| Question: |
How many hours of continuing legal education (“CLE”) are required for Illinois attorneys? |
| Answer: |
Illinois Supreme Court Rules 790 through 797 establish Minimum Continuing Legal Education (“MCLE”) requirements for Illinois attorneys. Each attorney is required to complete 24 hours of CLE activity during the current two-year reporting period in effect in Illinois. Hours need not be allocated evenly over the two-year reporting period.
Please see the chart below for your requirement:
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CURRENT REPORTING PERIOD
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Last Name
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2-Year Reporting Period
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CLE Required
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Begins With: A through M
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7/1/2010
through 6/30/2011
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30 Hours
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Begins With: N through Z
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7/1/2011
through 6/30/2012
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24 Hours
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| Question: |
How can I report my MCLE compliance to the Illinois MCLE Board? |
| Answer:
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The MCLE Board will mail you a copy of the MCLE Certification Form. You can either return this by mail or complete the form online. |
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| Question: |
Is there a professional responsibility or ethics requirement? |
| Answer:
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Yes. A minimum of four of the total CLE hours required for any two-year reporting period must be in the area of professionalism, issues involving diversity, mental illness and addiction issues, civility or legal ethics.
In addition to general continuing legal education, the Real Estate Institute offers specific courses approved for total or partial professional responsibility credit.
Click here for our course list. |
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| Question: |
May I carry over CLE hours from one reporting period to the next? |
| Answer:
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Yes. You may carry over up to 10 hours of CLE credit from one reporting period to the next; however, any excess professional responsibility hours earned during a reporting period will only carry over as general MCLE credit – not as professional responsibility credit.
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| Question: |
Is the Real Estate Institute an approved provider of Illinois MCLE? |
| Answer: |
Yes. The Illinois MCLE Board has approved the Real Estate Institute as an Accredited CLE Provider. As a result, CLE programs offered by the Real Estate Institute are presumptively approved for general MCLE credits. Any courses offered for professional responsibility or ethic credit are separately approved by the Commission on Professionalism of the Supreme Court of Illinois. |
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| Question: |
How do I earn credit for one of your online CLE courses? |
| Answer: |
Once you enroll in an online CLE course, you will receive a link that will allow you to view the online presentation and access written course materials. In order to earn credit for viewing the course, you must submit an affidavit of completion to the Real Estate Institute. We will provide you access to this affidavit online, and you will be required to state that you have viewed the entire presentation as of the date of submission. All affidavits must be submitted to the Real Estate Institute within thirty (30) days of course completion. Once we receive the affidavit, we will process the information and issue a certificate of completion for the course within two (2) business days. Certificates of completion will be delivered to attorneys by e-mail and U.S. Mail. |
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| Question: |
As an Illinois attorney, what must I do to prove that I satisfied my MCLE requirements? |
| Answer: |
As required by the MCLE Rules, attorneys must maintain their own certificates of attendance
and other proof of MCLE compliance. At the end of the reporting period, attorneys must report
whether they have complied with the MCLE Rules, have not complied with the MCLE Rules, or were
exempt from the MCLE Rules during the reporting period. Before the end of an attorney’s two-year
reporting period, the MCLE Board will mail the
reporting form to the attorney’s address on file with the Attorney Registration and
Disciplinary Commission. Each attorney who is not exempt is responsible for filing the
reporting form with the Board, even if the attorney does not receive the form by mail.
Individual attorneys should not mail, e-mail or fax their certificates of attendance or
other MCLE-related documentation to the MCLE Board unless they are notified by the Board
that they are being audited. Attorneys need to keep their proof of MCLE compliance for
three years after the two-year reporting period ends, so that the attorney can respond if
audited by the MCLE Board.
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| Question: |
What happens if an attorney fails to submit an MCLE certification or otherwise fails to complete the required CLE? |
| Answer: |
Attorneys who fail to submit an MCLE certification within 45 days of their reporting date, or who file an MCLE certification stating that they have not complied with the CLE requirements during the reporting period, are notified by the Director of their noncompliance. They are then given until September 30 of that year to achieve compliance and file a certification stating that they have complied with the CLE requirements or are exempt. |
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| Question: |
Are certain attorneys exempt from the MCLE requirements? |
| Answer:
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Yes. The exemptions are:
- Inactive or Retired: All attorneys while on inactive or retirement status under Supreme Court Rules 756(a)(5) or (a)(6). If an attorney chooses to return to active status, the attorney must complete the deferred CLE requirement. (Rule 791(e).)
- Disability Inactive: All attorneys on disability inactive status under Supreme Court Rules 757 or 758. If an attorney chooses to return to active status, the attorney must complete the deferred CLE requirement (Rule 791(e).)
- Judicial: All attorneys serving in the office of justice, judge, associate judge, or magistrate of any federal or state court.
- Certain Attorneys Working or Employed in the State or Federal Judiciary: All attorneys who by virtue of their office or employment in the state or federal judiciary, are prohibited by the Supreme Court of Illinois or the federal judiciary from actively engaging in the practice of law.
- Military: All attorneys licensed to practice law in Illinois who are on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, until their release from active military service and their return to the active practice of law.
- Out-of-State: Certain out-of-state attorneys. See below for more information.
- MCLE Board Exempted: Attorneys exempted temporarily by the MCLE Board.
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| Question: |
How can I obtain more information about Illinois MCLE requirements? |
| Answer: |
For additional information, please visit the frequently asked questions section of the Illinois MCLE Board website at http://mcle.custhelp.com/app. |
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