What happens if I miss the CLE deadline in West Virginia?

Yes — judges in West Virginia are subject to a separate Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) requirement distinct from attorney CLE.
The CJE program is administered by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia through the Administrative Office and applies specifically to judicial officers.

Under Rule 7 of the Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure, every full-time judge must complete a minimum of 50 hours of approved judicial education every two years. These hours must include instruction in judicial ethics, substantive law, and other areas essential to judicial competence. The Administrative Director of the Courts oversees compliance and may grant extensions or waivers for good cause.

Summary of Judicial Education Obligations

Key Takeaway

Judges in West Virginia must complete 50 hours of Continuing Judicial Education every two years under the Supreme Court’s judicial disciplinary rules, separate from the attorney CLE system.

In West Virginia, CLE credit is earned via approved courses, self-study, teaching, pro bono service, and certain “Bridge the Gap” programming—all governed by Rule 6 of the West Virginia State Bar’s MCLE regulations.

Attorneys must complete 24 credit hours every two years, including 3 hours in ethics, office management, substance abuse, or elimination of bias.

Qualifying CLE activities

• Approved live or interactive courses (in-person or webcast) — credit for instruction time, measured in 50-minute hours.
• On-demand / recorded digital courses that are accredited — subject to a cap.
• Teaching, lecturing, or presenting approved CLE programs (including preparation) upon prior approval by the MCLE Commission.
• Authorship or publication of legal materials when approved under Rule 6.05.
• Pro bono legal service, through specified approved organizations — one CLE credit for every three hours of qualifying service (up to 6 CLE credits per cycle).
• Bridge the Gap (new lawyer) seminar attendance is required for newly admitted attorneys and counts toward CLE.

Limits, caps & special rules

• No more than 12 hours of CLE credit may be earned via recorded / on-demand courses in a reporting period.
• A maximum of 6 pro bono CLE credits may be earned per reporting period; pro bono credits do not carry over.
• Attorneys may carry over up to 6 non-ethics CLE credits into the next reporting period; ethics, office management, substance abuse, and elimination-of-bias credits may not carry over.
• CLE must be completed by June 30 of even-numbered years; reporting deadline is July 31 of those years.
• In calculating credit, one hour of CLE credit is given for each 50 minutes of instruction in an approved course.
• For courses by non-presumptively accredited providers, attorneys must seek individual course approval.

Key Takeaway: In West Virginia, you can satisfy your 24-hour biennial CLE by attending approved live or recorded courses, teaching, publishing legal works, performing pro bono service (within limits), and attending Bridge the Gap if new—just be sure to meet the ethics requirement, respect the cap on recorded credit, and comply with carryover and reporting rules.

Yes – West Virginia provides CLE exemptions and deferments for attorneys who are on inactive or retired status and not engaged in the practice of law. While inactive attorneys are exempt from completing CLE during their inactive period, CLE obligations resume if they return to active practice.

West Virginia CLE Rules for Inactive Attorneys

• Inactive exemption: Attorneys on inactive or retired status who are not practicing law are exempt from West Virginia’s MCLE reporting and credit requirements.
• Reactivation requirement: Upon returning to active status, attorneys must complete CLE requirements for the current reporting period and any additional credits the MCLE Commission or Supreme Court may require.
• Standard active requirement: Active attorneys must complete 24 CLE credits every two years, including 3 credits in legal ethics, office management, substance abuse, or elimination of bias.
• Administrative oversight: The West Virginia State Bar’s MCLE Commission maintains the records of active, inactive, and retired attorneys and applies exemptions or deferments based on written requests.
• Pro bono credit option: Active attorneys may earn up to 6 CLE credits for approved pro bono service, though this benefit does not apply while on inactive status.

Key Takeaway

West Virginia exempts attorneys on inactive or retired status from CLE obligations during their inactive period. When reinstating to active practice, attorneys must meet current CLE requirements and any reinstatement conditions imposed by the MCLE Commission.

Yes — West Virginia requires attorneys to complete at least 12 hours of “live” programming (in-person or synchronous) in each biennial CLE reporting period.

The total CLE obligation is 24 credit hours every two years, and up to 12 hours may be earned via prerecorded or on-demand programs.

Details

• West Virginia attorneys must earn 24 CLE credits in a two-year cycle, including 3 hours in ethics, office management, or similar mandated content.
• The rules specify a minimum of 12 credit hours must come from live programs — this includes in-person seminars or fully interactive live webcasts.
• The remaining 12 hours may be satisfied via prerecorded or asynchronous formats, but those are capped at 12 hours per period.
• For newly admitted attorneys, the “Bridge the Gap” program must include live seminar attendance as part of its requirement.

Key Takeaway

West Virginia enforces a live-format floor: attorneys must earn half of their CLE credits (12 of 24) through live or real-time instruction, with the rest eligible via prerecorded formats under the state’s rules.

You report CLE credits in West Virginia via the WV State Bar’s online member portal, approving pending credits and entering any missing ones, by the July 31 deadline in even-numbered years.
You must complete 24 CLE hours (including 3 in ethics/office management/substance abuse/bias) by June 30 of the even year, then certify via the portal.

Overview of West Virginia CLE Reporting

• West Virginia attorneys must complete 24 CLE hours every two years, including 3 hours in ethics, office management, attorney well-being, or elimination of bias.
• At least 12 hours must be from live or interactive programs; up to 12 hours may be pre-recorded or on-demand.
• The CLE cycle ends June 30 of even-numbered years; all credits must be completed by then.
• Reporting must be done by July 31 of those even-numbered years via the State Bar’s member portal.
• Accredited providers typically report your attendance, but you must review your “Awaiting Your Approval” section and confirm or enter credits in the portal.
• You may carry forward up to 6 credits into the next reporting period, but none of those may be ethics credits.

Steps to Report CLE in West Virginia

• Complete your 24 CLE hours (including required 3 ethics/office management/etc.) by June 30 of the even-numbered year.
• Log into your West Virginia State Bar MCLE / CLE portal at MyWVBar.
• Review your transcript and find credits listed under “Awaiting Your Approval.” Approve them to count toward your total.
• For any credits that were not auto-reported by a provider, use the portal to self-add those credits, providing course details and certificates.
• Confirm that your total reaches 24 CLE hours, ensuring you have met the specialty credit requirement.
• By July 31, certify your compliance via the portal (submit your finalized CLE record).
• If audited, be prepared to present your certificates, course titles, dates, provider information, and supporting documentation.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, make sure those are reflected in your “Awaiting Approval” list (if provider-submitted) or enter them manually before certifying.

Key Takeaway: In West Virginia, satisfy 24 CLE hours (with 3 ethics) by June 30 of an even year, then certify your credits in the MyWVBar portal by July 31. Sprout Education supports reporting where permitted, but you must verify, approve, or enter all relevant credits before submitting your compliance.

Attorneys in West Virginia report CLE by submitting credit claims through the WV State Bar’s online CLE portal, and approved providers report attendance which attorneys must confirm before it appears on their transcript. Reporting is required by July 31 of even-numbered years following the June 30 compliance deadline.

Key Details:

• Approved CLE providers must report attorney attendance via the CLE Provider Portal within 30 days of the course.
• Attorneys can view “Awaiting your approval” items and must confirm or dispute them via the Member CLE Portal before they post to the transcript.
• Self-reporting is necessary for non-provider registered courses; attorneys use the “Submit Credit” function in the portal.
• The reporting (biennial) cycle is June 30 of even years, with the report due July 31.

Key Takeaway: West Virginia CLE reporting occurs via the State Bar’s online system, combining provider-submitted attendance and attorney confirmation by July 31 of even years.