How many CLE credits do New Hampshire attorneys need?

In New Hampshire, you may begin entering CLE credits into the Attorney Reporting Tool (ART) as soon as you complete them. Because New Hampshire attorneys self-report, you don’t have to wait until the year ends to enter your courses.

However, your formal certification (affidavit of compliance) must be filed between June 1 and July 1 following the reporting year.

Key Details

• The NHMCLE reporting year runs June 1 through May 31. (Rule 53)
• Attorneys must complete 12 CLE hours each year, including 2 in ethics/professionalism.
• The online Attorney Reporting Tool (ART) is used to enter qualifying courses and monitor your progress.
• ART “automatically apply[ies] courses attended into the reporting year that coincides with the date the course was taken.”
• The formal affidavit filing window opens on June 1 and closes on July 1. You must certify completion or claim exemption then.

Key Takeaway
In New Hampshire, you can start reporting CLE credits in ART immediately as you take them. But your formal compliance filing (affidavit) can only be done between June 1 and July 1, after the reporting year ends.

No — New Hampshire’s CLE rules do not differentiate between part-time and full-time attorneys; all covered attorneys must meet the same baseline CLE obligation.

Under Supreme Court Rule 53 (NHMCLE), each attorney subject to the rule must complete 720 minutes (12 credit hours) of approved CLE in each reporting year (June 1 to May 31), including at least 120 minutes (2 hours) in ethics or professionalism.

Details:

• All attorneys under Rule 53 are subject to the same 12-hour requirement; there is no provision for reduced obligations based on part-time practice.
• The rule no longer requires live attendance; all hours may be earned virtually or by other approved means.
• Attorneys file their compliance affidavit via the Attorney Reporting Tool (ART).
• Newly admitted attorneys must complete a practical skills course within two years, in addition to rule 53 credits.

Key Takeaway: Part-time status offers no relief under New Hampshire’s CLE regime — all attorneys under Rule 53 must fulfill the same 12-hour annual requirement, with no distinctions for workload.

Minnesota attorneys report CLE attendance either online via OASIS or by filing a paper Affidavit of CLE Compliance form. The reporting deadline is August 31 following the end of their three-year reporting period.

Key Details:

• Use the OASIS online portal to file your CLE attendance—no fee.
• If filing a paper affidavit, there is a $10 processing fee.
• Attorneys may complete CLE between July 1 and August 31 if credits were not earned by the June 30 end of the period.
• Minnesota assigns lawyers to one of three reporting categories with staggered cycles.

Key Takeaway: Minnesota attorneys report CLE via the OASIS portal (or by paper affidavit with fee) by August 31 after their three-year compliance period.

The CLE reporting deadline in New Hampshire is July 1 following the June 1–May 31 reporting period.

New Hampshire attorneys must complete the required CLE by May 31 and then file their Affidavit of Compliance between June 1 and July 1.

New Hampshire CLE Reporting Rule (Rule 53)

• Reporting Year: June 1 through May 31.
• Affidavit Filing Period: June 1 to July 1 after the reporting year ends.
• Credit Requirement: 12 hours per year (720 minutes), including 2 hours of ethics/professionalism.
• Self-Reporting System: Use NH’s Attorney Reporting Tool (ART) to file the affidavit.

Key Takeaway: In New Hampshire, you must complete your CLE by May 31, and submit your certification or affidavit by July 1.

No — New Hampshire’s CLE Rule 53 applies to all attorneys in “Active” or “Limited Active” status for more than six months in a reporting year, unless they have been specifically granted a waiver or are exempted per the rule.

Rule 53 does allow for a petition for waiver under certain circumstances, but it does not list broad categories of exempt attorneys.

Details / Exceptions

• Attorneys in active or limited active status who are present in New Hampshire for more than six months in the reporting year must comply with the 720-minute (12 hours) CLE requirement, including 120 minutes of ethics.
• If an attorney holds active status for less than or equal to six months, the full CLE obligation may not apply, though the affidavit requirement still applies.
• The rule permits attorneys to petition for a waiver (full or partial) based on compelling reasons, such as disability or other extraordinary circumstances.
• Attorneys returning to active status after more than two years must complete a “reactivation” requirement (additional 360 minutes) as part of resuming compliance.
• There is no blanket exemption for judges, senior attorneys, governmental attorneys, or based purely on public office under Rule 53.

Key Takeaway
In New Hampshire, all attorneys in active status are generally subject to CLE, and exemptions are limited to case-by-case waivers rather than broad categories.

New Hampshire’s CLE rule (Rule 53) uses the term “inactive membership status” to reflect members who are “exempt provided not engaged in the practice of law,” and those on inactive status are exempt from the annual CLE requirement when they are not practicing.

If an attorney returns to active status after being inactive for more than two consecutive reporting years, they must complete 360 minutes (6 hours) of additional CLE (beyond the standard requirement) either in the year they return or in the year immediately preceding reinstatement.

Details:

• Rule 53.2 provides that lawyers in inactive status, not engaged in the practice of law, are exempt from certification and fulfillment requirements under the CLE rule.
• The Rule 53 “Membership Status Chart” by the NH Bar Association confirms that inactive members are marked as “Exempt … provided not engaged in the practice of law.”
• Rule 53.1(B)(2) states that lawyers who have been inactive (or suspended) for more than two consecutive reporting years must complete 360 additional minutes of CLE upon returning to active status.
• The standard CLE requirement is 720 minutes (12 hours) per reporting year for active members, at least 120 minutes (2 hours) of which must be in ethics/professionalism-related subjects.
• In carrying forward credits, ethics credit may be carried forward only if not used to meet that year’s minimum ethics requirement.

Key Takeaway:
In New Hampshire, attorneys on inactive status are exempt from CLE so long as they are not practicing; returning to active status after an extended inactive period may trigger a catch-up obligation of 6 extra CLE hours before full compliance.