No — New Hampshire’s CLE Rule 53 applies to all attorneys in “Active” or “Limited Active” status for more than six months in a reporting year, unless they have been specifically granted a waiver or are exempted per the rule.
Rule 53 does allow for a petition for waiver under certain circumstances, but it does not list broad categories of exempt attorneys.
Details / Exceptions
- Attorneys in active or limited active status who are present in New Hampshire for more than six months in the reporting year must comply with the 720-minute (12 hours) CLE requirement, including 120 minutes of ethics.
- If an attorney holds active status for less than or equal to six months, the full CLE obligation may not apply, though the affidavit requirement still applies.
- The rule permits attorneys to petition for a waiver (full or partial) based on compelling reasons, such as disability or other extraordinary circumstances.
- Attorneys returning to active status after more than two years must complete a “reactivation” requirement (additional 360 minutes) as part of resuming compliance.
- There is no blanket exemption for judges, senior attorneys, governmental attorneys, or based purely on public office under Rule 53.
Key Takeaway
In New Hampshire, all attorneys in active status are generally subject to CLE, and exemptions are limited to case-by-case waivers rather than broad categories.