What happens if I miss the CLE deadline in Connecticut?

Yes — Connecticut provides specific exemptions from its CLE (MCLE) requirement, including for judges, new admittees, those earning under $1,000 in legal compensation, and attorneys granted exempt status.

Under Connecticut Practice Book § 2-27A(a), those categories are carved out from the 12-credit rule, subject to conditions and approval.

Details / Exceptions

• Judges, senior judges, trial referees, family support magistrates, workers’ compensation commissioners, elected constitutional officers, federal judges, federal magistrates, federal administrative law judges, and federal bankruptcy judges are exempt.
• Attorneys who are disbarred, resigned, on inactive status, or retired (per P.B. §2-55, 2-56 etc.) are exempt.
• Attorneys serving on active U.S. military duty > six months in a year are exempt.
• Attorneys in the calendar year they are admitted to practice in Connecticut are exempt.
• Attorneys who earn less than $1,000 in compensation for legal services in that year are exempt (the rule clarifies that it must be genuine compensation, not billing without payment).
• Attorneys may also petition the Statewide Grievance Committee for permanent or temporary exempt status for “good cause shown.”
• Even if exempt from credits, attorneys often must submit a request or claim the exemption (e.g. via the “Request for Exempt Status” form).

Key Takeaway
Connecticut law grants limited CLE exemptions (for judges, new admittees, military service, low-earning attorneys, etc.), but those seeking exemption must follow the rule’s procedures and cannot assume all attorneys qualify.

Attorneys on inactive status in Connecticut are exempt from the CLE/MCLE requirement under Practice Book § 2-27A if their inactive status is pursuant to Practice Book § 2-56.

This exemption is part of the broader MCLE rule which exempts attorneys who are inactive, retired, or resigning under certain sections.

Details:

• Practice Book § 2-27A provides an explicit exemption for attorneys “on inactive status pursuant to Section 2-56 et seq.”.
• The Connecticut MCLE FAQ confirms that attorneys on inactive status pursuant to § 2-56 are among those exempt from CLE.
• Because inactive attorneys may not practice law while inactive, the MCLE rule treats them as exempt from continuing education obligations.

Key Takeaway: In Connecticut, placing your license on inactive status under § 2-56 eliminates your CLE obligation—but you also lose the ability to practice law while inactive.

No — Connecticut does not impose a separate CLE requirement specifically for judges; judges adhere to the same MCLE obligations as other attorneys.

Connecticut’s MCLE rule (Practice Book § 2-27A) mandates that every attorney admitted in the state must complete 12 CLE credits per year (with at least 2 in ethics).

There is no separate parallel regime for judicial continuing education under Connecticut court rules or statutes.

Key Takeaway: Judges in Connecticut are treated like any attorney for CLE purposes and have no distinct judicial CLE requirement.

Connecticut attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours per calendar year, including 2 hours in ethics.
The CLE requirement was adopted effective January 1, 2017, and Connecticut’s program is self-reporting under Practice Book § 2-27A.

Details
• Total: 12 credits annually.
• Ethics/Professionalism: At least 2 of the 12 credits must fall in this category.
• Carryover: Attorneys may carry forward up to 2 credits from the prior year.
• Reporting: Certification is made via the annual attorney registration form; Connecticut does not require submission of detailed course reports.
• Recordkeeping: Attorneys must retain CLE records for seven years.
• Exemptions: Newly admitted attorneys are exempt for their admission year; other exemptions exist under rule criteria.

Key Takeaway: Connecticut requires 12 CLE credits annually (2 in ethics), with up to 2 credits carried over, self-reporting via annual registration, and seven years of record retention.

Yes — Connecticut allows carryover of up to 2 credit hours (including ethics) to the following year.

Connecticut’s CLE “Continuing Legal Education Log” form states that “no more than 2 credit hours … may be carried forward” to the next year. ([jud.ct.gov](https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/CE001.pdf))

Details & nuances

• Under Practice Book § 2-27A and the Connecticut CLE Log form, attorneys who earn more than 12 credits (or more than required) may carry forward up to 2 credits (120 minutes) into the next calendar year.
• The carryover credits must have been earned but not used in the prior year.
• The CLE log explicitly distinguishes “carryover credit hours from previous calendar year (Not more than 2 credit hours)” as part of the total credit calculation.
• The Connecticut Judicial Branch’s MCLE FAQ also notes that you may carry over two hours of voluntary credit (including ethics) from 2016 into 2017 toward the 12-hour total.
• There is no indication in the rule or forms that new-admittees have a different carryover allowance beyond the general 2-credit cap.

Key Takeaway

Connecticut permits a modest carryover of up to 2 CLE credits (including ethics) into the next compliance year, but only those earned and unused in the prior year.

No — Connecticut does not require attorneys to complete a set number of in-person only CLE hours.

Connecticut permits attorneys to satisfy the full 12-credit annual MCLE requirement via approved formats, including live webcasts and on-demand courses.

Details

• Connecticut’s MCLE rules mandate 12 credit hours per year, including 2 hours in ethics or professionalism.
• All CLE credit may be earned via technology-based delivery (live webcasts, recorded programs) in addition to traditional in-person instruction.
• There is no rule in Connecticut that allocates or reserves any portion of the CLE obligation exclusively for physical classroom instruction.
• Attorneys must affirm their attendance and retain attendance verification records (e.g. verification codes) for audit purposes.

Key Takeaway

Connecticut requires 12 CLE credits annually but imposes no distinct minimum in-person classroom requirement — interactive, webcast, and recorded formats are fully accepted.