Are any attorneys exempt from CLE in Mississippi?

Yes — Mississippi CLE rules require attorneys to complete a minimum number of in-person, live courses each year.

Under current regulation, attorneys must take 6 hours in person (i.e. classroom seminars) annually; the remaining 6 hours may be web-based (live webcast or on-demand) subject to the 6 hour limit on non-in-person credit.

Details

• The Mississippi CLE system mandates 12 total CLE hours per year, including 1 hour in ethics.
• Only up to 6 credits may be earned through web-based formats (live webcasts or on-demand).
• The remaining 6 hours must be obtained via in-person (live) classroom seminars.
• This in-person requirement was suspended during COVID years but has been restored as of the current reporting period.

Key Takeaway

Mississippi enforces a 6-hour in-person CLE minimum each year, limiting online or recorded formats to half of the total CLE requirement.

There is no express provision in Mississippi’s CLE rules that explicitly exempts attorneys on inactive status from MCLE obligations.

Mississippi law classifies “inactive members” as those not engaged in the practice of law, and allows them to enroll as inactive—but the statute mandates that the Bar “shall promulgate rules … regarding continuing legal education requirements between active and inactive status.” (Miss. Code § 73-3-120)

Details:

• Mississippi’s MCLE rules require active attorneys to complete 12 CLE hours annually, including 1 hour in ethics/professionalism.
• Exemptions exist for attorneys residing outside Mississippi and not engaged in practice within the state.
• Because no rule explicitly defines a CLE exemption for inactive membership, any CLE requirement upon reactivation may depend on administrative interpretation or reinstatement rules.
• The Mississippi Bar’s inactive membership form confirms that inactive members may not practice law and must apply to be reinstated before resuming practice.

Key Takeaway:
Mississippi does not clearly exempt inactive attorneys from CLE under the rules, meaning CLE obligations may still attach or be enforced upon reactivation.

Yes — Mississippi requires that at least 6 out of the 12 required CLE hours each year be earned through in-person CLE sessions; the remainder may come via online or webcast formats. According to the Commission’s rules, only half of an attorney’s annual credits may be from distance or online delivery.

Mississippi CLE Format Rules

• Total requirement: 12 CLE hours per year, including 1 ethics hour.
• In-person minimum: At least 6 hours must be live, in-person programs.
• Online allowance: Up to 6 hours may be satisfied via distance learning (webcasts, recorded courses), subject to approval.
• COVID adjustments: During certain reporting years, the in-person requirement was temporarily suspended, but it has since been reinstated.

Key Takeaway: In Mississippi, attorneys must complete at least 6 CLE hours in person each year; the remaining 6 hours may be earned online or by webcast, not through remote-only formats.

The grace period for CLE reporting in Mississippi extends from August 1 to August 15 following the July 31 credit completion deadline. During this window, attorneys may file their CLE Annual Report without being immediately deemed noncompliant.

Mississippi CLE Deadlines & Grace Window

• July 31: Deadline to complete required CLE credits.
• August 15: Last date to report CLE via the Annual Report form.

What Happens After Grace Period

• The Commission issues noncompliance notices via certified mail to attorneys who fail to report by August 15.
• Attorneys have 60 days from that notice to respond, submit evidence of compliance, or show cause why sanctions should not apply.
• If no satisfactory response is filed within 60 days, the Commission refers the matter to the Supreme Court for possible suspension.

Key Takeaway: In Mississippi, attorneys have until August 15 to report CLE after the July 31 deadline — missing this grace window triggers certified notices and a 60-day compliance cure period.

Mississippi attorneys are required to complete 12 CLE credit hours per year, including 1 hour in legal ethics.

CLE credits must be earned by July 31 and reported by August 15 each year.

Details

• Up to 6 hours may be earned via distance learning (online, webcast, etc.).

• At least 6 hours must be in live webcasts or in-person programs.

• Excess general (non-ethics) credits—up to 12 hours—may be carried over to the next year. Ethics credits beyond the required 1 hour may not carry over as ethics.

• Teaching CLE: Up to 12 hours per year may be earned through teaching; different weighting applies depending on the quality of written materials and whether the presentation is a repeat.

• New lawyers: Newly admitted attorneys must complete a 12-hour New Lawyer Program (6 hours basic skills + 6 hours ethics/professionalism) within two years of admission, which counts for both the admission year and the next year’s CLE requirement.

Key Takeaway: Mississippi requires 12 CLE hours annually (1 ethics), allows up to 6 via distance learning, mandates live credit, permits carryover of general credits (not ethics), and imposes a separate New Lawyer Program requirement for new admittees.

Yes — in Mississippi there is a limited distinction: part-time government attorneys may earn fewer hours via in-house programs.

Mississippi requires all nonexempt attorneys to complete 12 CLE “actual hours” per year, including 1 in ethics.

Details:

• A “part-time employee of a governmental department or agency” may count up to 6 hours per year earned through approved internal CLE offerings of that agency.
• A “full-time employee of a governmental department or agency” may count up to 12 hours per year via department-sponsored CLE.
• Apart from that narrow allowance, all attorneys still must satisfy the full 12-hour requirement and the regular rules on delivery, carryover, exemptions, etc.

Key Takeaway: Except for that narrow allowance for government employee internal CLE, Mississippi does not broadly reduce CLE obligations based on part-time vs full-time status.