Connecticut Bar CLE Requirements Explained

An Overview of the Connecticut CLE Program

Continuing legal education (CLE) refers to the process of obtaining further knowledge and skills after a lawyer has been admitted to practice. The Connecticut Bar requires that all lawyers practicing in the state maintain a minimum amount of continuing legal education through accredited courses as an ongoing professional development and knowledge requirement.
In Connecticut, the CLE program is managed by the Connecticut Judicial Branch, where the requirements for compliance are set forth for attorneys licensed to practice law. CLE credits may be obtained from Connecticut bar associations (such as the Connecticut Bar Association and Fairfield County Bar Association), the Connecticut Bar Foundation, or any other authorized organization or accredited provider of continuing legal education, including online training. Each course provides CLE credit based on the actual number of minutes attended and/or completed.
Each attorney must complete a minimum of 10 credits each calendar year between January 1 and December 31, including at least 1 credit in ethics, professional responsibility, civility, professionalism, or lawyer professionalism. A maximum of 5 credits may be taken from credit courses during the calendar year. Attorneys admitted in Connecticut upon motion and those granted reciprocity credits toward their admission to Connecticut do not have to comply with CLE requirements for the calendar year in which they are admitted. However, they must complete their first attorney annual registration.
Connecticut also follows rules and regulations regarding Internet-based CLE programs , such as live, real-time interactive webcasts, video replays, and on-demand formats. Live programs are eligible for CLE credit in Connecticut, provided they are actively engaged in a certified program in a hosted seminar format. Video replays cannot be used to fulfill attorneys’ requirements in Connecticut. The following types of programs qualify for CLE credit in Connecticut:
Attorneys may carry over up to six (6) accredited credits over from one calendar year into the next calendar year. Although continuing legal education is an annual requirement for lawyers licensed in Connecticut, CLE credits may be used and applied to meet the requirement in subsequent two-year attorney license periods. The Connecticut CLE Board reviews and approves credit for CLE programs from many national organizations and providers, including the American Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, the American Institute of CPAs, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the National Association of Attorneys General (to name a few), so lawyers throughout the nation are able to meet their requirements in Connecticut.
If an attorney fails to meet CLE requirements, their license to practice law in Connecticut is subject to (and in fact will) be suspended until all of the required credits have been completed and reported. In addition, noncompliant lawyers are subject to an annual $200 reporting fee for each license year they have failed to meet requirements. Failure to attend CLE and report acquired credits can expose Connecticut lawyers to disciplinary action, including fines and suspension.

Specifics of Connecticut Attorney CLE Requirements

Connecticut distinguishes between active and inactive attorneys with regard to CLE requirements. Active attorneys are required to complete 10 credits each year, including at least 2 ethics credits and at least 5 credits in the area of professional development which may include practice management skills as well as substance-abuse focused courses. Inactive attorneys do not have any CLE requirements, provided they do not practice law in this state and do not appear on the rol l of attorneys in this state.
The CLE year begins July 1 of each year. Attorneys must earn 10 credits, including at least 2 ethics credits and at least 5 credits in the area of professional development. The reporting date is the last day of the month in which they were admitted during the bar admissions process. The credits earned during your current CLE year roll over to the next year.
OK, you may be wondering how to find the "look back" period of time to see what courses from the past count. The answer to that query is that CLE compliance is based on the date of course completion as indicated on your course completion certificate. All classes completed between the last reporting date through the present date may be counted, plus courses completed the following through the current date. For example, if the lawyer’s last reporting date was July 31, 2010, courses completed July 1 through July 31, 2010 may be counted. Courses completed from August 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 may be counted for the lawyer’s next compliance period beginning July 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012.
Credit is awarded on the following basis:
Television Programs, Webinars and Computer Based Programs: 1 hour per every 50 minutes of approved instruction.
Live Seminars: 1 hour per every 50 minutes of instruction.
Frequent Speakers and Lecturers: ½ hour per every 50 minutes of teaching.
Law School Courses: 12 hours per semester-hour (12 hour class=1 credit).
Teaching a CLE Course: 1 hour for every 50 minutes of teaching and 5 additional credits for each course taught. As a reminder, this only counts as credit for the instructor and cannot be claimed by attorneys who take the course.
Peer Review: 1 hour for every 2 hours reviewing or drafting course materials; up to 3 credits per year for reviewing course materials and/or drafting materials.
Law School Credit: 12 hours for each semester hour.
Online Courses: 1 hour for each 50-minute unit.
Watch CLE on TV! Listen to CLE on your radio! Watch our YouTube Channel!

Connecticut Acceptable CLE Formats and Providers

CLE is completed in one calendar year, from January 1st of one year until December 31st of that same year. Both attendance at an accredited Continuing Legal Education provider and completion of the approved on-line courses are considered valid methods of earning CLE credit.
Connecticut Bar CLE providers include:
• Connecticut Bar Association (CBA): the CBA’s Trust Accreditations board has approved both the CBA and any organizations sponsored by the CBA to provide CLE credit for the CBA’s regular programs.
• Guest List: organizations not sponsored by the CBA but who are on the CBA Guest List may provide CLE credit for the following types of CBA programs:
o non-member CLE lectures
o advance distributions
o other programs not attracting 15 or more regular members
• Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel: the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel may offer seminars for lawyers to receive CLE credit.
• Connecticut Appellate Courts: seminars and CLE lectures given by the judges of the Connecticut Appellate courts including the Supreme Court, Appellate Court and Superior Court.
Accredited out-of-state providers include:
• American Bar Association Center for Continuing Legal Education
• American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy
• Practicing Law Institute
• Institute of Continuing Legal Education
• Higher Education Resource Services (HERS)
• Federal Bar Association
• Women’s Bar Association – Connecticut Chapter
• Interest Section of the State Bar of California – senior and family law sections only
• Connecticut Bar Foundation
• Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
• National Child Welfare Resource Center
• United States Department of Justice – Office of Legal Education
• Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities
• State Judicial Branch
• Commission on Special Revenue – Division of Special Revenue

Reporting and Compliance Procedures for Lawyers

Attorneys are required to report their completed CLE credit hours to the Connecticut Bar Association periodically, every other year. Attorneys must report credits earned for the previous two years on or before October 31st on odd-numbered years. If an attorney’s birth year ends in an odd number, his or her birth month is in an odd month as well. The only exception to this rule is for those attorneys whose year of admission to the bar West law license number ends with 999998. These attorneys must report their credits on or before April 30th in each odd-numbered year.
Form 1 must be used to report CLE credits, and must be filed electronically. Late filers can submit their report up to 30 days after the filing deadline, but will be subject to a $75 late filing fee .
Failure to satisfy the CLE requirements may result in the suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law our disciplinary action may be taken against the attorney.
Attorneys can use the Connecticut Bar Association’s record-keeping tool to keep track of all credits earned and automatically generate an attorney’s CLE report, if the attorney has entered all completed course work into the tool throughout the reporting year. A course confirmation report detailing completed courses and credits earned must also be submitted to the Connecticut Bar Association by any attorney who reports CLE credits earned through individual courses directly to the Connecticut Bar Association in addition to uploading them to the record-keeping tool.

CLE Extensions and Exemptions for Connecticut Attorneys

There are some exemptions to the continuing legal education requirement. To qualify for an exemption, an attorney must apply in writing to the Commission on CLE for special consideration no later than four months after the compliance deadline.
While other exemptions from the requirement (such as active military status) are contained in the rules, the only exemption in the CLE rules is a temporary exemption for special circumstances. For example, the Commission on CLE may grant permission for an attorney suffering from an illness, injury, or other incapacity, which is of substantial duration, to complete the required credits by the next compliance deadline if the individual can demonstrate sufficient hours he or she has completed during each year of the attorney’s current compliance period. This means that someone who feels his or her medical condition may affect them completing CLE should file a request with the Commission on CLE as soon as possible and include any documents necessary to establish that they are, in fact, ill. The Commission on CLE may require the attorney to submit documentation regarding the specific circumstances to determine whether the situation justifies an exemption.
Another exemption might be for an attorney expecting to take a job outside of Connecticut, who may not be able to complete all his or her credits before the compliance deadline. In this situation, an attorney may request to have his or her deadline extended by a maximum two months. The extension will only be granted if the attorney (who by definition will already have been admitted for six or less years) can demonstrate having completed the requisite courses in compliance with Rule 2A within each year of his or her six-year compliance period. It is designed to give the attorney time to become familiar with the requirements of the CLE rules in Connecticut.

Influence of CLE Credit on Legal Practice

Continuing Legal Education or "CLE" in Connecticut is designed to keep attorneys up-to-date on the law as it stands at the end of each year and to sharpen their skills. CLE programs help lawyers stay current both with the law and with technology. The quality of programs can be varied, from content to delivery systems, i.e., what works for you. It has been the case that there are many high quality programs and often the higher price tags. But that is not always the case. There are many free or low-cost programs to choose from.
An attorney’s competence is always at issue. Every judge and every client expects a lawyer to be competent. Competence is of course also an ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct. And so , the connection between CLE and competence is a "no brainer." Too often, however, attorneys see CLE as a burden rather than an opportunity. Staying current on trends goes hand in hand not only with taking courses and attending conferences, but also with what makes lawyers a good resource for their clients. This can be true with both practice skills and substantive areas. Staying current in the law and rules is a critical responsibility and in-house counsel must also be cognizant of these issues when assessing outside counsel.