What are the CLE requirements for inactive attorneys in Rhode Island?

You report CLE credits in Rhode Island by logging into the MCLE & Payment for Indigent Defense Services Portal and submitting your credits (Appendices) by June 30.
Rhode Island requires 10 credit hours annually, including 2 in ethics, and compliance is reported on a single annual form via the MCLE portal.

Overview of Rhode Island MCLE Reporting

• The reporting period runs from July 1 through June 30.
• Attorneys must complete 10 CLE credits each year, of which 2 credits must be in ethics/professionalism.
• A new requirement (effective July 1, 2025) also mandates 1 credit in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) each year.
• At least 4 credits must be live or interactive (in-person or live webcast).
• Program sponsors report attendance to the RI MCLE system; attorneys use Appendices D, E, F, and G to submit courses not auto-reported.
• If you miss the June 30 filing, late fees may apply, and noncompliance may lead to removal from the master roll.

Steps to Report CLE in Rhode Island

• Complete your 10 required CLE credits (including 2 ethics and 1 DEI, if applicable) by June 30 of the reporting year.
• Retain your certificates, agendas, provider names, and course materials for at least three years.
• Log into the MCLE & Payment for Indigent Defense Services Portal.
• Use the correct Appendix forms (G for accredited sponsor-reported, D for unaccredited programs, E for authorship, F for teaching) to submit your credits.
• If a program you attended isn’t showing, attach the supporting certificate or syllabus when submitting via the portal.
• Certify your compliance in the portal by June 30.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, verify that your attendance was submitted properly—and that any non-auto-reported credits are included when you file.

Key Takeaway: In Rhode Island, attorneys must earn 10 CLE credits (including ethics and soon DEI) by June 30 and file via the MCLE Portal using the Appendices system. Sprout Education supports attendance reporting where allowed, but you must verify your record and certify compliance yourself.

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.

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. 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.

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.

Yes — Rhode Island requires that at least 4 of an attorney’s 10 annual CLE credits be earned in “live” formats (in-person, live webcast, or teleconference). The remainder may be earned through video replay or other non-live formats, subject to limitations.

Rhode Island CLE Requirements

• Total requirement: 10 credit hours per reporting year (July 1–June 30) with at least 2 in ethics.
• Live-credit minimum: At least 4 credits must be earned in live programs (in-person, teleseminar, or webinar).
• Video replay limit: Attorneys may earn up to 6 credits per year via video replay or prerecorded courses.
• Credit types allowed: In-person, webcast/webinar, teleseminar, and video replay are all eligible (within limits).

Key Takeaway: In Rhode Island, attorneys must earn at least 4 of their 10 CLE credits annually via live formats (in-person or interactive webcast/teleconference); up to 6 credits may come from video replay/non-live programs.