period, subject to the following limits::

• Up to 15.00 live CLE credits (general credit), and
• Within that, up to 3.00 ethics/professionalism/malpractice credits, including 1.00 credit in bias/inclusion/cultural competency.

Self-study credits (including OnDemand) cannot be carried over.

Yes. You may carry over up to 3.00 total ethics, professionalism, or malpractice prevention credits and only 1.00 of those may be in explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion, or cultural competency.

In the year you earn them, these credits may be used to satisfy part of your 15.00-hour CLE requirement.

When ethics, professionalism, or malpractice prevention credits are carried over into the next reporting period, they may be used only to satisfy the ethics requirement under Missouri Supreme Court Rule 15(a)(1)–(2). They do not reduce the 15.00 total CLE hours you must earn in that later period. Any specialty credits above these limits cannot be carried over.

Minimum 9.00 hours must be live CLE programs

• Maximum 6.00 hours may be self-study (OnDemand, audio, or video)
• Specialty credits must be earned through live participation

You may earn up to 6.00 CLE credits per year through self-study courses in Missouri. Self-study includes OnDemand, audio, and video courses.

You cannot use self-study credits to satisfy specialty requirements (ethics, professionalism, malpractice prevention, or elimination of bias). OnDemand courses are treated as self-study, do not receive a reporting number, and must be self-reported.

No. Missouri does not require in-program or in-person attendance verification to receive CLE credit.

Yes. The following are exempt from MCLE / CLE:

• Newly admitted attorneys during the year of their admission
• Retired or inactive attorneys (as defined by Missouri Bar status)

Yes. Judges and family court commissioners must complete 6.00 CLE credits in family law topics, which may count toward the 15.00 total credit requirement.

• State Contact Information:
  • Address: The Missouri Bar, 326 Monroe Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102
  • Phone Number: (573) 635-4128
  • Fax Number: (573) 635-2811
  • Email: mobar@mobar.org
  • Missouri Bar Association Website: www.mobar.org
• Missouri CLE FAQ Page
• Missouri CLE Rules

Newly admitted attorneys in Missouri are exempt from CLE reporting requirements for the reporting year in which they are admitted to The Missouri Bar.

Your first CLE reporting period begins the next July 1 after your admission and runs through June 30 of the following year.

New attorneys are exempt in the reporting year in which they are initially licensed to practice law in MO.

Yes, but only in limited circumstances.

• You may only carry over credits in excess of 15.00 hours earned during your exemption year. If you complete fewer than 15.00 hours, those general credits will not carry over.
• Ethics, professionalism, or malpractice prevention credits completed during your exemption year may be carried over to your first reporting period, but only to satisfy the ethics requirement. These carried-over specialty credits do not count toward your 15.00 total CLE hours for that first reporting period.

You are exempt from Missouri CLE reporting requirements for the duration of the reporting period in which you were admitted. Your first reporting period begins on July 1 following your date of admission to The Missouri Bar and ends on June 30 the following year.

No. New attorneys do not have any special CLE requirements in Missouri.