Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) refers to the approved continuing legal education required of California attorneys.

Attorneys, including those who are Exempt, are required to submit a Compliance Card to the State Bar to verify that they have complied with their MCLE requirement.

To ensure that lawyers receive quality legal education, the State Bar approves MCLE Providers and education activities.

California's attorney membership is divided into 3 compliance groups. Compliance periods for the three groups are staggered, so that each group reports compliance in a different year. Compliance periods are 36 months (3 years) in length.

Just prior to the end of a group's compliance period, the State Bar sends compliance cards to those who must comply that year. Reporting deadlines for each compliance group are listed on this page, along with information about the breakdown of the 25-hour education requirement.

• Attorney & Compliance Information
• MCLE Provider Information
• MCLE Provider Search

Total hours required every three years: 25 hours

• Maximum "self-study" hours: 12.5 hours
• Members must fulfill at least one-half of their MCLE requirement with activities approved for "participatory" MCLE credit. (See FAQs)
• Special Requirements within the total hours required (may be taken as participatory or self-study):
  • Legal Ethics: 4 hours (required)
  • Detection/Prevention of Substance Abuse: 1 hour (required)
  • Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession: 1 hour (required)