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

In Oklahoma, you may begin having CLE credits submitted to your MCLE record as soon as a provider reports attendance (within 30 days of the program). Attorneys must ensure their credits are reported promptly, but you cannot “certify” your compliance until after year-end.

Key Details

• Oklahoma’s CLE compliance period is the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
• Attorneys must complete 12 OK MCLE credits per year, including 2 in legal ethics.
• Providers of approved programs must report attendance within 30 days.
• If necessary, attorneys may report their own credit (e.g. by email submission of verified certificate) when credits are earned close to a deadline.
• The formal “Annual Report of Compliance” is required only if your transcript does not already reflect sufficient credit by December 31; that report is due by February 15 of the following year.

Key Takeaway
In Oklahoma, CLE credits begin being reported as soon as your provider submits attendance (usually within 30 days). Formal compliance is only determined after year-end, with a February 15 deadline for reporting if needed.

Oklahoma attorneys must complete 12 CLE instructional hours each calendar year, of which at least 2 hours must address legal ethics.

The compliance period runs January 1 to December 31, with reporting by February 15 of the following year.

Details

• Total requirement: 12 hours annually.
• Ethics requirement: At least 2 of those 12 hours must be legal ethics.
• Delivery formats: All 12 hours may be earned via live, webcast, or on-demand (no restriction on online credits).
• Carryover: Excess hours (up to 12) may be carried forward into the next calendar year, including ethics credits.
• Exemptions: Attorneys are exempt in the calendar year in which they are first admitted.
• Calculation: Each “instructional hour” is 50 minutes of approved instruction (excluding breaks).

Key Takeaway: Oklahoma requires 12 CLE hours per year, including 2 ethics hours, allows full online delivery, offers carryover, and uses a January–December cycle with a February 15 certification deadline.

Yes — Oklahoma allows carryover of CLE credits, up to 12 hours (including ethics).
Per Oklahoma’s MCLE rules, excess credits beyond the 12-hour annual requirement may be carried into the immediately following calendar year, if reported and designated properly.

Details & nuances

• Rule 4 of Oklahoma’s MCLE Regulations states that “hours in excess of the minimum annual requirement may be carried forward for credit only in the succeeding year.”
• The Oklahoma MCLE FAQ confirms: “A maximum of one year’s requirement may be carried to the following year … such credit is reported the year it is earned.”
• CLE summaries and provider materials indicate that attorneys may carry over 12 CLE credits, including up to 2 ethics credits.
• Credits must be earned and reported in the year they are taken and then designated as carryover on the compliance report.
• The carryover credit cannot extend beyond the next year — you cannot skip or push ahead further.

Key Takeaway
In Oklahoma, you can carry over up to 12 excess CLE credits (including ethics) into the next calendar year — but only for one year, and only if those hours are properly reported and designated.

No — attorneys in Oklahoma may not self-report their CLE credits online; providers must report attendance, though in limited cases attorneys can submit a course completion certificate.

Oklahoma’s MCLE rules require providers to report within 30 days, and the attorney may only submit documentation when the provider fails to report.

Details:

• Providers are required to report attendance for approved CLE programs via the Online Attendance Reporting portal.
• The FAQs say attorneys cannot self-report credits online; if a provider fails to report, the lawyer may submit a certificate of completion to mcle@okbar.org or by mail.
• The Oklahoma CLE cycle is on a calendar year basis (Jan 1 to Dec 31), and credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year.
• New online transcript and service features are being developed to allow lawyers to view how credits are applied, but that does not substitute for provider reporting.

Key Takeaway
You generally cannot submit CLE credits online in Oklahoma yourself — providers report them, and only in rare cases may a lawyer send documentation when a provider fails to report.

Yes — Oklahoma imposes a separate Mandatory Judicial Continuing Legal Education (MJCLE) requirement for judges, in addition to the CLE rule for attorneys.

Judges of district courts, appellate courts, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and certain others must complete 12 hours of approved judicial education annually.

Details

• Under the “Rules for Mandatory Judicial Continuing Legal Education,” all judges of the Oklahoma District Courts, Court of Civil Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals, and Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court must complete at least 12 hours annually of MJCLE.
• Generally up to 6 hours of the MJCLE requirement may be satisfied via general CLE programs; the remainder must be in judicially focused courses approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts or by the Chief Justice.
• Municipal judges (especially non-lawyer municipal judges) have a certification/education requirement tied to municipal court training: a municipal judge must complete 12 hours of OBA-approved CLE (covering municipal court law, evidence, criminal and indigency hearings, etc.) under forthcoming certification requirements effective July 1, 2026.
• The Oklahoma Bar’s MCLE rules for attorneys require 12 hours annually, including 2 hours in ethics.
• Judges who are prohibited from private practice of law (i.e. full-time judges) are exempt from the attorney CLE obligation under the MCLE rules.

Key Takeaway

Judges in Oklahoma must satisfy a dedicated MJCLE regime (12 hours annually, with judicial subject matter requirements), distinct from but partly overlapping with the attorney CLE rules.

The CLE reporting deadline in Oklahoma is February 15 following the December 31 compliance year.

Attorneys must complete all required CLE credits by December 31, and report via the Annual Report of Compliance by February 15.

Oklahoma MCLE Reporting Timeline & Rules

• Completion Deadline: December 31 every year.
• Reporting Deadline: February 15 for the Annual Report of Compliance.
• Annual Requirement: 12 CLE hours including at least 2 in legal ethics.
• Exemption: Newly admitted attorneys are exempt for the remainder of their admission year.
• Sanctions for Late Reporting: Late fees apply after February 15; noncompliance may lead to suspension proceedings.

Key Takeaway: In Oklahoma, complete your CLE by December 31 and certify or report by February 15 to remain compliant.