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.
