What are the CLE requirements for inactive attorneys in Louisiana?

Yes — in Louisiana you can report CLE late by paying a delinquency penalty and submitting the missed credits, subject to fixed deadlines. Late reporting triggers a $150 delinquency fee (plus additional penalties if you have prior noncompliance).

Here is how Louisiana handles late CLE reporting:

• CLE credits must be earned by December 31, and attorneys must report them to their transcript by January 31.
• If you fail to report by January 31, you will be assessed a delinquency penalty of $150.
• If you have been noncompliant in prior years (within five years), an additional $50 per prior noncompliant year penalty may apply.
• You must make up any missing credit hours as soon as possible.
• If noncompliance continues, the MCLE Committee forwards your noncompliant status to the Supreme Court; after 60 days, if no compliance is shown, you may be certified as ineligible to practice law.
• An attorney certified ineligible may later seek reinstatement by submitting required CLE documentation and paying a nonwaivable reinstatement fee of $100 (in addition to delinquent fees).

Key Takeaway
Yes — Louisiana permits late reporting of CLE if you pay the delinquency fee and submit the missing credits by the cure deadlines, but persistent noncompliance may lead to ineligibility to practice until reinstated.

Yes — Louisiana allows carryover of excess CLE, up to 8 credits, but only for general credits (not ethics or professionalism).

This carryover is recognized in the MCLE Committee’s rules and Louisiana CLE FAQs.

Details & nuances

• The LSBA MCLE FAQs state: “Carry forward credits are considered IN-PERSON credits.” — which implies that carried credits must satisfy in-person format limitations.
• The LSBA Reporting Requirements page clarifies: “Additional online hours will not carry over.”
• The LSU CLE FAQ states plainly: “A maximum of eight (8) credit hours earned in a calendar year may be carried forward to the next calendar year — no farther. No carry forward of Ethics and Professionalism is allowed.”
• According to PLI’s CLE description, “a maximum of 8 general credits can be carried over; ethics and self-study credits cannot be carried over.”
• Louisiana’s annual CLE requirement is 12.5 hours (including 1 in ethics and 1 in professionalism).

Key Takeaway

Louisiana law allows up to 8 general CLE credits to carry into the next year — but not ethics, professionalism, or credits earned online beyond allowed limits.

Yes — Louisiana’s CLE rules (Rule XXX) explicitly exempt several categories of attorneys, including nonresidents not practicing in Louisiana, active military, certain public officials, federal judges, attorneys age 65 or older, and attorneys on emeritus status (effective 2026).

Details / Exceptions

• Nonresident / nonpracticing: Members residing outside Louisiana and not engaged in Louisiana practice are exempt.
• Undue hardship / mitigating circumstances: Attorneys can seek exemption if compliance would impose undue hardship (disability, illness, or similar circumstances).
• Active duty military: Members on full active duty service in the U.S. armed forces are exempt.
• Public officials: The Governor and Governor-elect of Louisiana and members of U.S. Congress are exempt.
• Age 65+: Members age 65 or older are exempt, with limited CLE still required for judges, magistrates, or hearing officers.
• Judges / Federal judicial officers: All federal judges and magistrates are exempt.
• Restricted / non-practicing within state: Louisiana-licensed members who reside in the state but are not practicing may qualify for restricted status and waiver of CLE.
• Emeritus status (effective Jan 1, 2026): Members on emeritus status under Supreme Court Rule XVIII will be exempt under Rule XXX.

Additional Notes

• Attorneys claiming exemption must file the MCLE Exemption Statement form by January 31 for the prior year.
• Grounds listed on the form include nonpractice, new admission, active military, hardship, or disaster.
• Financial hardship alone is not sufficient.
• The Louisiana Supreme Court is considering eliminating the blanket age 65+ exemption for attorneys still in full-time practice, effective 2026.

Key Takeaway
Louisiana offers multiple CLE exemptions for nonresidents, military, certain public officials, older members, judges, and emeritus attorneys — but attorneys must formally claim the exemption, and the age-based exemption is expected to change in 2026.

Louisiana attorneys must complete 12.5 CLE credit hours each calendar year. That includes at least 1 hour in legal ethics and 1 hour in professionalism.

Annual CLE Requirements in Louisiana

• Total requirement: 12.5 credit hours per year
• Ethics requirement: 1 credit hour
• Professionalism requirement: 1 credit hour
• Credit delivery limits: maximum of 4 credit hours may be earned via computer-based formats annually
• Live requirement: at least 8.5 hours must be obtained live (in-person)
• Carryover: up to 8 excess credits may carry over to the next year (ethics/professionalism credits may not carry as specialty)
• Reporting period: calendar year (January 1 – December 31)
• Compliance deadline: December 31
• Reporting deadline: January 31

Special Rules for Newly Admitted Attorneys

• Newly admitted attorneys must complete 12.5 hours of CLE during their admission year through the following calendar year
• Of those, 8 hours must concern ethics, professionalism, or law office management

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks your Louisiana CLE credits and assists with accurate reporting to the Louisiana MCLE Committee

Key Takeaway: Louisiana requires 12.5 CLE hours annually, including 1 in ethics and 1 in professionalism, with limits on computer-based credit, a live minimum, carryover rules, and reporting by January 31.

No — Louisiana does not permit a general extension of time for CLE reporting beyond the stated deadline; noncompliance is handled via delinquency penalties and cure procedures rather than extension.

The Louisiana MCLE FAQ explicitly states “there are no extensions” for CLE reporting compliance.

Details & Explanation

• Louisiana attorneys must complete required CLE by December 31, and report those credits (or exemptions) by January 31 of the following year.
• The MCLE FAQ states that any member who fails to timely comply with earning hours or reporting compliance by the deadlines “shall be assessed a delinquency penalty of $150.”
• The FAQ further says, in direct response to whether extension is possible: “If I find that I am unable to complete my requirements prior to my deadline, may I be granted an extension of time? There are no extensions.”
• Members who remain noncompliant after deadline and notices may incur additional penalties, be reported to the Supreme Court, and become ineligible to practice until reinstated.

Key Takeaway

You cannot request an extension for CLE reporting in Louisiana — the deadlines are fixed, and late compliance must be remedied via penalties and the cure process, not extensions.

In Louisiana, CLE credit counts when the activity is approved under Rule XXX of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and may include live seminars, computer-based courses, teaching, authorship, law school courses, and service (e.g. bar examiner or committee work).

These options and their credit values are defined in Rule XXX and MCLE Committee regulations.

Approved activities that count

• Attendance at approved live or in-person CLE programs.
• Computer-based (technological) formats preapproved for MCLE credit under Rule XXX, up to four hours per year.
• Teaching or presenting at approved CLE programs (with written materials); different credit rates apply (six hours credit per instructional hour, or three hours if minimal materials).
• Teaching law school courses (ABA-accredited) qualifies; class hours convert by six CLE credit hours per academic credit.
• Authorship of legal publications or books on matters of law, if meeting standards under Rule 3.9; credit may be earned by publishing in law reviews or recognized publishers.
• Service as bar examiner, assistant bar examiner, or committee service (e.g. Louisiana Law Institute) up to specified caps (e.g. credit for certain service hours) under Rules 3.10 / 3.12.

Limits, carryovers & special rules

• Total required CLE per year is 12.5 hours, including at least 1 hour of ethics and 1 hour of professionalism.
• Newly admitted attorneys must complete 12.5 hours (including at least 8 hours in ethics, professionalism, or law office management) across the admission year and the following calendar year.
• Computer-based credit is capped at 4 hours per year.
• A minimum number of hours must be taken live: 8.5 hours live in-person programs required annually.
• Carryover: up to 8 credit hours (general) may carry forward to the next year; ethics and professionalism credit do not carry over.

Key Takeaway: Louisiana attorneys must earn 12.5 approved CLE hours per year. Credit may be earned via live programs, approved computer formats, teaching, authorship, law-school instruction, or service roles, within caps (e.g. 4 online hours, service credit caps, 8.5 live minimum), and carryover is limited to general credit only.