What are the CLE requirements for inactive attorneys in Wisconsin?

The CLE reporting deadline in Wisconsin is February 1 following the end of the two-year reporting period.

Attorneys must complete all required credits by December 31 of the reporting period and submit their report by February 1.

Wisconsin CLE Reporting Rules

• Reporting period: 2 years
• Compliance deadline: December 31 (complete all CLE)
• Reporting / certification deadline: February 1 via electronic filing
• Late fee: $100 late filing fee if reporting is delayed
• Requirement: 30 CLE credits per period, including 3 ethics hours (ethics must be live)

Key Takeaway: In Wisconsin, lawyers must finish their CLE by December 31 and report compliance by February 1.

Yes — Wisconsin allows late reporting of CLE compliance past the February 1 deadline, but it subjects you to a $100 late fee and potential further penalties.

Under SCR Chapter 31, lawyers who do not establish compliance by February 1 are assessed a late fee ($50 under some versions, but more recent CLE reporting rules provide for $100) and may face suspension if noncompliance continues.

Detailed Explanation

• SCR 31.03(1) requires lawyers to file CLE Form 1 under oath by the last day of the reporting period. SCR 31.03(2) states: “A lawyer who has not satisfied … by the close of business on the February 1 following the last day of the reporting period shall be assessed a late fee of $50.”
• However, the Wisconsin CLE Reporting document shows the current late penalty is $100 for failing to timely establish compliance (i.e. missing February 1) under Supreme Court Rules.
• The CLE Reporting PDF also describes circumstances triggering the late fee:
   • The CLE Form 1 is not timely filed.
   • A course used to meet the requirement is taken after the deadline.
   • The report fails to establish required credit or election of exemption or waiver.
• The rules allow you to amend your CLE Form 1 after filing—if you later obtain approved credits, you may submit an amendment to increase your credited hours.
• Wisconsin’s CLE website notes the late fee remains in effect and that reporting must still occur even if late.
• Wisconsin may also grant waivers or extensions for good cause (e.g. disability, hardship) under the CLE rules.

Key Takeaway

You can report CLE late in Wisconsin, but doing so triggers a $100 late-filing fee (or the fee prescribed under SCR 31) and puts you at risk of further disciplinary enforcement if you don’t remedy the deficiency promptly.

Yes — Wisconsin requires that at least half of CLE credits be earned in a “live” or interactive format. Specifically, at least 15 of the 30 required credits must be from live programs (in-person, live webinars or teleconferences), and all 3 ethics credits must be live.

Wisconsin CLE Format Rules

• Total requirement: 30 credit hours every 2 years.
• Live minimum: At least 15 credits must be live programming (including in-person, live webcasts, teleconferences).
• Ethics requirement: 3 ethics / professional responsibility credits must be taken live (not via on-demand).
• On-demand / prerecorded limit: Up to 15 credits may be earned via repeated on-demand programs.
• Carryover and deadlines: Attorneys may carry over up to 15 credits into the next reporting period (ethics credits cannot be carried over).

Key Takeaway: In Wisconsin, you must complete at least 15 live credits in every two-year cycle (including all ethics credits) — live webcasts or in-person events both qualify, but on-demand courses are restricted to the remaining credits.

No — Wisconsin’s CLE rules apply uniformly to all “active” attorneys; there is no reduced CLE obligation for part-time attorneys.

Under Supreme Court Rule Chapter 31, attorneys in Wisconsin must complete 30 hours of approved CLE in each two-year reporting period (including at least 3 hours in ethics).

Details:

• At least 15 of the 30 hours must be from “live” programs.
• Ethics hours must be taken live (i.e. not via repeated on-demand) and may not be carried over.
• Attorneys may carry over up to 15 credits (excluding ethics) into the next reporting period.
• A lawyer admitted in the reporting period’s first year is exempt from the CLE requirement for that year.
• If a lawyer does not practice law in Wisconsin at all during a reporting period, the attendance requirement does not apply (though reporting may still be required).
• Status-based exemptions and waivers (e.g. hardship, inactive status) are allowed under the rules, but none are tied to part-time vs full-time practice.

Key Takeaway: In Wisconsin, part-time practice does not reduce your CLE burden — all active attorneys must satisfy the same 30-hour, two-year requirement under SCR Chapter 31.

Yes — Wisconsin allows carryover of CLE credits, up to 15 credit hours, though ethics (EPR) credits cannot carry over toward the ethics requirement.
SCR Chapter 31 permits up to 15 approved credits to be carried forward to the next reporting period (if timely reported), but excludes ethics credit from fulfilling the ethics minimum.

Details & nuances

• Under SCR 31.05(2)(a), “up to 15 hours of approved continuing legal education may be carried forward to the next reporting period,” subject to conditions.
• One condition is that the CLE Form 1 (or amendment) reflecting those hours must be filed by the close of business on the February 1 following the reporting period.
• The carryforward credits must reflect attendance at approved courses during the reporting period and not rely on courses approved after the reporting period.
• SCR 31.05(2)(c) states that ethics (legal ethics and professional responsibility) credits may be carried forward under the general carryover provision, but may not be used to satisfy the mandatory ethics requirement in the next period.
• According to Wisconsin CLE summaries, the carryover rule is commonly phrased: “Attorneys may carry over 15 credits into the next reporting period. Ethics credits cannot be carried over.”
• For new lawyers (in the year of admission), the Wisconsin Bar notes that if they earn CLE credits during that first year (although exempt from requirement), up to 15 credits may be carried into their first full reporting period — with the same ethics exception.

Key Takeaway
Wisconsin allows attorneys to carry over up to 15 CLE credits into the next reporting period (general credits only); ethics (EPR) credits cannot satisfy the ethics requirement in that next period.

Yes — attorneys in Wisconsin may submit CLE reports online via the Supreme Court’s CLE Reporting e-filing system.

This is the official mechanism for filing your Report of Compliance, adding courses, and electronically signing the form.

Details:

• Wisconsin’s Court System provides a CLE Reporting site where attorneys can register/login and file their CLE report online.
• On the CLE help page, the system allows you to “add course hours” for approved programs, request credit for out-of-state or nonapproved CLE, then “submit your final report of compliance … electronically with your pin number.”
• All attorneys must report electronically; paper submissions are no longer required.
• The system also maintains your transcript, displays credits already reported, and allows you to make corrections before final submission.
• The deadline for reporting is February 1 following the December 31 end of your biennial reporting period.

Key Takeaway
Yes — Wisconsin lawyers use the e-filing CLE Reporting portal to submit their CLE credit reports online, including entering course hours and certifying compliance.