What happens if I miss the CLE deadline in Pennsylvania?

Yes — Pennsylvania requires that 6 of the 12 annual CLE credits be earned via “live-online or in-person/classroom” formats (i.e. synchronous or live courses). The remaining 6 credits may come from prerecorded (asynchronous) distance learning courses, subject to the Board’s limits.

Pennsylvania CLE Format Rules

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours annually, including at least 2 in ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse.
• Live-credit requirement: 6 credits must be live-online or in-person/classroom courses.
• Distance learning cap: Up to 6 credits may be earned through accredited prerecorded/asynchronous programs.
• Carryover: Only credits earned via live (in-person or live-online) courses may carry forward to future compliance periods.

Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, attorneys must earn half of their CLE credits through live formats (in-person or synchronous webcasts), and only the other half may be from prerecorded courses — in-person attendance is not required as long as the format is live.

Pennsylvania does not grant a post-deadline “grace period” beyond the compliance date. As long as CLE credits are earned by the compliance deadline, accredited providers have 30 days to report them, but noncompliance triggers formal penalties.

How Pennsylvania’s CLE Deadlines Work

• Attorneys are assigned to one of three compliance groups with deadlines: April 30, August 31, or December 31.
• Providers have 30 days from course date to submit credit reports.

Consequences After Deadline

• If CLE is not completed by the deadline, the Board sends a noncompliance notice.
• The attorney then has 60 days from notice to cure deficiencies and pay a late fee.
• Failure to cure in that period results in administrative suspension and further fees.

Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, there is no automatic grace period past your compliance deadline — meeting the deadline is essential, and failure triggers a 60-day cure window after official notice.

No — Pennsylvania does not explicitly permit “late reporting” of CLE hours after deadlines; instead, noncompliance triggers a late-compliance fee and a grace period to remedy deficiencies before possible suspension.

Under the Pennsylvania CLE rules, if you miss your compliance deadline, the Board will notify you, you must pay a late compliance fee (usually $100), and you have 60 days to cure the deficiency before the Board reports noncompliance to the Supreme Court.

Interpretation & Caveats
• The system is not designed for “I’ll report next year” — you cannot avoid the late fee or ignore deadline.
• The Board’s cure period is your last chance to submit missing CLE and pay the penalty before administrative action.
• Extensions or waivers are discretionary and not guaranteed.
• Because providers report attendance within 30 days, missing the deadline often means some events or hours may never be accepted retroactively.

Key Takeaway
You can’t simply “turn in CLE credits late” in Pennsylvania without consequences — you must pay a late-compliance fee, respond to a deficiency notice, and act within a 60-day cure period or risk suspension.

Pennsylvania attorneys report CLE through provider-submitted attendance; individual lawyers do not need to file a separate credit report. Providers have 30 days after each activity to submit attendee lists to the Pennsylvania CLE Board, and attorneys are notified of their compliance status before their deadline.

Key Details:

• Approved CLE providers must file attendance reports (written or electronic) within 30 days to the Board.
• The Board issues a “preliminary attendance report” before the compliance deadline and a “final attendance report” afterward.
• If a lawyer disputes the reported attendance, they must notify the Board in writing within 30 days of the report date.
• Attorneys assume compliance if the Board’s report confirms satisfaction of CLE requirements.

Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, attorneys rely on CLE providers to report attendance within 30 days, and compliance is determined by the Board’s finalized attendance report—no self-filing is required.

Yes — judges in Pennsylvania have a separate continuing judicial education (CJE) requirement, distinct from the CLE rules for attorneys.

Under Supreme Court authority starting in 2017, commissioned judges of various Pennsylvania courts must annually complete 12 CJE credits (3 in judicial ethics, 9 in judicial practice or related areas).

Details

• The Pennsylvania Rules for Continuing Judicial Education require that every judge must complete 3 hours in judicial ethics plus 9 hours in judicial practice/related areas each year.
• Of those 12 credits, 4 credits must come from courses offered by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ Judicial Education Department.
• Up to 4 credits may be earned via approved distance education (computer-based, interactive) courses.
• Judges may receive credit for teaching or approved alternative educational activities (up to 4 credits).
• Newly elected or appointed judges in the Courts of Common Pleas and Philadelphia Municipal Court must attend a “New Judge School” in addition to their annual CJE.
• The CJE rules apply to justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Courts of Common Pleas, Philadelphia Municipal Court, and certified senior judges.

Key Takeaway

Pennsylvania imposes a mandatory, separate judicial education program (12 credits annually) for its judges, supplementing—rather than replacing—any CLE obligations that may apply to attorneys.