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

You can begin having your Indiana CLE credits reported immediately after you attend a qualifying CLE activity. Under Indiana’s rules, CLE sponsors must submit attendance reports to the Commission within 30 days of the course.

You don’t have to wait until the end of your three-year cycle to “report” — attendance reporting is rolling and continuous. Sprout Education (or any CLE provider) should report your earned credits promptly so they appear on your official record well before your compliance deadline.

Key Details

• Indiana operates on a three-year compliance period, with at least 36 CLE hours required.
• Sponsors must submit attendance reports within 30 days after the course ends.
• Attorneys may also apply for credit before or after the course for non-inhouse courses.
• There is no requirement that all credits be “reported” only at the end of the cycle — reporting is contemporaneous with course completion.
• However, all required credits must be earned by December 31 of your reporting period.

Key Takeaway
In Indiana, you may begin reporting CLE credits immediately after attending them — sponsors are required to submit attendance within 30 days, so credits enter your record well in advance of the December 31 compliance deadline.

Indiana does not provide a grace period for CLE reporting. Attorneys must complete and report all credits by December 31 of their compliance year, and late submissions require payment of additional fees.

Indiana CLE Rules & Timelines

• December 31: Deadline to complete and report CLE credits.
• No automatic extension or grace period is available.
• Late submissions may be accepted only with applicable late fees.

Penalties & Consequences

• Attorneys who fail to comply are considered noncompliant.
• The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission may impose penalties.
• Continued noncompliance may lead to suspension until requirements are met.

Key Takeaway: Indiana requires CLE compliance and reporting by December 31 with no grace period — attorneys who miss the deadline must pay late fees and risk suspension if they remain noncompliant.

Indiana attorneys must complete 36 CLE credit hours every three years. That includes a per-year minimum of 6 hours and at least 3 hours of ethics.

Cycle & Reporting

• Educational period: 3 years
• Completion deadline: December 31 of the final year
• Reporting deadline: December 31 (of the same final year)

Credit Requirements & Limits

• Total required: 36 credit hours
• Minimum per year: 6 credit hours
• Ethics requirement: at least 3 credit hours per period
• Non-Legal Subject (NLS) credit cap: 12 hours per 3-year period
• No carryover of credits into a new cycle

New Admittee / Applied Professionalism Requirement

• Newly admitted attorneys must complete a 6-hour approved Applied Professionalism course during their first three-year cycle, in lieu of part of the ethics requirement
• The Applied Professionalism course must be completed between January 1 after admission and December 31 of the third year in the period

Key Takeaway: Indiana requires 36 CLE hours every 3 years, with a requirement of 6 hours annually, at least 3 hours in ethics, and no carryover between cycles.

Indiana attorneys must complete 36 CLE credit hours every three years, with a minimum of 6 hours per year and at least 3 hours in ethics.

These requirements are set under Indiana’s Admission & Discipline Rule 29 and overseen by the Commission for Continuing Legal Education (ACE).

Details

• Annual minimum: 6 credits each calendar year.
• Three-year cycle: 36 credits total.
• Ethics: At least 3 credits in professional responsibility must be included in the 36.
• Non-Legal Subject (NLS): No more than 12 hours in a cycle may be NLS credit.
• Newly admitted attorneys: In their first three-year cycle, must complete a 6-hour applied professionalism course (counts toward the ethics requirement) instead of or in lieu of certain ethics credits.

Key Takeaway: Indiana attorneys need 36 CLE credits every three years (6 per year), including 3 ethics, with a 12-hour cap on NLS credit and a special applied professionalism requirement for new admittees.

You report CLE credits in Indiana by using the Indiana Courts Portal to report attendance for each course, especially when the provider does not report them for you.
Indiana operates on a three-year educational period requiring 36 total CLE hours, with at least 3 hours in professional responsibility.

Overview of Indiana MCLE Reporting

Under Indiana Rule 29, attorneys must complete 36 approved CLE hours in each three-year educational period, with a minimum of six hours per year and at least three in professional responsibility.
Providers and courses must be approved by the Indiana Commission for Continuing Legal Education.
If a provider does not report your attendance, attorneys must submit attendance via the Indiana Courts Portal under “Report Legal Education Credits” within 30 days of course completion.

Steps to Report CLE in Indiana

• After course completion, check whether the provider will report your attendance.
• If not, log into the Indiana Courts Portal and use “My Continuing Education → Report Legal Education Credits” to select the course and submit an affidavit of attendance.
• For courses not already approved, apply for course accreditation through the same portal before or within 30 days of the course date.
• Ensure that submitted attendance is reflected in your CLE history list under the portal’s “My Courses and Attendance.”
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, verify that those credits appear via the portal (in jurisdictions where provider reporting is permitted).

Key Takeaway: In Indiana, providers typically report CLE for you, but if not, you must report attendance via the Indiana Courts Portal within 30 days. The system ensures your CLE hours are recorded to meet the 36-hour requirement every three years under Rule 29.

Yes — judges in Indiana are subject to separate continuing judicial education (CJE) requirements distinct from the general CLE obligations for attorneys.

These judicial duties are governed under Indiana Admission and Discipline Rule 28, while general CLE is under Rule 29, and the two regimes overlap in approved credits but impose different minimums.

Details:

• Rule 29 expressly provides that attorneys who also serve as judges are governed by Rule 28 for education requirements.
• Under Rule 28 and implementing materials, “state level judicial officers” must complete 15 hours of approved courses per year, and 54 hours per three-year reporting period; at least 5 hours must be in professional responsibility, and no more than 18 hours may be non-legal subject matter.
• Other judicial officers (senior judges, part-time commissioners/referees, city/town or small claims court judges) must complete 6 hours per year and 36 hours per three-year period, with 3 hours in professional responsibility and a cap on non-legal subject matter credits.
• Courses approved for general CLE by the Indiana Office of Admissions & Continuing Education also qualify for judicial credit.

Key Takeaway

Judges in Indiana operate under a distinct judicial education framework (Rule 28) that requires higher credits (for many) and specialized rules, and they cannot rely solely on the attorney CLE minimums under Rule 29 to satisfy their obligations.