What are the California MCLE Attendance Reporting Procedures?
Lawyers in California must maintain records of their own hours and report compliance to the State Bar at the end of their three-year compliance group period.
If an attorney?s MCLE compliance report is audited (and it does happen), the attorney must be prepared to provide:
- Certificates of attendance for classes that they attend
- Records of all self-study activities that must include the following information: course title, provider, time spent in the activity, subject matter of the activity and the activity date
- Proof of any exempt status
Attorneys are required to keep this proof for at least a year from the time they report to the California State Bar.
Who Must Report
The MCLE reporting requirement covers attorneys who are:
- Attorneys who are on active status, even if they are effectively retired and not practicing law in a meaningful manner. There is a difference between being retired and being inactive from the perspective of the bar.
- Attorneys who are on "not eligible" status because they have been suspended for disciplinary reasons or because they have not payed fees
- Attorneys who are exempt for all of the reporting period are required to still file a report, but they do not have to complete any California MCLE compliance training.
- Attorneys who are considered exempt for only a portion of a period must still complete a reduced amount of California MCLE courses as well as report the hours of attendance.
Steps to Report California MCLE Compliance
To report your CLE compliance, go the California State Bar website at:
https://members.calbar.ca.gov/login.aspx
Once you have logged in, click the "MCLE" link in the reminder located at the top of the profile or click the "Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)" link in the profile menu of the webpage.
Under the "Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)" section, you must click the "Submit my MCLE compliance card now" link to report your MCLE compliance records.
It should be noted that only members in the current reporting MCLE compliance cycle group are able to access the California MCLE compliance section and report their California MCLE compliance.
The MCLE compliance section is not accessible to MCLE compliance groups that are not currently required to report. For 2023, licensees in MCLE compliance group 3 are required to report compliance by February 1. Courses must be completed midnight the day before.
Once you are in the card, if you do not know your MCLE compliance requirement, click the "determine how many MCLE hours are due" link to calculate the MCLE requirement.
Next, you need to select the appropriate MCLE compliance card option and the select the "Continue" link to review and confirm your California MCLE compliance card prior to submitting it.
Now you can complete your MCLE compliance reporting by clicking "Submit Compliance Declaration." Link.
A confirmation email will be sent to your registered email address that you entered into your profile.
More California MCLE Information
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