Ethics School provides an overview of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and relevant provisions of the State Bar Act. It is designed to help attorneys identify and avoid common ethical pitfalls in practice. The course is self-paced and available on the State Bar’s E-Learning Portal 24/7. It replaces the live monthly sessions previously offered.
You may access the course by logging into My State Bar Profile, and entering the E-Learning Portal. The course is self-paced and available on demand 24/7. You may save your progress and return to the course at any time, prior to the expiration date. The course must be completed within 90 days of purchase.
You will use the same password that you use to login to My State Bar Profile. If you forgot that password, select: “Forgot password?” on that page.
The course is three hours long. However, you may take it at your own pace and save your progress.
If you are taking the course as the result of being disciplined by the State Bar, CLE credit is not available. Attorneys completing the course for this purpose must submit a certificate of completion to the Office of Case Management and Supervision upon completion of the course.
If you are taking this course as a condition of an abeyance stipulation related to an Application for Determination of Moral Character, MCLE credit is not available. Individuals completing the course for this purpose must submit a certificate of completion to the Office of Admissions upon conclusion of the course.
When browsing the course catalog, select “Ethics School—The Rules of Professional Conduct.” Do not select the course that covers similar content (e.g., “The Rules of Professional Conduct”). Taking any similar voluntary course will not satisfy your mandatory obligation to complete the course, whether mandated by an order of the California Supreme Court or the State Bar Court, or required by the Office of Admissions. To satisfy a mandatory obligation, you must take the mandatory Ethics School course – which is not eligible for MCLE credit.
Yes. The course includes a Final Assessment. You must receive a passing score of 80% to complete the course.
You will be able to download it from your E-Learning Portal, upon completing the course. Be sure to download it within 30 days of completion.
If you fail the exam, the course will allow you to click “Retry” to re-take the exam. You may retake the exam as many times as needed until you obtain a passing score. Because you must complete all lessons before reaching the Final Assessment, each lesson will be unlocked and available for review.
A failing score will allow you to review which questions you answered incorrectly. It is advisable to take your time and use the navigation menu to review the lesson covering that topic before retaking the Final Assessment.
Yes. The State Bar offers other MCLE courses. For course examples, see the CLE Calendar and Online CLE webpages. You can also select from various E-Learning courses in the State Bar’s catalog. If you are a California-licensed attorney or registered in the multijurisdictional practice (MJP) program, you must access the catalog first by logging into My State Bar Profile and navigating to the e-learning portal.
You may request a refund within 60 days of your purchase as long as the course has not been accessed. Refunds for courses with technical issues will be prioritized. Processing may take up to 90 days. Credit card fees are nonrefundable. To request a refund, email elearning@calbar.ca.gov. Please provide your name, bar number, name of the course you are requesting a refund for, reason for refund request , date of purchase, and a copy of the transaction receipt.