State Specific CLE Changes During COVID-19
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Courts have closed, businesses are working remotely and people are staying home practicing social distancing. As a result uncertainty around the status of CLE credits have been raised.
To help you stay on top of current requirements, here is a resource from the AILA providing information on CLE rule changes due to COVID-19 by state. The table will be updated on the AILA website regularly, so please check back there if you are visiting this post at a later time.
Last Updated 4/27/20 Table Source AILA Doc. No. 20033130.
| State | Changes |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No changes |
| Alaska | No changes |
| 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, please see the official FAQ (https://www.azbar.org/licensing-compliance/mcle/faqs-related-to-2019-20-mcle-extension/). |
| Arkansas | No changes |
| California | No changes |
| Colorado | No changes |
| Connecticut | No changes |
| Delaware | The Supreme Court of the State of Delaware issued an order temporarily waiving the Live credit requirement for attorneys who have not yet completed their 2019 requirement. If you qualify for this, you must (1) verify your transcript and plan to make up your deficiency by April 30, 2020, (2) complete the plan by May 31, 2020, and (3) report completion by June 15, 2020. |
| Florida | The Florida Bar issued an order extending CLE reporting deadlines for February, March, April and May 2020 to August 31, 2020. All other annual compliance deadlines remain the same. |
| 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. |
| Hawaii | No changes |
| Idaho | No changes |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Louisiana | No changes |
| Maine | The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the in-person CLE requirement. Maine attorneys may complete their entire CLE requirement via On-Demand courses until further notice. 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. |
| 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. |
| Mississippi | No changes |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Nevada | No changes |
| New Hampshire | No changes |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 videoconference. This change is effective through June 30, 2020. |
| North Carolina | No changes [Note: Although North Carolina previously had a live CLE requirement, as of January 1, 2020, that requirement was rescinded. North Carolina attorneys can complete their entire CLE requirement via On-Demand programming.] |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Oklahoma | No changes |
| Oregon | No changes |
| Pennsylvania | The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has issued an order extending the CLE deadline for Compliance Group 1 to August 31, 2020 (previously April 30). All other annual compliance deadlines remain the same. |
| Rhode Island | No changes |
| 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. |
| Tennessee | The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the 8-hour distance learning CLE limitation. Tennessee attorneys can now complete any portion of the 2020 requirement through approved distance learning until December 31, 2020. Attorneys seeking to reactivate or reinstate their license in 2020 can also take advantage of this temporary change. Previously, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued a similar order waiving the distance learning CLE limitation for the 2019 requirement. |
| Texas | The State Bar of Texas has granted the following automatic extensions for their CLE requirement: (1) A 60 day extension for attorneys with March, April, or May 2020 compliance deadlines; (2) A 60 day extension for missed January or February 2020 compliance deadlines, to prevent the assessment of further fees; (3) A one month extension for attorneys subject to suspension for failure to comply with MCLE requirements in November or December 2019. |
| Utah | The Supreme Court Board of Continuing Education issued an order suspending all requirements for the in-person CLE requirement until June 30, 2020. Utah attorneys with a June 30, 2020 deadline can now complete their required hours through webinars and other self-study courses. |
| Vermont | The Vermont Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily waiving the 10-hour limitation on self-study CLE for the 2018-2020 reporting period. Vermont attorneys with an upcoming deadline on June 30, 2020, can complete their entire requirement through approved self-study courses. |
| Virgin Islands | No changes |
| 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. |
| Washington | No changes |
| West Virginia | The West Virginia Mandatory CLE Commission issued an order suspending the live CLE requirement through June 30, 2020. West Virginia attorneys can now complete their full 24 hour requirement through video, audio, telephone seminars, computer-based training courses, or in-house instruction. |
| 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. |
| Wyoming | No changes |
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