Is live webcast or in-person CLE required in Rhode Island?

No – Rhode Island does not impose a separate CLE requirement for judges; full-time state or federal judges and magistrates who are not engaged in the practice of law are exempt from MCLE.
Judicial education is administered by the Judiciary’s Education Office, while standard MCLE obligations apply to attorneys who do not fall within this exemption.

Details:
– Full-time judges and magistrates who are not practicing law are expressly exempt from MCLE under Article IV of the Supreme Court Rules.
– The Rhode Island Judiciary’s Education Office runs judicial education and also oversees MCLE for attorneys, but the MCLE exemption removes full-time judges from the attorney reporting requirement.
– Judges who are not within the exemption (for example, not full-time or engaged in the practice of law) remain subject to MCLE as active practitioners.

Key Takeaway
Rhode Island has no separate judges-only CLE requirement; instead, full-time judges who are not practicing law are exempt from MCLE, while others must comply with the standard attorney rules.

Rhode Island does not provide a CLE exemption for inactive attorneys—only “active practitioners” are subject to MCLE obligations.

If an attorney is moved to inactive status, they are removed from the active practitioner roster and must satisfy any outstanding CLE requirements upon reinstatement.

Details

• Article IV, Rule 1 states that on assuming inactive status, an attorney is removed from the active rolls until reinstated, and must comply with outstanding continuing legal education requirements before returning.
• Rhode Island requires active attorneys to complete 10 CLE credit hours annually, including at least 2 hours in ethics.
• Inactive attorneys must continue to register annually (paying a reduced fee) and remain on the inactive register until reinstatement.
• Reinstatement to active status from inactive status requires filing an application, payment of fees, and compliance with any CLE requirements from the inactive period or deficiencies.

Key Takeaway

In Rhode Island, inactive attorneys are not exempt from CLE in perpetuity—they must satisfy any missed or outstanding CLE obligations before reactivating their status.

In Rhode Island, CLE credit counts when earned through approved educational programs or activities accredited by the MCLE Commission, including live seminars, video replay, teaching, in-house training, authorship, and certain service roles.

Attorneys must complete 10 credit hours annually, including at least 2 hours in legal ethics and, beginning July 1, 2025, 1 hour in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Qualifying activities that count

• Live or interactive programs (in-person, webinars, teleseminars) with attendance verified.
• Video replay / on-demand programs—limited to 6 credit hours per year.
• Teaching or presenting approved MCLE programs—subject to a 6 credit annual cap.
• In-house programs (firm or employer) offered under MCLE approval—subject to a 5 credit annual cap.
• Authorship of legal publications (articles, chapters) approved by MCLE Commission—up to 5 credit hours per year.
• Participation as a judge, facilitator, or trainer in moot/mock court programs—up to 1 credit per year.
• Service on court appointment panels (criminal court, indigent defense) – subject to a 5 credit annual cap.
• Participation in book discussion groups in discrete legal educational settings—up to 1.5 credit hours per year.

Limits, carryover & special rules

• At least 4 credit hours must be earned via live or interactive format.
• Video replay credit is capped at 6 hours per year.
• Teaching, in-house, and authorship credits each have their own yearly caps as noted above.
• Up to 10 excess credits (beyond the 10 required) may be carried forward to the next year; ethics credits may also carry over.
• Credit is awarded on a basis of one hour for each 50 minutes of instruction.
• Attorneys must retain certificates for three years in case of audit.
• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt during the reporting year of admission and the following full year; they must complete a mandatory “Bridge the Gap” program unless exempt under prior bar admission.
• Reporting cycle is July 1 through June 30; all credits must be completed and reported by June 30.

Key Takeaway: In Rhode Island, approved live/interactive programs, video replay (within cap), teaching, in-house education, authorship, moot court service, and other accredited legal education activities count toward the 10-credit annual requirement—so long as you respect format caps, required ethics/DEI hours, carryforward rules, and reporting deadlines.

Rhode Island attorneys must complete 10 CLE credit hours each year, including 2 hours in ethics and 1 hour in diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) (effective for reporting years starting July 1, 2025).

The CLE year runs July 1 through June 30, with credit reporting due June 30.

Details

• Minimum total: 10 credit hours per reporting year.

• Ethics: At least 2 of those 10 hours must cover ethics or professional responsibility.

• Diversity / DEI: Starting with the July 1, 2025 cycle, 1 credit hour in diversity, equity & inclusion is required.

• Format limits: At least 4 hours must be live; no more than 6 hours may be video replay.

• Carryover: Up to 10 excess credits may be carried forward to the next year; ethics credits may carry over as ethics.

• New admittees: Exempt from CLE for the reporting year in which admitted and the next full year; must complete a “Bridge the Gap” course within 90 days of admission.

Key Takeaway: Rhode Island requires 10 CLE hours annually, with 2 ethics and 1 DEI hour (from 2025 onward), minimum live credits, carryover allowance, and a special new-admittee Bridge the Gap obligation.

Rhode Island attorneys must complete 10 CLE credit hours each year. That includes at least 2 hours in legal ethics and, starting July 1, 2025, 1 hour in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Annual CLE Requirements in Rhode Island

• Total requirement: 10 credit hours per reporting year
• Ethics requirement: 2 credit hours
• DEI requirement: 1 credit hour (effective July 1, 2025)
• Minimum live credit: 4 credit hours
• Maximum video replay/distance learning: 6 credit hours
• Reporting deadline: June 30 annually

Carryover & Exemptions

• Up to 10 excess live credits may carry forward one year
• Ethics credits in excess may also be carried over
• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt from the CLE requirement during the reporting year they are admitted and the next full reporting year; they must complete a “Bridge the Gap” program

Key Takeaway: Rhode Island requires 10 CLE hours each year, including 2 in ethics, 1 in DEI (from July 2025), with minimum live credits, limited carryover, and a Bridge the Gap requirement for new attorneys.

Yes — Rhode Island requires a minimum of 4 credit hours annually in live formats (in-person or synchronous).

Attorneys must complete 10 MCLE credit hours per year, of which up to 6 may be via recorded or on-demand programs.

Details

• Rhode Island’s MCLE rules mandate 10 total credit hours annually, including 2 hours in ethics and 1 in diversity/inclusion.
• At least 4 hours must be earned via “live” programs (in-person or synchronous webcast) to satisfy the live-format minimum.
• The remaining hours may be taken through approved recorded programs (subject to a cap).
• Excess credits in live format may carry over to the next year (live credits carry forward).
• Recorded (on-demand) credits beyond the allowable amount may not carry forward.

Key Takeaway

Rhode Island enforces a live-format minimum: at least 4 of the 10 annual CLE credits must be earned via live instruction (in-person or synchronous).