What is the reporting format for CLE in Hawaii?

You may begin reporting CLE for Hawaii when you file your annual attorney registration, which includes certifying your prior year’s compliance (i.e. “reporting” occurs in January after the year ends).
Hawaii’s compliance period is the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), and attorneys certify CLE compliance on their annual registration form the following year.

Key Details

• Active Hawaii attorneys must complete 3 CLE credits per calendar year, inclusive of 1 ethics credit every three years.
• CLE credits must be earned by December 31 of that year.
• Reporting is done through the annual attorney registration form, where you certify that you satisfied the CLE requirement for the previous year.
• Providers (e.g. NBI) report attendance to the Hawaii State Bar so that your transcript is up to date by registration time.
• You must maintain documentation (certificates, course records) for three reporting periods in case of audit.
• Sprout Education reports attendance on behalf of attorneys (within 30 days where permitted) and helps ensure those credits appear when you register.

Key Takeaway: You can “report” your Hawaii CLE compliance only when you complete your annual registration (typically in January following year-end), not before — all required CLE must be earned by December 31.

Hawaii attorneys must complete 3 CLE credit hours per year, with at least 1 credit of ethics/professional responsibility every three years.

All 3 credits are earned within the calendar year and reported during annual registration.

Details

• Requirement: 3 hours annually for active attorneys.
• Ethics: At least 1 credit of ethics or professional responsibility must be completed in each three-year span.
• Carryover: Attorneys may carry over up to 3 credits into the next year (ethics credits cannot be carried over).
• Exemptions: Newly admitted attorneys (in the year of admission) are exempt from the annual requirement.
• Deadline: Credits must be earned by December 31 and certification is made on the attorney’s annual registration (due January 31).

Key Takeaway: Hawaii attorneys need 3 CLE hours yearly, including one ethics credit every three years, with limited carryover and annual self-certification.

You report CLE credits in Hawaii by certifying your CLE compliance on your annual attorney registration form (due after December 31).
Hawaii requires a minimum of 3 CLE credit hours per calendar year, with at least 1 ethics hour every three years.

Overview of Hawaii MCLE Reporting

Hawaii’s Mandatory CLE (Rule 22) obligates all active attorneys to complete at least 3 CLE credit hours each year.
Of those, at least 1 credit hour of ethics or professional responsibility must be completed once every three years, and that hour counts toward the annual requirement.
Attorneys are not required to submit certificates yearly unless selected for audit; records must be maintained for three reporting periods.

How to Report CLE in Hawaii

• Complete your 3 credit hours by December 31 of each year, including ethics when required.
• Retain your CLE certificates, program titles, dates, and provider credentials for at least three years.
• When you file your annual attorney registration, certify the number of CLE hours you completed (and ethics if due).
• If audited, provide certificates and any requested documentation to verify your reported hours.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, confirm that you have the proper documentation; where Hawaii allows provider reporting, we support that transmission, but you must still make your registration certification.

Key Takeaway: In Hawaii you fulfill 3 CLE credits annually and report compliance via your registration form. Sprout Education assists with reporting where allowed, but attorneys must maintain records and make their own certification.

No — Hawaii does not explicitly permit late CLE reporting under its rules; attorneys must certify CLE compliance via annual registration and, if noncompliant, cure within a short “grace period” or face suspension. RSCH Rule 22 provides for good-cause modification or exemption but does not create a general late-reporting path.

Details under Hawaii’s CLE / MCLE framework:

• Active members must complete 3 CLE credit hours (including 1 ethics every three years) by December 31 of each reporting year.
• Attorneys certify compliance via their annual registration (due after year-end).
• The MCLE FAQs state that if an attorney fails to complete CLE in time or falsely certifies, they will receive a notice with a short grace period and a late compliance fee, with possible administrative suspension if not remedied.
• An attorney suspended for noncompliance must submit proof of completed CLE plus pay the late compliance fee and any reinstatement fees to regain active status.
• Rule 22 also allows a member to apply for good-cause exemption or modification of CLE obligations due to illness, disability, or extraordinary hardship.

Key Takeaway
In Hawaii, there is no open-ended mechanism to report CLE late; instead, noncompliant attorneys must act during the grace period, pay fees, or seek a good-cause modification to avoid suspension.

Yes — Hawaii requires full-time state judges to undertake a separate judicial education obligation in addition to the usual attorney CLE regime.

In Hawaii, full-time state judges must participate in a judicial education program approved by the Committee on Judicial Education; those hours may also count toward the standard CLE requirement for attorneys. (RSCH Rule 22(h))

RSCH Rule 22(h) exempts full-time federal judges, magistrate judges, bankruptcy judges, U.S. Court of Federal Claims judges, and administrative law judges from CLE, but mandates that full-time state judges attend at least 3 hours of approved judicial education annually.

Key Takeaway: Judges in Hawaii must meet a separate judicial education requirement (minimum 3 hours annually) under Rule 22(h), which is distinct from but may overlap with the attorney CLE obligation.

Attorneys on inactive status in Hawaii are exempt from the CLE requirement.

Upon electing active status, they must complete and report 3 hours of approved CLE (including 1 hour of ethics) within three months.

Details:

• Hawaii’s MCLE rules classify inactive members as exempt from CLE obligations.
• Upon status change to active, the attorney must complete 3 CLE credit hours, of which 1 hour must cover ethics or professional responsibility, within three months.
• CLE credit earned within the three months prior to reactivation may count toward this requirement.
• Inactive attorneys must not practice law; reactivation triggers CLE obligations.

Key Takeaway:
In Hawaii, CLE obligations are suspended during inactive status, but returning to active status triggers a requirement to timely complete and report 3 CLE hours (including ethics).