What are the CLE requirements for inactive attorneys in Illinois?

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.

Yes — Illinois allows carryover of CLE credits, up to 10 hours, including professional responsibility (PR) credits.

Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794 and MCLE Board practice, surplus credits from a two-year reporting period may be carried forward, within the specified cap.

Details & nuances

• The MCLE Board’s FAQ states: “you may carry over a maximum of 10 credit hours, including PR hours from the most recent reporting period.”
• When you earn CLE hours in a two-year period that satisfy both the general and PR requirements, any excess up to that 10-hour maximum may be applied to the next period.
• For newly admitted attorneys, a different carryover ceiling applies: you may carry over up to 15 hours, including up to 6 PR hours, earned between your admission date and the start of your first full two-year period.
• Beginning with the 2023-2025 and 2024-2026 cycles, the MCLE transcript system will automatically calculate and transfer eligible carryover credits.
• Carryover credits are only available from the immediately prior reporting period (not older ones) and cannot be claimed if credits were earned during a “grace period” applicable to the prior cycle.

Key Takeaway

Illinois permits carryover of unused MCLE credits — up to 10 hours generally, and up to 15 hours for newly admitted attorneys — but only from the immediately preceding cycle and subject to PR-credit rules.

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.

Yes — Illinois permits several distinct categories of attorneys to be exempt from the MCLE (CLE) requirement under Supreme Court Rule 791.

The exemptions include attorneys on inactive/retired or disability status, judges and judicial officers, certain court staff, active duty military, some out-of-state attorneys, and temporary hardship exemptions.

Details / Exceptions

• Inactive / Retired / Disability Status: Attorneys registered with the ARDC as inactive (Rule 756(a)(5)), retired (Rule 756(a)(6)), or disability inactive (Rule 757 or 758) are exempt if they hold that status on the last day of the reporting period.
• Judges / Judicial Officers: Any attorney serving as a judge, justice, associate judge, or magistrate of a state or federal court is exempt (for at least one day in the reporting period).
• Court Staff in Qualifying Positions: Attorneys employed in court staff roles (judicial clerk, administrative assistant to a judge, etc.) who are prohibited by employment terms from practicing law may be exempt.
• Active Duty Military: Attorneys on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces are exempt until their return to active practice.
• Out-of-State Attorneys: Under Rule 791(a)(6), attorneys whose primary office or residence is outside Illinois and who are already complying with MCLE in their home state may be exempt, subject to meeting criteria for at least 365 days of the reporting period or on the last day of it, and must report the exemption.
• Temporary / Hardship Exemptions: The MCLE Board may grant a temporary exemption or extension for good cause (e.g. illness, financial hardship, extraordinary events) under Rule 791(a)(7).

Key Takeaway
Illinois law allows multiple specified exemptions from MCLE — but these are not automatic for all attorneys; to benefit, one must hold the exempt status during the reporting period or apply under criteria (e.g. out-of-state, hardship).

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.

In Illinois, CLE credit counts for approved educational programming (live, recorded, webinars), teaching or presenting CLE, writing legal or professional articles, committee or bar service, and in some cases pro bono legal work.

These credits must satisfy Supreme Court Rule 795 standards; teaching credit includes both presentation and preparation time under a defined formula.

Details

• Rule 795 requires programs to have “significant intellectual, educational or practical content,” a qualified presenter, written materials, and proper learning environment.
• Teaching credit: total credit = actual presentation time + 6× preparation time; but you cannot claim attendance for the segment you teach.
• Credit from writing published articles or legal scholarship may be approved under Rule 795(d)(4)–(d)(9).
• Committee work and bar or court presentations qualify if they meet the content and delivery criteria.
• Out-of-state or technology-delivered CLE qualifies if accredited or previously approved, subject to Illinois rules.

Key Takeaway

In Illinois, CLE credit is earned through approved educational formats, teaching, writing, committee work, and out-of-state programs—each subject to Rule 795 accreditation, presentation, content, and reporting requirements.