Virginia does not impose CLE obligations on attorneys who hold non-active (e.g. Associate) status.
Only attorneys classified as Active or Emeritus must comply with the state’s annual CLE requirement.
Details
- MCLE Regulation 108 confirms that only Active and Emeritus members have a CLE obligation of 12 credit hours per year (2 ethics, 4 live).
- Members who elect Associate status are explicitly exempt from MCLE, and any outstanding CLE obligations are deferred until they request Active status.
- To re-activate as an Active member, the attorney must satisfy deferred CLE from prior years plus the CLE requirement for the current year.
Key Takeaway
In Virginia, inactive or Associate status attorneys owe no CLE—but upon switching to Active status, they must clear any deferred credits and meet the full CLE requirement.