How many CLE credits do Missouri attorneys need?

Yes — Missouri requires that at least 9 of the 15 CLE credits each year be earned through “live interactive” formats (in-person, live webcasts, teleseminars).
Missouri limits “self-study” (on-demand / archived) credit to no more than 6 hours per year, and ethics / bias credits must be earned via live programs.

Missouri’s Format Requirements in Detail

• Under Missouri Supreme Court Rule 15 and related regulations, attorneys may receive up to 6 hours of self-study credit each reporting year.
• Self-study credit cannot satisfy ethics, professionalism, or elimination of bias credit requirements.
• Rule 15 also mandates that “live programs” include webinars or synchronous interactive courses, provided they occur in real time with a qualified instructor available.
• A secondary non-official source (NACLE) states that 9 live interactive credits are required.
• The rule further requires that a minimum of nine hours of instruction cover substantive legal topics in Missouri or federal law (the “Annual Law Update” equivalent) which must be delivered live or interactive.

Summary Table

Key Takeaway

Missouri does require a substantial live-interactive component: attorneys must earn at least 9 of their 15 CLE credits via live or interactive programming, with up to 6 credit hours from self-study (on-demand), and ethics or bias credits must be obtained through live formats.

Missouri attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours each reporting year. Within those 15 hours, at least 3 must be in ethics, and 1 of those must address elimination of bias.

Annual CLE Requirements in Missouri

• Total requirement: 15 credit hours per year between July 1 and June 30
• Ethics requirement: 3 credit hours
• Elimination of bias requirement: 1 of the ethics hours
• Live minimum: at least 9 credit hours must be from live or interactive programs
• Self-study limit: up to 6 credit hours may be self-study (on-demand, etc.)
• Reporting deadline: July 31
• Excess hours (beyond 15) earned in a year may carry forward (live or ethics credits within limits)

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks Missouri CLE credits and assists with reporting compliance to The Missouri Bar

Key Takeaway: Missouri requires 15 CLE hours annually, including 3 ethics hours (1 in bias), with a live minimum, self-study cap, and carryover options.

In Missouri, you may begin reporting CLE credits for a compliance year as soon as the year begins (i.e., credit can be entered for courses completed anytime between July 1 and June 30). The reporting system is ongoing, not limited to year-end.

That said, the annual “report of compliance” (your certification) must be filed by July 31 following the June 30 deadline.

Key Details

• Missouri’s CLE reporting period runs from July 1 to June 30 each year.
• Attorneys must complete 15 CLE hours in that period, including 3 ethics hours.
• Activities are reported in the annual compliance report for the year in which they occur.
• The annual report is due no later than July 31.
• Missouri is a self-reporting state: CLE program sponsors generally do not file reports on behalf of attendees (but sponsors must retain records).
• If you miss the July 31 deadline, late filing penalties apply and you may be required to submit a deficiency plan.
• Sprout Education ensures that your Missouri-eligible credits are properly documented so you can enter them into your compliance report promptly.

Key Takeaway
In Missouri, you can report CLE credits continuously during the July-to-June cycle as you earn them; but your formal compliance report must be filed by July 31 following the end of that period.

You report CLE credits in Missouri by filing an Annual Report of Compliance through the Missouri Bar’s MyMCLE system by July 31, after completing required credits by June 30.
Missouri requires 15 total hours each year, including 3 in ethics and 1 in elimination of bias.

Overview of Missouri CLE Reporting

Missouri attorneys must earn 15 CLE credit hours annually, with at least 3 hours in ethics and professionalism and 1 of those focused on elimination of bias.
The compliance year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Up to 6 hours per year may be earned through self-study programs, but these do not count toward ethics or bias.
Excess live credit hours may be carried forward to the next reporting year, up to 15 hours.
Failure to report by July 31 may result in late fees and, if deficiencies remain, suspension.

Steps to Report CLE in Missouri

• Complete your 15 required credits (including the ethics and bias hours) by June 30.
• Retain certificates of attendance and provider information for your records.
• Log into MyMCLE on the Missouri Bar’s website.
• Submit your Annual Report of Compliance with your completed hours by July 31.
• If a program was not pre-approved, request accreditation through the portal.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, confirm that those hours are reflected in your MyMCLE transcript (we submit where permitted), but you must ensure they are included before filing.

Key Takeaway: Missouri requires attorneys to finish CLE hours by June 30 and file compliance via MyMCLE by July 31. Sprout Education helps with provider reporting where allowed, but you must review your transcript and certify compliance.

Yes — in Missouri, you can submit CLE credits online via The Missouri Bar’s “My MCLE” system.

Attorneys report MCLE hours, check compliance status, and pay any fees through that online reporting portal.

Details:

• The Missouri Bar’s MCLE Home page allows you to “record hours & submit your Annual Report” online.
• The MCLE FAQ states the annual report must be filed electronically: “MCLE annual reports are to be filed exclusively online.”
• In the “Standard Filing for Active Licensees” instructions, it says the MCLE annual compliance report is filed electronically at MoBar.org/MCLEReporting.
• If a program sponsor has not submitted for accreditation, you may submit a program accreditation request through the online reporting system.

Key Takeaway
In Missouri, yes — you must submit CLE credits electronically via The Missouri Bar’s “My MCLE” portal (the only permitted method for MCLE reporting).

Yes — in Missouri, some judges (especially municipal judges) are subject to separate continuing judicial or judicial-CLE requirements beyond the general attorney CLE rules.

However, the separate requirement applies only to certain judicial categories and is not universal for all judges.

Details

• Under Missouri Rule 18, municipal judges must complete continuing education: non-lawyer municipal judges must earn and report 15 hours annually in accredited programs and also 3 hours in judicial ethics/professionalism.
• Lawyer municipal judges (i.e. judges who are attorneys) under Rule 18 must earn 5 hours of judicial training annually in addition to their attorney CLE obligations.
• The municipal judge education rules are administered by the Municipal Judge Education Committee via the Office of State Courts Administrator.
• For other types of judges (e.g., circuit, appellate), no distinct judicial CLE program is identified in Missouri’s rules beyond the general Missouri attorney MCLE requirement (15 hours per year under Rule 15).

Key Takeaway

Missouri imposes distinct continuing education obligations for municipal judges under Rule 18, with different credit minima for lawyer and non-lawyer judges, while other judges generally adhere only to the standard attorney MCLE framework.