Do judges in Florida have separate CLE requirements?

Florida attorneys must complete 30 CLE credit hours every 3 years, including at least 5 hours in Legal Ethics, Professionalism, Substance Abuse or Mental Health & Wellness (2 of which must be the mandated Florida Legal Professionalism course) and 3 hours in technology.
The Florida Supreme Court reduced the total requirement from 33 to 30 credits effective January 8, 2024.

Details

• Total requirement: 30 CLE credit hours per 3-year reporting cycle
• Legal Ethics, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, or Mental Health & Wellness: At least 5 hours total, including 2 hours from the required Florida Legal Professionalism course offered by The Florida Bar
• Technology: At least 3 hours of approved technology programs
• No carryover: Excess CLE hours cannot be applied to the next reporting cycle
• Reporting obligation: Members must self-report CLE completion via their MyFloridaBar Member Portal before their reporting deadline
• Newly admitted attorneys: Must also complete the Basic Skills Course Requirement (BSCR), which includes the Practicing with Professionalism course during their first year of admission

Key Takeaway

Florida attorneys must complete 30 CLE hours every three years — including 5 hours in Legal Ethics, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, or Mental Health & Wellness (with 2 hours from the mandatory Florida Legal Professionalism course) and 3 hours in technology — with all credits self-reported through the Bar’s online portal.

Yes — Florida law allows certain attorneys to be exempt from CLE under specified conditions such as judicial office, inactive status, active military service, out-of-state nonpractice, or undue hardship.

Florida Bar Rule 6-10.3(c) and The Florida Bar’s CLER exemption procedures govern those exemptions.

Details / Exceptions

• Automatic Exemptions (Rule 6-10.3(c)(1)):
  • Full-time federal judges prohibited from practicing law
  • Justices, DCA judges, circuit judges, county court judges, and other judicial officers or designated employees
  • Inactive Florida Bar members
• Discretionary / Requestable Exemptions (Rule 6-10.3(c)(2)):
  • Active military service
  • Residing outside Florida and not rendering legal services or advice on Florida law while nonresident
  • Undue hardship
• BSCR Exemptions (Rule 6-12.4(c)):
  • Government practice: full-time government lawyers with 6 continuous years may be exempt from the 21 credit “basic level” requirement.
  • Foreign practice: lawyers who have practiced abroad for 5 years, completed 30 CLE in the last 3 years, and whose CLE is relevant may be exempt.
• Conditions & limits:
  • Exemptions generally last one reporting cycle under BLSE policy.
  • Even if exempt, a lawyer must file a CLER Exemption Request.
  • The Bar may require a lawyer to complete and report at least 10 CLE hours before applying for additional exemption in some cases.

Key Takeaway
Florida grants exemptions from CLE only in limited categories (judges, inactive members, military, nonresident nonpractice, undue hardship, certain BSCR exemptions), and qualifying attorneys must formally request or certify the exemption under Bar rules.

Yes — in Florida you can submit (i.e. self-report) your CLE (CLER) credits online via The Florida Bar’s Member Portal.

You are responsible for reporting your completed CLE courses using the course reference numbers in your online profile. ([flabar.org](https://www.floridabar.org/member/cle/general-cle-info-and-requirements/) )

Details:

• Florida is a self-reporting jurisdiction; members log into their MyFloridaBar account to post CLE credits using course IDs. ([flabar.org](https://www.flabar.org/member/cle/general-cle-info-and-requirements/) )
• For CLE courses offered by e.g. LegalFuel, the member must self-report using the provided course number in the Member Portal. ([legalfuel.com](https://www.legalfuel.com/clefaq/) )
• Members are sent reminders of their reporting obligations and must make the online compliance certification. ([flabar.org](https://www.flabar.org/member/cle/general-cle-info-and-requirements/) )
• If a course is not already on your transcript, you may need to submit an application for credit (via FL Bar form) referencing your certificate and course outline. ([flabar.org](https://www.flabar.org/member/cle/general-cle-info-and-requirements/) )

Key Takeaway:
Florida supports online CLE reporting — you self-report courses and certify compliance through your Member Portal using course IDs.

You report CLE (CLER) credits in Florida by logging into your MyFloridaBar Member Portal and self-reporting completed courses using the course reference numbers.
This reporting certifies your compliance with Florida’s three-year CLE cycle.

Overview of Florida CLE Reporting

Florida attorneys must complete 30 credit hours every three years, with at least 3 hours in technology and at least 5 hours in ethics/professionalism/substance abuse/mental health & wellness, including a 2-hour Florida Legal Professionalism course.
Excess credits cannot be carried forward into the next reporting cycle.
You will receive advance notice of your reporting deadline and must ensure all completed programs are posted to your CLER transcript before that date.

Steps to Report CLE in Florida

1. Complete all 30 required hours (including the sub-requirements) before your reporting deadline.
2. Log into your MyFloridaBar Member Portal.
3. Use each course’s reference number (from your certificate of completion) to post it to your CLE transcript.
4. If a course is not pre-approved, submit an Application for Unapproved Course Attendance Credit through the portal’s forms section.
5. If you earned CLE through Sprout Education or another provider, confirm that credits appear on your transcript—but remember, you must still self-report through your Bar portal.

Key Takeaway

In Florida, attorneys must self-report CLE credits by entering course reference numbers in their MyFloridaBar Member Portal before their reporting deadline. Sprout Education assists with proper documentation where allowed, but the attorney is responsible for submitting and certifying compliance.

Attorneys in Florida self-report CLE credits via the MyFloridaBar Member Portal, entering the course reference number supplied by providers. The Florida Bar notifies each member of their reporting cycle and collects compliance via that online affidavit system.

Key Details:

• Providers issue a Florida Bar course approval code which the attorney enters in the portal.
• Members are emailed their reporting requirements and must log into their MyFloridaBar profile to submit completed credits.
• There is no separate paper form—everything is done digitally through the Bar’s online system.
• Attorneys must maintain their certificates and records in case of audit, even though the Bar does not require them to submit those directly.

Key Takeaway: Florida attorneys use an online self-reporting interface in their MyFloridaBar portal and input provider-issued approval codes—no separate paper reporting is required.

No — the rule does not mandate that CLE must be in person. Live webcasts and other interactive online formats qualify as “live” programs under Florida’s CLE rules.

Florida CLE Requirement Highlights

• Total requirement: 30 credit hours every 3 years
• Subrequirements:
  • At least 3 hours in approved technology courses
  • At least 5 hours in ethics/professionalism/mental health/substance abuse, including a 2-hour Florida Legal Professionalism course

Live / Interactive Formats Allowed

• Live webcasts (real-time webinars) are accepted as live programs
• Recorded / on-demand courses are also allowed under distance learning rules
• The CLE course accreditation application includes checkboxes for “Live Webcast” and “Live Presentation” among other formats

Key Takeaway: Florida’s CLE rules allow live webcast and interactive formats to satisfy the “live” requirement; in-person attendance is not required so long as the program meets the live/interactive standard.