Are carryover CLE credits allowed in Maine?

Yes — in Maine, you can submit certain CLE credits online (or electronically), but only under certain conditions.

The general rule is that sponsors report live course attendance; attorneys may self-report self-study and non-accredited course credits in some cases.

Details:

• Under Maine Bar Rule 5(k)(1), sponsors of accredited programs must submit attendance rosters to the Board no later than 30 days after the program.
• According to Maine’s CLE FAQ, “generally, you don’t” need to submit your certificate from a live course — the sponsor does it.
• But for self-study courses, you must send your certificate of completion to the Board (via email or mail).
• If you attend a live program that was not previously approved, you may need to self-apply for accreditation and submit the certificate yourself within 60 days.
• The Maine CLE system (MyCLEAccess / MECLE) allows attorneys to track credits, but the reporting of live program attendance is handled by sponsors.

Key Takeaway
You cannot always submit all CLE credits online by yourself in Maine; sponsors must report live program attendance, but you may self-report self-study or unaccredited courses (within prescribed deadlines).

Yes — Maine law (via the Bar Rules / CLE rules) provides for a number of explicit exemptions from the CLE requirement for certain categories of attorneys, and allows discretionary exemptions upon showing hardship.

In Maine, Rule 5(d) lists attorneys exempted (e.g. judges, law professors, emeritus, nonresidents, elderly non-full-time practitioners, new admittees), and the CLE Committee may grant exemptions or reductions for good cause.

Details / Exceptions

• The following are explicitly exempt under Rule 5(d):
  
  • Full-time judges in any state, federal, or tribal court
  
  • Active retired state court judges and senior status federal court judges
  
  • Full-time law school teachers at ABA-approved schools
  
  • Members of the U.S. armed forces on active duty outside Maine
  
  • Residents of another country unless actively practicing law in Maine
  
  • Attorneys age 65 or older with ≥ 40 years of practice who are not engaged in full-time practice
  
  • Legislators / U.S. Congress members
  
  • Maine-licensed attorneys who maintain their principal office in another jurisdiction and comply with that jurisdiction’s CLE requirement
  
  • Nonresident attorneys admitted pro hac vice in Maine
  
  • Attorneys serving as judicial law clerks
  
  • Emeritus attorneys
  
  • Attorneys admitted for less than three months in the year
• New admittee exemption: An attorney admitted in Maine who completes the approved “new attorney program” in that year is exempt both in the admission year and the following calendar year.
• Hardship / good cause: The CLE Committee may, in its discretion, exempt all or part of the requirement for a particular individual upon showing hardship, disability, or other good cause (but not for successive years under the same claim).
• License fee / CLE exemption policy: Maine’s Board has a policy that an attorney may request in affidavit form an exemption from CLE (or a reduction) based on undue hardship or disability, subject to review.

Key Takeaway
Maine’s CLE regime provides for numerous built-in exemptions (judges, emeritus, law professors, new admittees, age + long practice if not full-time, nonresidents, etc.), and also allows limited discretionary exemptions for hardship. Attorneys claiming exemption must follow the rule’s procedural requirements.

Yes — Maine mandates that at least 7 of the 12 required CLE credits each year must be earned via “live” formats (in-person, live webcast, teleseminar, etc.).
That live-credit requirement is separate from the in-person harassment/discrimination hour and the live ethics hour.

Format & Live Credit Requirements

• Attorneys must complete 12 MCLE credit hours annually.
• No more than 5 credits may come from self-study (recorded / on-demand) formats.
• At least 7 credits must be obtained via live or interactive formats (including in-person, live webcast, teleseminar).
• Among those live credits:
  • One live credit must address ethics and professionalism.
  • One in-person credit must address harassment and discriminatory communication or conduct, unless waived by the CLE Committee for good cause (e.g. approval to attend by live-stream).

Temporary Waiver & Adjustments

• The in-person requirement for the harassment/discrimination credit may be waived for good cause, allowing live online attendance with prior approval from the CLE Committee.
• The rule emphasizes that the live ethics credit can’t be fulfilled via self-study formats.

Key Takeaway

Maine requires a minimum of 7 live-format CLE credits each year (in-person, webcast, or equivalent). Within those, one must be a live ethics hour, and one must be an in-person harassment/discrimination hour (unless waived for good cause).

Maine attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours each calendar year. Among those, at least 1 hour must cover ethics and at least 1 hour must address harassment/discrimination, and at least 7 hours must be earned live.

Annual CLE Requirements in Maine

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours per calendar year
• Ethics requirement: 1 live hour
• Harassment/discrimination requirement: 1 in-person hour (unless live hybrid permitted)
• Live credit minimum: at least 7 hours
• Self-study cap: up to 5 hours may be self-study
• Carryover: up to 10 hours may carry into next year (no more than 5 of those may be self-study)
• Compliance deadline: December 31
• Reporting deadline: Last business day of February (certify previous year)

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks your Maine CLE credits and helps with reporting to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar

Key Takeaway: Maine requires 12 CLE hours annually, with specific ethics and harassment/discrimination live credit rules, a live minimum, self-study limits, and up to 10 hours carryover.

Missing Maine’s CLE deadline triggers a noncompliance fee and may eventually lead to suspension if not remedied. Under Bar Rule 5, attorneys who fail to meet CLE requirements by December must certify compliance by the last business day in February; noncompliant attorneys are assessed a fee, and continued noncompliance may result in suspension.

CLE Deadline & Reporting

• By December 31: Attorney must complete 12 CLE credits (including ethics and harassment/discrimination credits).
• By last business day in February: Submit CLE certification via the Annual Report Statement.

Noncompliance Fee & Suspension

• Attorneys who do not meet the CLE requirement by February’s deadline are assessed a noncompliance fee under Rule 5.
• Continued noncompliance may lead the Board to suspend the attorney’s license until compliance is fulfilled.
• Suspended attorneys must complete CLE for each year of suspension (with caps and proper credit mix) to be reinstated.

Key Takeaway: In Maine, missing your CLE requirements triggers a late noncompliance fee and risks suspension unless you file the certification and cure the deficiency, including for years you may have been suspended.

Yes — judges in Maine have separate continuing judicial education (CJE) requirements in addition to the general CLE rules for attorneys.

Maine maintains a Judicial Education Committee that organizes and oversees CJE for judges, and state law mandates specific CJE hours for judges and magistrates.

Details

• All judges and magistrates in Maine must complete 24 hours of CJE every 24-month period.
• The Judicial Education Committee administers these CJE programs and works in cooperation with the judiciary to ensure continuing education for judges.
• Maine’s CLE (for attorneys) is governed by Maine Bar Rule 5, which exempts full-time judges from the CLE requirement.
• Because full-time judges are exempt from attorney CLE, they cannot rely on the general attorney CLE rules to satisfy their judicial education duties.

Key Takeaway

In Maine, judges are required to fulfill a discrete judicial continuing education mandate (24 hours per 2 years), and they are exempt from the ordinary attorney CLE rules while serving as full-time judges.