How many CLE credits do Connecticut attorneys need?

Connecticut attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours each calendar year. At least 2 of those hours must be in ethics or professionalism.

Annual CLE Requirements in Connecticut

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours per calendar year
• Ethics requirement: 2 credit hours
• Carryover: up to 2 credit hours may be carried to the following year
• Awarded credit: actual instruction time (i.e., credit by minute)

Reporting & Compliance

• Reporting is part of the annual attorney registration; certification by January 31
• No course-by-course reporting required—attorneys keep records for audit up to 7 years
• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt in their year of admission

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks eligible CLE credit hours and assists attorneys in maintaining compliance

Key Takeaway: Connecticut requires 12 CLE hours annually, including 2 ethics hours, allows a carryover of up to 2 hours, and uses a self-reporting system with certification on annual registration.

Attorneys on inactive status in Connecticut are exempt from the CLE/MCLE requirement under Practice Book § 2-27A if their inactive status is pursuant to Practice Book § 2-56.

This exemption is part of the broader MCLE rule which exempts attorneys who are inactive, retired, or resigning under certain sections.

Details:

• Practice Book § 2-27A provides an explicit exemption for attorneys “on inactive status pursuant to Section 2-56 et seq.”.
• The Connecticut MCLE FAQ confirms that attorneys on inactive status pursuant to § 2-56 are among those exempt from CLE.
• Because inactive attorneys may not practice law while inactive, the MCLE rule treats them as exempt from continuing education obligations.

Key Takeaway: In Connecticut, placing your license on inactive status under § 2-56 eliminates your CLE obligation—but you also lose the ability to practice law while inactive.

No — Connecticut does not impose a separate CLE requirement specifically for judges; judges adhere to the same MCLE obligations as other attorneys.

Connecticut’s MCLE rule (Practice Book § 2-27A) mandates that every attorney admitted in the state must complete 12 CLE credits per year (with at least 2 in ethics).

There is no separate parallel regime for judicial continuing education under Connecticut court rules or statutes.

Key Takeaway: Judges in Connecticut are treated like any attorney for CLE purposes and have no distinct judicial CLE requirement.

No — Connecticut does not require attorneys to complete a set number of in-person only CLE hours.

Connecticut permits attorneys to satisfy the full 12-credit annual MCLE requirement via approved formats, including live webcasts and on-demand courses.

Details

• Connecticut’s MCLE rules mandate 12 credit hours per year, including 2 hours in ethics or professionalism.
• All CLE credit may be earned via technology-based delivery (live webcasts, recorded programs) in addition to traditional in-person instruction.
• There is no rule in Connecticut that allocates or reserves any portion of the CLE obligation exclusively for physical classroom instruction.
• Attorneys must affirm their attendance and retain attendance verification records (e.g. verification codes) for audit purposes.

Key Takeaway

Connecticut requires 12 CLE credits annually but imposes no distinct minimum in-person classroom requirement — interactive, webcast, and recorded formats are fully accepted.

Yes — Connecticut allows carryover of up to 2 credit hours (including ethics) to the following year.

Connecticut’s CLE “Continuing Legal Education Log” form states that “no more than 2 credit hours … may be carried forward” to the next year. ([jud.ct.gov](https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/CE001.pdf))

Details & nuances

• Under Practice Book § 2-27A and the Connecticut CLE Log form, attorneys who earn more than 12 credits (or more than required) may carry forward up to 2 credits (120 minutes) into the next calendar year.
• The carryover credits must have been earned but not used in the prior year.
• The CLE log explicitly distinguishes “carryover credit hours from previous calendar year (Not more than 2 credit hours)” as part of the total credit calculation.
• The Connecticut Judicial Branch’s MCLE FAQ also notes that you may carry over two hours of voluntary credit (including ethics) from 2016 into 2017 toward the 12-hour total.
• There is no indication in the rule or forms that new-admittees have a different carryover allowance beyond the general 2-credit cap.

Key Takeaway

Connecticut permits a modest carryover of up to 2 CLE credits (including ethics) into the next compliance year, but only those earned and unused in the prior year.

No — Connecticut does not provide a formal late-reporting procedure; attorneys must certify CLE compliance during their annual registration, and noncompliance triggers a 60-day cure period after a notice. The Connecticut CLE rules under Practice Book § 2-27A require the bar to offer noncompliant attorneys at least 60 days to come into compliance before further action.

Details & Rules:

• Connecticut attorneys complete 12 CLE credits by December 31 and report compliance as part of their annual registration, typically due the first Friday in March.
• The CLE rule (Practice Book § 2-27A) gives a noncompliant attorney 60 days after notice to cure the deficiency by completing missing credits or otherwise demonstrate compliance before further disciplinary or administrative steps.
• During that 60-day cure period, the attorney may complete and report the missing hours to avoid more severe measures.
• There is no indication in the public rules that Connecticut permits filing late CLE beyond the cure period or re-opening a closed reporting year for additional credits after that window.
• Attorneys must retain CLE records for 7 years in case of audit or inquiry.

Key Takeaway
You cannot freely report CLE late in Connecticut after the annual registration window, but if you receive a noncompliance notice you’ll have 60 days to cure the deficiency under the CLE rule.