Do CLE requirements differ for part-time vs full-time attorneys in Alaska?

Attorneys in Alaska report CLE by submitting an annual MCLE report through the Alaska Bar Association’s member portal. The report is due once per year by February 1 following the December 31 compliance deadline.

Key Details:

• Reporting is done online via the member portal on alaskabar.org.
• You may submit your MCLE report only once per calendar year; once filed it cannot be amended.
• If you made an error in the submitted report, you must email [email protected] for corrections.
• Inactive members and attorneys admitted in the reporting year are exempt from reporting.

Key Takeaway: Alaska attorneys must self-report CLE credits annually via the Bar’s online portal by February 1, and the submission is final once filed.

Yes — Alaska allows attorneys to carry over CLE credits, up to 12 credits, from the previous reporting period.

This carryover is governed by Alaska Bar Rule 65 and was reaffirmed in Supreme Court Order No. 2016.

Details & nuances

• Under the amended Rules (effective January 1, 2025), an active Bar member may carry forward a maximum of 12 credits (3 ethics + 9 voluntary) earned in the calendar year immediately preceding the current reporting period.
• The credit hours must have been earned but not claimed in the prior year.
• In the annual certification (due February 1), attorneys must report whether they met the 3 ethics and 9 voluntary CLE in the prior year or used carryforward credits.
• The carryover rule does not apply to members in the calendar year of their admission.
• Prior to the amendment, older rules also permitted carryforward, though under different credit minima. For example, Bar regulations earlier acknowledged voluntary and ethics credits subject to prior rules.

Key Takeaway

Alaska permits carryover of up to 12 CLE credits (3 ethics + 9 voluntary) into the next reporting period, provided they were earned and unclaimed in the prior year, and this does not apply in your admission year.

Alaska attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours each year, including 3 hours in ethics.
The annual reporting period runs January 1 through December 31, and the MCLE report must be filed by February 1 of the following year.

Details
• Annual minimum: 12 credits for each active member; at least 3 must be ethics.
• Cycle and deadline: earn credits by December 31; file the MCLE report by February 1.
• Carryover: up to 12 credits may be carried forward from the prior year if earned but not previously claimed.
• Governance: the current 12-credit requirement (with 3 ethics) is established by Alaska Supreme Court Order No. 2016 amending Bar Rules 65 and 66.
• Reporting support: Sprout Education provides completion certificates and course details to support accurate self-reporting in the Alaska Bar member portal.

Key Takeaway: Alaska requires 12 credits annually with 3 ethics, earned by December 31 and reported by February 1; up to 12 unused credits may carry over from the prior year.

No — judges in Alaska do not have a separate CLE regime; they must comply with the same CLE rules that govern active bar members.

Every active member of the Alaska Bar must complete 12 CLE credit hours annually (3 of which must be in ethics) under Rules 65 and 66, effective January 1, 2025.

Those rules explicitly allow “attending approved continuing judicial education courses” as a permissible CLE activity, but they do not carve out a distinct judicial CLE track.

Key Takeaway: Alaska treats judges as attorneys for CLE purposes — the same 12-hour obligation applies, and there is no separate judicial CLE requirement.

Yes – Alaska attorneys can submit CLE (MCLE) credits online through the Alaska Bar Association member portal.

Online reporting is the standard method for filing the annual MCLE report.

Details:

• The filing deadline is February 1 for credits earned in the prior calendar year.
• You may submit one MCLE report per year; to correct errors you must contact the Bar.
• The online form requires allocating ethics versus general credits and certifying the report before submitting.
• Credits earned in other jurisdictions may be claimed if the program was accredited in that jurisdiction and otherwise meets Alaska’s rules.

Key Takeaway:
Alaska supports full online MCLE reporting via the member portal, with a February 1 deadline and a single annual submission.

CLE credit in Alaska counts for attending approved CLE courses, teaching legal education, writing legal articles, serving on legal committees, and other approved legal activities.

These must meet Alaska Bar Rule 65(g) standards and be accredited by the Alaska Bar or recognized CLE jurisdictions.

Details

• Approved CLE credits include live programs, webinars, video-on-demand, and technology-delivered courses.
• Teaching or presenting approved CLE may yield credit—including prep time at a defined ratio (e.g. 2 hours prep = 1 hour credit).
• Writing published legal or professional journal articles may count toward CLE credit, if approved.
• Service on Bar or court committees (e.g. ethics committee, rules committee) or in youth law education programs may qualify when accredited.
• CLE content must have relevance to law, ethics, professional responsibility, or practice improvement.
• Credit from other jurisdictions is accepted if the program was CLE-accredited in that jurisdiction.
• Unused CLE may be carried forward up to 12 credits (includes ethics and general credits).

Key Takeaway

In Alaska, eligible CLE includes live, on-demand, teaching, writing, committee service, and out-of-state CLE (if accredited) so long as approved under Bar Rule 65(g).