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

Virginia attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours every 12 months. That includes at least 2 hours in legal ethics and at least 4 hours in live-interactive programming.

Annual CLE Requirements in Virginia

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours per year
• Ethics requirement: 2 credit hours
• Live-interactive requirement: 4 credit hours
• Reporting period: November 1 through October 31
• Compliance deadline: October 31
• Certification/reporting deadline: December 15

Carryover & Limitations

• Up to 12 excess credits may carry forward (including 2 ethics credits and 4 live credits)
• Only up to 8 of the carryover may come from prerecorded (on-demand) programs

Exemptions & Additional Rules

• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt during their first reporting period
• Virginia requires all active attorneys to certify that, within the past 3 years, they have attended at least 1 hour of lawyer well-being education (though failure to do so is not subject to penalty)

Key Takeaway: Virginia requires 12 CLE hours annually, with minimum ethics and live-interactive hours, a one-year cycle ending October 31, and limited carryover.

Virginia attorneys must complete 12 CLE hours every 12-month reporting period, including 2 hours in ethics and at least 4 hours of live interactive instruction.

The reporting period runs November 1 to October 31, with credits and certification due by December 15.

Details

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours annually

• Ethics: At least 2 hours must be in that category

• Live-Interactive: At least 4 hours must be live interactive (on-site, webcast, telephone with interactivity)

• Pre-recorded / On-demand cap: Up to 8 hours from non-interactive (pre-recorded) courses may be used

• Carryover: Up to 12 hours (including up to 2 ethics and up to 4 live hours) may carry into the next period

• New admittees: Exempt in the first active reporting period; the required “Professionalism Course” must be taken within 24 months (but it doesn’t count toward suspension penalties)

Key Takeaway: In Virginia, active attorneys must complete 12 CLE hours annually, with minimums for ethics and live interactive credit; unused hours may carry over under limits, and the period runs November 1 to October 31.

Yes — Virginia requires that 4 of the 12 mandatory CLE credit hours each year be fulfilled via “live interactive” programs (which can be in-person or via real-time webcasts or telephone). The remaining credits may come from pre-recorded or asynchronous formats, subject to a limit.

Virginia CLE Rules & Format Requirements

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours per annual period (November 1 – October 31).
• Ethics/Professionalism: at least 2 credits must be in legal ethics or professionalism.
• Live interactive credit minimum: 4 hours must be in programs with real-time interaction with the presenter (live on-site, live webcast, or telephone).
• Pre-recorded (non-interactive) programs: no more than 8 credit hours may be earned from these formats in a year.

Key Takeaway: Virginia mandates that one-third of your annual CLE credits be live and interactive, but it does not force you to attend physically — live webcasts with Q&A or telephone sessions qualify.

The CLE reporting deadline in Virginia is December 15 (at 4:45 p.m. EST).

Attorneys must complete all required MCLE credits by October 31, then report them by December 15.

Virginia MCLE Compliance & Reporting

• Reporting period: November 1 through October 31
• Completion deadline: October 31 each year
• Reporting deadline: December 15, 4:45 p.m. EST
• Required credits: 12 hours annually (including 2 ethics and 4 live hours)
• Late filing: Noncompliance fees apply for delayed reporting

Key Takeaway: In Virginia, finish your CLE by October 31 and certify/report it by December 15 to stay in compliance.

Yes — Virginia allows late reporting of CLE credits (after the December 15 deadline) by paying a late filing fee (and a second late filing fee if past February 1), but failing to report timely may lead to suspension.

Under Virginia’s MCLE rules, the CLE completion deadline is October 31, the reporting deadline is December 15, and any credits reported after December 15 (but by February 1) incur a $100 “late filing” fee (doubled if reported after February 1).

Detailed Explanation

• Virginia attorneys must complete 12 CLE hours (including 2 hours in ethics/professionalism) by October 31 of each year.
• They must report or certify those hours by December 15, 4:45 PM ET (the “reporting deadline”).
• If a member fails to report by December 15, a $100 late filing fee is assessed.
• Members who report after February 1 (4:45 PM ET) incur an additional $100 late filing fee (i.e. the late fee is doubled).
• Credits submitted late (after the December 15 deadline) may still be recorded and counted toward the prior compliance period (or as carryover, as permitted) if approved.
• Rule 108 (Reporting Procedures) permits a late certification with payment of the late filing fee.
• If a member does not comply (complete and report) or secure a waiver/extension by December 15, they may be subject to administrative suspension under the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
• The MCLE Board may grant a waiver or extension for good cause (e.g. medical, hardship) under Regulation 111 — but requesting a waiver does not automatically excuse late filing or suspend the running of deadlines.

Key Takeaway
You can report CLE credits late in Virginia (after December 15 but before February 1), but be prepared to pay late filing fees and risk suspension if you delay further without remedy.

No — judges in Virginia do not have a separate mandatory CLE requirement; they are governed by the same MCLE obligations as other attorneys (unless otherwise exempted).

Virginia’s MCLE regime under Rules of the Supreme Court applies to all active attorneys (which by rule include judges when they are in active status).

Details

• Every active member of the Virginia State Bar must complete 12 CLE hours annually, including 2 hours of ethics/professionalism, and 4 hours must be in a live-interactive format.
• There is no provision in the MCLE rules or in Virginia’s Supreme Court regulations that creates a separate or additional CLE track specifically for judges.
• Some judicial training initiatives (e.g. for special justices in mental health commitment hearings) require particular education (e.g. 6 hours every two years), but those are not part of a broad judicial CLE regime.

Key Takeaway

In Virginia, judges comply under the same annual 12-hour MCLE requirement as attorneys; there is no parallel, separate CLE requirement for judges.