MCLE Requirements

With a few exceptions, all attorneys who are actively practicing law in California must complete 25 hours of Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) every three years and file a report with the State Bar.

For licensees reporting compliance for the period ending January 31, 2022

Below is a breakdown of the current required credits:

  • Half of the 25 MCLE hours must be in activities approved for what are called participatory MCLE credit.
  • No more than 12.5 hours can be for self-study
  • Other special requirements:
    • At least four hours of legal ethics
    • At least one hour on competence issues
    • At least one hour in an area called the Recognition and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and Society

For compliance groups who must report for the period ending on January 31, 2023, and thereafter 

Rule 2.72 of the Rules of the State Bar of California, which addresses attorney MCLE requirements, was recently amended. Below is a breakdown of the credits required on and after January 1, 2022:

  • Half of the 25 MCLE hours must be in activities approved for what is called participatory MCLE credit.
  • No more than 12.5 hours can be for self-study
  • Other special requirements:
    • At least four hours of legal ethics
    • At least one hour on competence issues
    • At least two hours dealing with elimination of bias. Of the two hours, at least one hour must focus on implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies.

The new requirements will first apply to attorneys in MCLE compliance group 3 who must report compliance for the period ending on January 31, 2023.

Information for specific groups

Reduced hours for some attorneys

Some attorneys may be able to claim a reduced number of hours because they were just admitted to the State Bar, were inactive, or claimed an exempt status. Find out more about attorneys subject to “proportional requirements.”

Related links

For questions, please email MCLE@calbar.ca.gov.