What happens if I miss the CLE deadline in Mississippi?

Mississippi attorneys are required to complete 12 CLE credit hours per year, including 1 hour in legal ethics.

CLE credits must be earned by July 31 and reported by August 15 each year.

Details

• Up to 6 hours may be earned via distance learning (online, webcast, etc.).

• At least 6 hours must be in live webcasts or in-person programs.

• Excess general (non-ethics) credits—up to 12 hours—may be carried over to the next year. Ethics credits beyond the required 1 hour may not carry over as ethics.

• Teaching CLE: Up to 12 hours per year may be earned through teaching; different weighting applies depending on the quality of written materials and whether the presentation is a repeat.

• New lawyers: Newly admitted attorneys must complete a 12-hour New Lawyer Program (6 hours basic skills + 6 hours ethics/professionalism) within two years of admission, which counts for both the admission year and the next year’s CLE requirement.

Key Takeaway: Mississippi requires 12 CLE hours annually (1 ethics), allows up to 6 via distance learning, mandates live credit, permits carryover of general credits (not ethics), and imposes a separate New Lawyer Program requirement for new admittees.

Mississippi attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours each year. That includes 1 hour in ethics.

Annual CLE Requirements in Mississippi

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours per compliance year
• Ethics requirement: 1 credit hour
• Reporting cycle: January 1 – July 31 (CLE must be earned by July 31)
• Reporting deadline: August 15 of each year

Credit Carryover & Delivery Limits

• Carryover: attorneys may carry forward up to 12 unused general CLE credits into the next reporting period
• Ethics credits in excess may not carry over as ethics, but may carry as general credits
• Online credit limit: at most 6 hours per year may be earned via distance learning (online) formats

New Lawyer (New Admittee) Rules

• Newly licensed attorneys must complete a New Lawyer Program of 12 CLE hours (6 basic skills + 6 ethics/professionalism) by the second July 31 following admission
• Completing the New Lawyer Program satisfies the CLE requirement for both their admission year and the next year

Key Takeaway: Mississippi requires 12 CLE hours annually, including 1 ethics hour, with carryover of up to 12 general credits and a limit of 6 hours of online CLE.

Yes — Mississippi allows carryover of CLE credits, but with limits and restrictions.

The Mississippi CLE Commission’s FAQ and Rule provisions permit up to 12 credits to be carried into the next reporting period; ethics credits carried over count only as general credits.

Details & nuances

• The Mississippi CLE FAQ notes: “12.00 CLE credits may be carried over to the next reporting period.” ([courts.ms.gov](https://courts.ms.gov/cle_bccr/clefaq.php))
• The FAQ further states that “Excess ethics/professionalism credits carry over as general CLE credits and do not satisfy the ethics/professionalism requirement for the following reporting period.” ([courts.ms.gov](https://courts.ms.gov/cle_bccr/clefaq.php))
• For newly admitted attorneys, additional CLE credits earned by the end of the second CLE year after admission may be carried over. ([nbi-sems.com](https://nbi-sems.com/pages/mississippiclerequirements?srsltid=AfmBOooSvrquIfrq2UUa1Jw83l3owIKSaIJ42tjVxii2WB0a1wIKSaIJ42tjVxii2WB0a1wIKSaIJ42tjVxii2WB0a), [lawline.com](https://www.lawline.com/requirements/cle/mississippi/newly-admitted))
• Mississippi’s CLE Rules (Regulations 3.3, 4.9, 4.10) reference carryover credits in the regulatory scheme. ([courts.ms.gov](https://courts.ms.gov/research/rules/msrulesofcourt/continuing_legal_education.pdf))
• The standard CLE requirement is 12 credits per year, including 1 in ethics/professionalism. ([courts.ms.gov](https://courts.ms.gov/cle_bccr/clefaq.php), [americanbar.org](https://www.americanbar.org/events-cle/mcle/jurisdiction/mississippi/))

Key Takeaway

Mississippi permits you to carry over up to 12 CLE credits into the next year, but carried ethics/professionalism credits count only as general credits — not toward the specific ethics requirement.

In Mississippi, you can report CLE credits only after the annual compliance period ends on July 31. The reporting (filing) window opens thereafter; your Annual Report Statement must be submitted by August 15.

You cannot formally file or certify credits mid-year. During the year, CLE hours accrue, and providers may already report attendance, but your self-reporting occurs only in August following the July 31 deadline.

Key Details

• Mississippi requires 12 CLE credit hours per year, including 1 hour in ethics/professionalism.
• Credits must be earned by July 31 of each year.
• The Annual Report Statement is mailed in June, and attorneys add any later CLE earned before August 15.
• All CLE must be reported by August 15 following the completion date.
• Providers may submit attendance records as courses are completed, but these do not substitute for your Annual Report filing.
• Sprout Education (as a provider) ensures your earned credits are timely reported so they appear on your report when you file in August.

Key Takeaway
In Mississippi, “reporting” CLE credits in a compliance sense begins only after July 31, with attorneys filing the Annual Report by August 15 — you cannot formally report credits early during the year.

Mississippi attorneys report CLE by submitting an Annual Report Statement to the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education by August 15 following the July 31 compliance deadline. Sponsors and providers may also submit attendance data, but the formal report is handled through the mailed or portal-based Annual Report.

Key Details:

• The compliance period ends July 31, and the report deadline is August 15.
• The Commission mails the Annual Report Statement to attorneys in June; attorneys add any missing credits and submit the final form.
• Attorneys retain their CLE certificates and logs in case of audit.

Key Takeaway: In Mississippi, CLE is reported via an Annual Report Statement due August 15, with the compliance period ending July 31.

Yes — in Mississippi there is a limited distinction: part-time government attorneys may earn fewer hours via in-house programs.

Mississippi requires all nonexempt attorneys to complete 12 CLE “actual hours” per year, including 1 in ethics.

Details:

• A “part-time employee of a governmental department or agency” may count up to 6 hours per year earned through approved internal CLE offerings of that agency.
• A “full-time employee of a governmental department or agency” may count up to 12 hours per year via department-sponsored CLE.
• Apart from that narrow allowance, all attorneys still must satisfy the full 12-hour requirement and the regular rules on delivery, carryover, exemptions, etc.

Key Takeaway: Except for that narrow allowance for government employee internal CLE, Mississippi does not broadly reduce CLE obligations based on part-time vs full-time status.