Continuing Legal Education CLE Blog

COVID-19 CLE Requirement Updates by State

May 17, 2020

Alabama:  

No mandatory CLE Requirements. For more information on Alabama requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Alaska: 

No changes. For more information on Alaska requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Arizona: 

The Supreme Court of the State of Arizona issued an order extending the 2019-2020 CLE and reporting deadlines to December 30, 2020 (previously June 30 and September 15 respectively). Please note, the 2020-2021 cycle remains unchanged.  For more information on Arizona requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Arkansas:

No changes. For more information on Arkansas requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


California:

The State Bar of California has issued an order extending the late CLE deadline to September 30, 2020 (previously June 30) for attorneys in Group 3 who have not yet completed their requirement. Failure to complete the requirement by September 30, and pay any outstanding license fees, will result in being enrolled in Involuntary Inactive status. For more information on California requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Colorado: 

No changes. For more information on Colorado requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Connecticut: 

The State of Connecticut Superior Court has suspended the annual CLE requirement until further notice. For more information on Connecticut requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Delaware:

The Supreme Court of the State of Delaware issued an order temporarily waiving the 12-hour Live credit requirement for attorneys for the reporting cycles ending on December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2021. All 24 CLE credits for those two-year reporting cycles may be satisfied by approved courses in any format including On Demand. Previously, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a similar order waving the Live requirement for those who have not completed their 2019 requirement. For more information on Delaware requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Florida: 

The Florida Bar has issued an updated order extending CLE reporting deadlines for February, March, April, May, June, or July 2020 to August 31, 2020. All other annual compliance deadlines remain the same. For more information on Florida requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Georgia:

The Supreme Court of Georgia issued an order temporarily waiving the 6 hour in-person CLE requirement until the late CLE deadline on March 31, 2020. Georgia attorneys can now complete their full 12 hour requirement through self-study, in-house or online seminars. In addition, Georgia attorneys who are still completing their 2019 requirement have an additional grace period to complete, ending on April 30, 2020, however, if attorneys want to take advantage of the format waiver, online seminars should be taken on or before March 31. For more information on Georgia requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Hawaii: 

No changes. For more information on Hawaii requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Idaho: 

No changes. For more information on Idaho requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Illinois: 

The Illinois Supreme Court has issued an order extending the MCLE deadline by 90 days (to September 30) for attorneys due in 2020 (last name A-M) who are unable to complete their requirement by June 30. To receive this extension, attorneys must log in to the MCLE Board's website and report "Not Yet Completed" by July 31. No reason for the extension is required. For more information on Illinois requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Indiana: 

The Indiana Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the credit limitation for distance education as follows: Attorneys with a CLE deadline on December 31, 2020 may complete all of their credits via online courses. Attorneys with a deadline on or before December 31, 2022 may complete up to 24 credits via online courses. For more information on Indiana requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Iowa: 

The Iowa Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the credit limitation for unmoderated courses. Iowa attorneys may complete any portion of their requirement as On Demand courses until further notice from the Iowa Supreme Court. For more information on Iowa requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Kansas: 

The Supreme Court of the State of Kansas has issued an order granting an automatic extension for the 2019-2020 CLE and Reporting Deadlines to September 30, 2020 for attorneys unable to complete their requirement by June 30, 2020. They have also removed the credit limitation on pre-recorded CLE for this same period. Kansas attorneys can complete their entire 2019-2020 requirement via On Demand CLE courses. For more information on Kansas requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Kentucky:

The Supreme Court of Kentucky has issued an order extending the 2019-2020 CLE deadline to June 30, 2021 (previously June 30, 2020), and combining the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 reporting cycles. All Kentucky attorneys should complete a total of 24 credits, including 4 ethics, by June 30, 2021, and certify their compliance to the bar by August 10, 2021. For more information on Kentucky requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Louisiana:

The Louisiana Supreme Court has lifted the limitation on self-study credits for the 2019 and 2020 cycles. Attorneys may now complete their entire credit requirement through On Demand courses. Credits for the 2019 cycle must be earned and reported by May 15, 2020. Please note that the late penalty for filing will still be assessed. For more information on Louisiana requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Maine: 

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the in-person CLE requirement. Maine attorneys can complete the Harassment & Discrimination requirement via live webcast. In addition, the Board of Overseers of the Bar for the State of Maine has extended the reporting deadline to May 1, 2020 and will not impose any late fees for the 2018-2019 reporting period. For more information on Maine requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Maryland:

No mandatory CLE Requirements. For more information on Maryland requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Massachusetts:

No mandatory CLE Requirements. For more information on Massachusetts requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Michigan:

No mandatory CLE Requirements. For more information on Michigan requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Minnesota: 

The Supreme Court of Minnesota has issued an order temporarily waiving the credit limitation for On Demand courses. Minnesota attorneys in Category 3 who are due to report their requirement on August 31, 2020 (for the 2017-2020 reporting year), may complete all of their requirement as On Demand courses. For more information on Minnesota requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Mississippi: 

The Supreme Court of Mississippi issued an order waiving the in-person CLE requirement for the 2019-2020 reporting year. Attorneys may complete their CLE requirement via online webinars or live, in-person programs. Additionally, the completion deadline has been extended to September 30, 2020, and the reporting deadline has been extended to October 15, 2020. Attorneys unable to comply with the temporary amendments may seek a hardship exemption and/or extension from the Commission. For more information on Mississippi requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Missouri: 

The Supreme Court of Missouri has issued an order extending the 2020 CLE deadline to September 30, 2020 (previously June 30). The reporting deadline is extended to October 31, 2020 but MO will not assess any late fees for courses completed and reported on or before December 31, 2020. For more information on Missouri requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Montana: 

The Supreme Court of Montana Commission of Continuing Legal Education will not assess any late fees as long as the required credits are completed and reported by May 15, 2020 (the usual deadline for completion is March 31). Montana attorneys can complete all of their credits online via a combination of live webcasts and On Demand programs. For more information on Montana requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Nebraska: 

The Nebraska Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily removing the limit to distance learning courses. Attorneys can complete up to ten credits of distance learning for all CLE requirements due on or before January 20, 2021. This includes the 2020 requirement. For more information on Nebraska requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Nevada:

 No changes. For more information on Nevada requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


New Hampshire:

No changes. For more information on New Hampshire requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


New Jersey: 

The Supreme Court of New Jersey issued an order temporarily relaxing the 12-hour live classroom credit requirement. Until further notice from the courts, New Jersey attorneys may fulfill their entire CLE requirement through approved courses offered in alternative verifiable learning formats. For more information on New Jersey requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


New Mexico:

The Supreme Court of the State of New Mexico issued an order extending the MCLE late reporting deadlines by 30 days. The new deadlines are as follows:

April 30, 2020: 2019 credits can be reported with a $100 late fee

May 31, 2020: 2019 credits can be reported with a $350 late fee

June 1, 2020: The list of non-compliant attorney names will be sent to the Supreme Court

For more information on New Mexico requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


New York: 

The New York CLE Board has issued an order temporarily allowing Newly Admitted Attorneys to complete their live Skills requirement via live webcast, teleconference, and video-conference. This change is effective through June 30, 2020. For more information on New York requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


North Carolina: 

On Monday, April 27, 2020, the North Carolina State Bar Continuing Legal Education issued the following statement: "Effective this year, lawyers may take all of their CLE hours on-demand". The North Carolina State Bar has eliminated the 6-hour cap for on-demand programs for the reporting year ending December 31, 2020. For more information on North Carolina requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.

  

North Dakota: 

The North Dakota CLE Commission has suspended the credit limitation on Self-Study courses for North Dakota attorneys in Reporting Group 3 (attorneys who report in 2020). These attorneys may complete any portion of their requirement as On Demand courses. In addition, the North Dakota Supreme Court has extended Reporting Group 3's CLE completion deadline to September 1, 2020 and their reporting deadline to October 1, 2020. No extensions have been given for any other Reporting Groups. For more information on North Dakota requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Ohio: 

The Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education has waived the self-study cap for the 2018-2019 Late Compliance period and extended the deadline to June 29, 2020. Ohio attorneys who still need to finish their CLE requirements from the 2018-2019 compliance period can do so by watching On Demand programming. For more information on Ohio requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Oklahoma: 

The Oklahoma Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission has extended the deadline to June 30, 2020 for attorneys who are currently non-compliant on their 2019 requirement and working to make up the credits. For more information on Oklahoma requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Oregon: 

No changes. For more information on Oregon requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Pennsylvania: 

On April 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a Court Order temporarily waiving the six (6) hour limitation on distance learning credits for 2020 compliance deadlines. Attorneys in Pennsylvania may now complete all 12 hours of their 2020 CLE requirements though approved distance learning activities. For more information on Pennsylvania requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Rhode Island: 

The Rhode Island Supreme Court issued an order suspending the annual CLE requirement for the 2020 compliance year. All CLE credits that would have been used to satisfy the 2020 requirement can be carried over to satisfy the CLE requirements for the 2021 reporting year. For more information on Rhode Island requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


South Carolina:

The Supreme Court of South Carolina has issued an order stating that all attorneys may complete their 14 hour requirement through online or telephonic programs for the 2019-2020 reporting year, which ends on April 15, 2020. For more information on South Carolina requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Tennessee:

On March 27, 2020, the Tennessee Supreme Court entered an order allowing attorneys to use unlimited online hours to establish their compliance for the 2020 compliance year ending December 31, 2020. Effective this year, lawyers may take all of their CLE hours on-demand. For more information on Tennessee requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Texas: 

The State Bar of Texas has granted the following automatic extensions for their CLE requirement: (1) Attorneys with March, April, or May 2020 compliance deadline have a 60-day extension, (2) Attorneys who missed January or February 2020 compliance deadlines have a 60-day extension to prevent the assessment of further fees, and (3) Attorneys subject to suspension for failing to comply with MCLE requirements in November or December 2019 have a one-month extension to complete their requirement. For more information on Texas requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Utah: 

The Supreme Court of Utah issued an order suspending the traditional live in-person credit requirement for attorneys reporting in 2020 and 2021, allowing all required CLE to be fulfilled with online self-study via audio or video presentations, webcasts or computer interactive telephonic programs. In addition, the 2020 completion deadline has been extended to September 1, 2020, and the reporting deadline has been extended to September 15, 2020. No extension has been given for the 2021 deadline. For more information on Utah requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Vermont: 

The Vermont Judiciary on MCLE has issued the following statement: Per A.O. 49, for the license renewal period ending June 30, 2020: The 10-hour limit on the number of self-study hours that can be claimed for a reporting period, as specified in Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Rules § 5(a)(2), is suspended for the 2018-2020 reporting period. The limits on the number of hours that can be claimed under § 5(b)(10) for a reporting period, including both the limits for specific types of activities and the 10-hour limit on the total number of hours for all such activities, are suspended for the 2018-2020 reporting period. For more information on Vermont requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Virginia: 

The Supreme Court of Virginia has issued an order extending the 2020 MCLE deadline to midnight EST December 31, 2020 (usually October 31). The required CLE hours must be reported no later than 4:45 p.m. EST February 15, 2021. For more information on Virginia requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Washington: 

No changes. For more information on Washington requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


West Virginia: 

The West Virginia State Bar has issued the following statement: “Temporary Waiver of Online Continuing Legal Education Credit Limit - Due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 virus, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has granted a request from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission for a temporary waiver of current CLE rules and regulations which limit the CLE credits for online and in-house credits to 12 credits.“ Attorneys may now earn all 24-hours online. This temporary waiver is limited to the 2018-2020 reporting period. For more information on West Virginia requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Wisconsin: 

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin issued an order temporarily increasing the number of On Demand CLE credits lawyers can take to satisfy their requirement through December 31, 2020. Attorneys with a December 31, 2020 deadline and those working to make up a deficit from their December 31, 2019 deadline may now take 30 hours of On Demand programming, however, the legal ethics requirement needs be taken via live online programming or in-person courses. For more information on Wisconsin requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Wyoming:

No changes. For more information on Wyoming requirements, see our state CLE requirement page.


Source: https://blog.lawline.com/all-of-the-states-that-are-waiving-live-cle-requirements-due-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic


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