Are any attorneys exempt from CLE in Iowa?

Attorneys in Iowa certify CLE compliance annually through the Iowa Judicial Branch CLE online reporting portal. The compliance period runs on a calendar-year basis, and attorneys must complete required credits by December 31 and certify compliance by March 10 of the following year.

Iowa CLE Reporting Format

• Completion deadline: All required CLE credits (15 hours, including 1 ethics and 1 wellness or diversity/inclusion credit) must be earned by December 31.
• Reporting deadline: Attorneys must log in to the Iowa Judicial Branch CLE portal and certify compliance by March 10 of the following year.
• Online certification: Reporting is done electronically — no written or mailed form is required.
• Provider submissions: CLE sponsors may report attendance to the Commission, but attorneys are responsible for confirming that all earned credits appear accurately before certification.
• Audit documentation: Attorneys must retain attendance certificates and course records for at least three years in case of audit.

Key Takeaway

In Iowa, attorneys certify CLE compliance annually via the Judicial Branch’s online CLE portal by March 10, following a December 31 completion deadline.

No — Iowa does not require all CLE to be in person; live webcasts and recorded or distance formats are permitted under Iowa’s rules. Iowa allows attorneys to satisfy their CLE requirement using internet-based delivery methods, provided the program meets standards for live or recorded distance activities.

Annual CLE Requirements in Iowa

• Total requirement: 15 credit hours per calendar year, including 1 hour in legal ethics.
• Compliance period: January 1 to December 31.

Live & Distance Learning Rules

• Iowa Court Rule chapter 42 defines “live webcast” as a CLE activity delivered in real time over the internet to remote participants.
• Previously recorded programs also qualify, subject to approval and the rules for distance learning.
• Iowa rules allow all CLE credits to be taken via webcasts or recorded courses, as long as those courses are approved under Iowa’s standards.

Key Takeaway: Iowa attorneys may fulfill their full CLE obligation via live webcast or recorded courses; in-person attendance is not required so long as the programs comply with Iowa’s distance learning rules.

Iowa attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours per calendar year, including 1 hour in legal ethics and 1 hour in attorney wellness or diversity/inclusion.

The CLE requirement is set by Iowa Court Rule 41.3 and reported to the Iowa Commission on CLE by March 10.

Details

• Total: 15 hours each year.

• Ethics: At least 1 of the 15 hours must be in legal ethics.

• Wellness / Diversity: At least 1 hour must be in attorney wellness or diversity & inclusion.

• Reporting: Credits must be earned by December 31, and attorneys must file their CLE report by March 10.

• Carryover: Up to 30 CLE credits may be carried forward for up to two years.

• New admittee rule: Newly admitted attorneys in Iowa are exempt for the remainder of their admission year but may carry credits earned during that period into their first full reporting year.

Key Takeaway: Iowa requires 15 CLE hours annually, with 1 hour in ethics and 1 hour in wellness or diversity/inclusion, annual reporting by March 10, and carryover allowed up to two years.

The CLE reporting deadline in Iowa is March 10 each year.

Iowa attorneys must earn the required credits by December 31 and then self-report their CLE compliance by March 10.

Iowa CLE Reporting & Requirements

• Completion Deadline: December 31 of the calendar year.
• Reporting Deadline: March 10 following the end of the year.
• Credit Requirement: 15 CLE hours annually, including 1 ethics and 1 diversity/attorney wellness hour.
• Reporting Method: Attorneys self-report via the Iowa Judicial Branch’s reporting portal.

Sprout Education offers CLE courses that satisfy Iowa’s CLE requirements and supports attorneys in meeting the March 10 reporting deadline.

Key Takeaway: In Iowa, attorneys must finish CLE by December 31 and submit their annual report by March 10.

Yes — Iowa permits carryover of excess CLE credits, up to 2 succeeding years, but with restrictions on applied categories.

Iowa attorneys may carry forward unused CLE credits earned to the next two calendar years, but carryover “ethics, diversity & inclusion, and wellness” credits can only count toward the general 15-hour requirement, not toward the specific subcategory minimums.

Details & nuances

• Iowa Court Rule 41.3 requires 15 CLE hours per calendar year, including at least 1 ethics hour and 1 attorney wellness or diversity & inclusion hour.
• According to CLE policy summaries, an attorney may carry over excess credits to the two succeeding reporting years.
• However, the rule dictates that excess credits in the ethics, wellness/diversity & inclusion categories may not be used to satisfy future ethics or wellness/diversity minimums — they can only be used to satisfy general CLE hours in those future years.
• The carryover must be noted on the annual CLE report submitted by March 10.
• The formal “CLE Accreditation Policies” of Iowa (which govern crediting rules) do not explicitly restate a carryover cap but do frame credit entitlement, attendance, and reporting rules.

Key Takeaway

Iowa allows you to carry over excess CLE credits for up to two years, but carryover ethics or wellness/diversity credits can only apply toward general CLE — they cannot count toward those specific category minimums.

No — Iowa does not require a minimum number of in-person (physical classroom) CLE hours.

The rule permits attorneys to satisfy their full 15-hour annual requirement through approved programs delivered via live webcasts, on-demand formats, or traditional in-person classes.

Details

• Iowa attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours each calendar year, including 1 hour in legal ethics and 1 hour in attorney wellness or diversity/inclusion.
• All 15 credits may be earned through “moderated activity” (live in-person, live webinar) or “unmoderated activity” (on-demand) formats.
• The Iowa Supreme Court permanently lifted the previous cap on unmoderated programming, allowing attorneys to complete their full CLE requirement via on-demand courses.
• Providers must still comply with accreditation standards for the particular format (live, recorded, etc.).

Key Takeaway

Iowa imposes no classroom-only in-person minimum — attorneys may fulfill their entire CLE requirement using live or recorded formats permitted under state accreditation rules.