How many CLE credits do Illinois attorneys need?

Illinois offers a grace period extension if you miss the June 30 credit deadline: request and pay a $100 extension by July 31, which gives until October 31 to complete credits and until November 30 to report compliance. Without that grace extension, noncompliance actions may begin.

Illinois Grace Process & Deadlines

• June 30: Deadline to complete CLE credits.
• July 31: Deadline to request grace period extension and pay the $100 late-fee.
• October 31: Final date to complete credits under the grace extension.
• November 30: Deadline to report compliance (or exemption) and pay any late fees.

Consequences & Risks

• If no grace extension is requested by July 31, a higher $250 late fee may be assessed.
• If compliance is not reflected by October 31 or the report is not filed by November 30, your name may be removed from the Illinois attorney roll under Rule 796(e).

Key Takeaway: In Illinois, the “grace period” is a grace extension — if you request it and pay $100 by July 31, you gain until October 31 to finish CLE and until November 30 to report; missing those steps risks fees or removal from the roll.

You report CLE credits in Illinois by checking that your MCLE Board transcript reflects sufficient credits by the June 30 compliance date and by July 31, compliance is confirmed automatically without separate reporting.
Under Illinois’s new transcript-based system, once your transcript shows you are in compliance, no additional submission is required.

Overview of Illinois MCLE Reporting

Attorneys in Illinois are divided into two compliance groups (A–M and N–Z) and have alternating two-year reporting periods.
Each reporting period requires 30 hours of MCLE credit, including at least 6 hours of Professional Responsibility (PMCLE) — among which must be credits in diversity/inclusion and mental health/substance abuse.
Providers are obligated to report attorney attendance to the MCLE Board by the 15th of the following month after a course.
Illinois’s online transcript system serves as the compliance report: once your transcript shows you have met the requirement, the Board notifies you and no separate filing is necessary.
Attorneys may add qualifying out-of-state or nontraditional credits via the MCLE Board’s website (e.g. for teaching, authorship) and pay required fees.
Newly admitted attorneys have special requirements and deadlines under the NAA rules, which must be reported online via the MCLE Board system.

How to Ensure Reporting in Illinois

• Monitor your “My MCLE” transcript to verify credit entries and compliance status.
• Confirm that all Illinois-approved courses you completed are reported by the provider within the 15-day reporting window.
• If a course or credit is missing, submit a claim (for out-of-state or qualifying activity) through the MCLE Board’s “Add Credits” function and pay required fees.
• After June 30, check by July 31 whether your transcript records compliance — if so, the Board will register you as compliant and notify you.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, verify that those credits appear in your transcript (we submit attendance where permitted), but your compliance is validated only by your transcript status.

Key Takeaway: In Illinois, your MCLE transcript is your report — no separate form is required. Just ensure your credits appear in “My MCLE” by the July 31 deadline after June 30. Sprout Education supports your record with provider reporting where allowed, but your compliance depends on your transcript’s status.

No — Illinois does not impose a specific minimum for in-person classroom hours.

Illinois allows attorneys to satisfy the full MCLE requirement via any approved delivery method—including live webinars or recorded (on-demand) programs—so long as the course is accredited.

Details

• Illinois attorneys must complete 30 hours of MCLE in each two-year reporting period, including 6 hours of Professional Responsibility (ethics) credit.
• Accredited courses may be delivered in live in-person format, live via technology (webcast, teleconference), or as recorded (on-demand) materials.
• There is no rule reserving a portion of those 30 hours exclusively for in-person classroom instruction.
• Providers must apply for accreditation of each course (or operate as Accredited Providers) to ensure the course qualifies under Illinois MCLE rules.

Key Takeaway

Illinois allows full flexibility in format—webinars, live broadcasts, and recorded courses all count—without mandating any fixed number of in-person classroom hours.

Illinois attorneys must complete 30 CLE credit hours every two years. That includes at least 6 hours of professional responsibility credit, which must include 1 hour in diversity/inclusion and 1 hour in mental health/substance abuse.

Reporting Cycle & Deadlines

• Reporting periods run July 1 through June 30.
• Completion deadline: June 30 of the compliance year.
• Transcript (reporting) deadline: July 31 following the compliance year.

Credit & Subfield Requirements

• Total CLE: 30 hours every two years.
• Professional responsibility (PR): 6 hours (includes 1 hour diversity/inclusion + 1 hour mental health/substance abuse).
• Carryover: attorneys may carry over up to 10 credit hours (including PR) from the prior period.

Newly Admitted Attorney (NAA) Rules

• NAA must complete 15 hours in their first year (6 hours from basic skills or mentoring + 9 additional hours).
• NAA may carry over up to 15 hours (including PR) into first regular period.

Key Takeaway: Illinois requires 30 CLE hours every two years, including 6 hours of professional responsibility (with diversity and mental health subcomponents), and allows up to 10 hours carryover.

No — Illinois’s MCLE rules do not reduce or change CLE obligations based on whether an attorney practices part-time or full-time.

Illinois attorneys must complete 30 credit hours during each two-year reporting period, including (among those) 6 hours of professional responsibility (PR) credit (which in turn must include one hour in diversity/inclusion and one hour in mental health/addiction).

Details:

• The reporting cycle is July 1 through June 30 for each two-year period (Group A/M vs Group N/Z) and compliance must be reported by July 31 after the cycle end.
• Attorneys may carry over up to 10 credits (including PR credits) into the next reporting period.
• Newly admitted attorneys have special requirements (e.g. basic skills or mentoring plus added hours) for their first reporting period.
• Nontraditional credit options include part-time teaching of law courses (at law schools or colleges) subject to specific rules.

Key Takeaway: Illinois applies uniform MCLE requirements to all active attorneys — your status as part-time vs full-time does not alter the 30-credit, two-year obligation.

Yes — in Illinois you can request a grace period extension to complete CLE and report, by paying a specified fee and filing by the initial reporting deadline.

Under Illinois MCLE Rule 796(d) and MCLE Board policy, an attorney may file a request for a grace period extension (within 31 days after the end of the reporting period) at a lower late fee instead of a full late-reporting penalty.

Detailed Explanation

• Illinois MCLE Rule 796(d)(2) authorizes a “timely filed request for a grace period extension” with a fee (lower than the late fee) when credits or reporting are not completed by the initial deadline.
• The Illinois MCLE Board’s FAQs explain that if you miss the June 30 credit deadline, you may request the extension via the website and pay the $100 extension fee by July 31.
• If you invoke the grace period extension, you’ll receive until October 31 to complete CLE and until November 30 to report compliance or exemption.
• The rule also provides that you pay a lower late fee when requesting the extension (versus the full late fee if you miss both the reporting and extension request deadlines).
• Rule 791(a)(7) also permits the MCLE Board to grant a temporary extension or exemption in cases of extreme hardship, but only for good cause and on a case-by-case basis.
• The MCLE Board’s “Support & Forms” page shows a “Temporary Extension Request” option, reinforcing that extensions beyond the grace period are possible under exceptional circumstances.

Key Takeaway

Yes — Illinois allows you to request a grace period extension (with a lower fee) by the reporting deadline to complete CLE and report, and in rare cases you may request further extensions for hardship under Rule 791.