Texas CLE Requirements

In Texas, active status attorneys must complete 15.00 CLE credits (including 3.00 legal ethics/professional responsibility credits) every year to maintain good standing with the State Bar of Texas.

Texas attorneys must complete and report all 15.00 required credits by the last day of the month immediately preceding their birth month.

The Texas CLE compliance period is 1 year. It begins on the first day of your birth month and ends the following year on the last day of the month immediately preceding your birth month.

NBI reports your credit to the State Bar of Texas.

Texas attorneys may report CLE credits through the My Bar section of the State Bar of Texas website. You may also submit a coded Credit Input Form, available from the State Bar of Texas upon request.

It is the attorney's responsibility to make sure their mandatory MCLE hours are accurately and timely reported. Timely reporting requires that all CLE hours be received by the State Bar of Texas MCLE Director by the last day of the birth month. If an attorney's individual compliance deadline is less than thirty days away, we recommend they either notify NBI to expedite the reporting of their credits or for the attorney to self-report the credits via the State Bar of Texas My Bar Page.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Texas CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE. Examples of accepted course formats include:

• Live Webinars
• OnDemand courses
• Live Group Presentations
• Podcasts

You may carry over 15.00 CLE credits to the next compliance year. Of these, 3.00 credits (including 1.00 hour of legal ethics/professional responsibility) may be self-study credit.

Attorneys in Texas can earn a maximum of 3.00 CLE credits (including 1.00 ethics/professional responsibility credit) with self-study courses. Self-study credit includes reading legal, peer-reviewed publications or attending non-accredited CLE activities.

Attorneys may complete all 15.00 CLE hours with activities approved for Accredited CLE.

No. In-program attendance verification is not required.

For experienced attorneys, the compliance year begins on the first day of an attorney's birth month. It ends on the last day of the month immediately preceding your birth month.

• State Contact Information:
  • Address: State Bar of Texas, 1414 Colorado Street, Suite 503, Austin, TX 78701
  • Phone Number: (512) 463-1463 ext. 2106; (800)204-2222 ext. 1806; (512) 463-1475
  • Email Address: mcle@texasbar.com
  • Website: http://www.texasbar.com

• Texas CLE Resources
  • State Bar of Texas Attorney Portal
  • State Bar of Texas Search for Approved MCLE Programs
  • Exemptions from the MCLE Requirement
  • Newly Admitted Resources

Newly admitted attorneys in Texas have a special 24-month compliance period. New Texas attorneys are required to complete a 4.00 hour professionalism course within 12 months of admission to the State Bar of Texas.

Upon admission, newly admitted attorneys in Texas have 12 months to complete the Justice James A. Baker Guide to Ethics and Professionalism in Texas offered by the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.

Any credits newly admitted attorneys earn between their licensing date and their compliance year start date may be carried over to their initial compliance year. Examples of accepted course formats include:

• Live Webinars
• OnDemand courses
• Live Group Presentations
• Podcasts

Yes. Credits taken between your licensing date and your compliance year start date will be applied toward your initial compliance year.

Your first reporting period begins on the first day of your birth month following your admission to the State Bar of Texas and ends 24 months later on the last day of the month immediately preceding your birth month.

For example, if you are admitted in October 2022 and your birthday is April 26th, your first compliance period begins on April 1, 2023 and ends on March 31, 2025.

This 2-year compliance period is only for new attorneys. Subsequent reporting periods will be for 1 year and will begin each year on the first day of your birth month and end the next year on the last day of the month immediately preceding your birth month.

Yes. All newly licensed attorneys must take the 4.00 hour Justice James A. Baker Guide to Ethics and Professionalism in Texas course within 12 months after the date of admission to the State Bar of Texas.

You will receive 4.00 legal ethics/professional responsibility CLE credits for completing the professionalism course. This requirement applies to all newly licensed Texas attorneys, regardless of years of practice or admission in another jurisdiction.

Attorneys admitted to the Texas Bar for two years or less following their birthdays are considered Newly Admitted Attorneys.

The initial compliance year is a 24-month period that begins on the first day of your birth month following the date of admission.

Attorneys must complete certification and 60 hours of CLE in their specialty area for initial certification. Attorneys must complete 100 hours for recertification every 5 years.

Approved programs are listed on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization website. To comply, attorneys must complete courses in their specialization area.

Attorneys may earn TBLS CLE credit by:

• Teaching CLE courses or law school courses
• Engaging in self-study and legal research-based writing

Attorneys must complete their TBLS CLE credits by December 31 for the year they apply for certification.

Attorneys must complete their TBLS CLE credits every 5 years on December 31 for recertification.

Attorneys may carry forward 15 credit hours for recertification. During the initial certification, no carry over is allowed. However any eligible courses completed within 3 years of initial certification will count toward the 60-hour requirement.