Can I earn CLE by attending a legal conference?

It depends on your jurisdiction — in some states yes, pro bono legal work can count toward CLE credit under specified conditions, while in many others it is expressly excluded.
Where permitted, the jurisdiction will typically impose eligibility rules (which pro bono providers qualify, how many hours convert to credit, caps per period, and documentation requirements).

Details:

• In New York, you may earn 1 CLE credit hour for every 2 hours (120 minutes) of eligible pro bono legal service, up to 10 pro bono CLE credits per two-year reporting cycle.
• In Minnesota, one standard CLE credit is allowed for every 6 hours of pro bono legal representation through an approved legal services provider, with a cap of 6 credits per 3-year reporting period.
• In West Virginia, attorneys earn 1 CLE credit for every 3 completed hours of pro bono legal services performed at certain enumerated organizations, up to a maximum of 6 pro bono credits per reporting period.
• Many states do not allow pro bono work to count at all. For example, New Jersey lists pro bono work among activities that “WILL NOT be given CLE credit.”
• The Pro Bono and CLE Credit Guide (2025) notes that as of July 2025, 22 states permit some pro bono service for CLE credit, while 24 states do not permit it.

Key Takeaway:
Check your own state’s CLE rules — if pro bono hours are eligible, they’ll come with strict eligibility criteria, conversion ratios, and caps, so don’t assume all your pro bono work will count.

Yes — CLE and MCLE generally refer to the same concept, but MCLE specifically emphasizes that continuing legal education is mandatory (required) in a given jurisdiction. In other words, CLE is the general term for continuing legal education, and MCLE is CLE that is mandated by law or court rule in a jurisdiction.

Here is more detail:

Details & Examples

• Many state bar or supreme court rules require attorneys to complete a set number of CLE hours per period (e.g. per year or per multi-year cycle). That mandatory requirement is called “MCLE” in those jurisdictions.
• For example, in California, active State Bar licensees must complete 25 hours of “MCLE” every three years.
• In Texas, “MCLE” is defined as required continuing education under the State Bar rules; attorneys must complete 15 hours of accredited CLE per compliance year.
• Some CLE events (seminars, webinars, workshops) are accredited for MCLE credit, meaning they satisfy the mandatory requirement; other CLE-type activities not approved in that jurisdiction may not count toward MCLE.
• In jurisdictions without a mandatory requirement (if any), “CLE” might remain voluntary or optional for attorneys.

Key Takeaway
CLE is the general term for ongoing legal education for lawyers; MCLE is CLE that is legally required in a jurisdiction, with rules, credit, and compliance mechanisms attached.

Yes, court-mandated CLE exists in many jurisdictions. Courts may order attorneys to complete specific CLE hours as part of licensing rules, disciplinary actions, or reinstatement after suspension.

When Courts Require CLE

• Licensing requirements: State supreme courts typically mandate CLE as a condition of maintaining active law licenses.
• Disciplinary sanctions: Attorneys disciplined for misconduct may be ordered by the court to complete additional CLE, often in ethics or professionalism.
• Reinstatement: Lawyers returning from suspension or inactive status may be required to complete remedial CLE before resuming practice.
• Specialized orders: Some courts impose targeted CLE in areas like trust accounting, ethics, or technology where deficiencies were identified.

Implications for Attorneys

• Court-mandated CLE requirements are binding and non-compliance may result in suspension or denial of reinstatement.
• These requirements are in addition to the regular annual or biennial CLE obligations.
• Sprout Education provides accredited CLE programs that satisfy both standard and court-mandated requirements, ensuring attorneys remain in compliance.

Key Takeaway: Court-mandated CLE is real and can be imposed as a licensing condition, disciplinary sanction, or reinstatement requirement, making compliance essential to continued practice.

CLE is required on either an annual or biennial basis, depending on the state. Some jurisdictions require attorneys to complete CLE hours every year, while others set a two-year reporting cycle.

Common Reporting Periods

• Annual cycle: Attorneys must earn and report CLE credits each year (e.g., states like Alabama, Kansas, or Wyoming).
• Biennial cycle: Attorneys have a two-year period to complete their credits (e.g., states like California, New York, or Pennsylvania).
• Three-year cycle: A smaller group of states, such as Washington, operate on a three-year reporting cycle.

Practical Impact

• Compliance deadlines vary and often align with the attorney’s birth month, admission date, or a fixed calendar deadline.
• Attorneys practicing in multiple states must track separate compliance periods.
• Sprout Education monitors these jurisdictional differences to help attorneys stay on schedule across all reporting cycles.

Key Takeaway: CLE reporting frequency is not uniform—some states require annual compliance, others biennial, and a few triennial. Attorneys must follow the rules of their licensing state(s).

No — you generally cannot share a CLE subscription with a colleague unless the provider’s terms explicitly permit it.

CLE providers and bar regulators almost always require that each user/licensee have a distinct, individual account so attendance verification, certificates, and credit tracking remain accurate.

Details:
– CLE providers typically verify attendance through unique user logins, activity tracking, and certificates tied to a specific attorney (with name and bar number).
– Sharing access (for example, passing your login credentials or allowing another person to use your account) would violate provider rules and could jeopardize credit validity.
– Even if a subscription is marketed as “firm-wide” or “multi-seat,” that does not mean you can treat a single personal subscription as shareable — the distinction is whether the package explicitly supports multiple authorized users.
– Bar or MCLE regulators may reject credit claims if attendance verification is questionable or noncompliant.

Key Takeaway: Unless a CLE subscription is explicitly licensed for multiple users (e.g. firm or seat-based licensing), you must use your own individual access to ensure credits are properly tracked and honored.

It depends on the jurisdiction – some states allow mindfulness or well-being courses to count for CLE when they address lawyer competence or mental health in the legal profession, while others allow them only if tied to permissible credit categories.
To qualify, the course usually must be lawyer-focused, meet the state’s accreditation standards, and be categorized under competence, mental health-substance use, or professional responsibility where applicable.

Details:

• Minnesota requires at least one credit on mental health and substance use in the legal profession per 3-year cycle starting with Category 2 lawyers in 2025, and defines this credit type in its rules.
• California recognizes “competence issues” credit that includes substance abuse and mental health topics related to the legal profession, subject to activity approval standards.
• Illinois requires 6 professional responsibility hours per 2-year period, including at least 1 hour accredited for mental health-substance abuse, with PR topics expressly including mental health-substance abuse.

Key Takeaway:
Mindfulness or well-being content can count where it is aligned with lawyer competence or mental health in the legal profession and satisfies state CLE rules; verify your state’s category definitions and approval criteria before relying on these credits.