What’s the average cost of CLE per credit hour?

Sometimes — in many jurisdictions, bar associations or CLE providers offer discounts or special pricing for newly licensed lawyers, but there is no universal rule requiring “new lawyer discounts” in CLE rules.

Such discounts are incentives offered by providers, not mandates imposed by state CLE commissions or courts.

Details

• Newly licensed attorneys can access a 50% discount on Unlimited CLE Memberships through Sprout Education with the code NEWMEMBER (limited-time promotion).
• New members can also receive 1 free CLE credit using the code FREECLE.
• These incentives are promotional benefits offered directly by Sprout Education to support attorneys starting their practice.
• They are not part of any regulatory CLE requirement or exemption.

Key Takeaway

While CLE regulators do not mandate reduced pricing for new attorneys, Sprout Education offers its own promotions — including 50% off unlimited memberships and a free 1-credit course — to make CLE more accessible for lawyers at the beginning of their careers.

Yes – many bar associations and CLE providers offer discounts or member-rate pricing on continuing legal education programs.
These reductions are designed to make ongoing professional education more accessible for attorneys and law firms, and the same applies to certain promotions offered through SproutEd.

• Bar associations commonly reduce tuition or offer flat-rate access for active members or attorneys serving in pro bono or public interest roles.
• Some providers extend early registration or group discounts for firms enrolling multiple participants.
• SproutEd periodically offers promotional discounts to new users and members of professional legal organizations.
• Attorneys can also use the promo code “FREECLE” on SproutEducation.com to receive one complimentary CLE credit toward any qualifying course.
• Discount eligibility, course selection, and duration of offers may vary depending on provider policies and jurisdictional CLE rules.

Key Takeaway
Yes – CLE discounts are widely available, including periodic offers from SproutEd such as the FREECLE promotion, but attorneys should always verify eligibility and terms for each course or provider.

Yes — CLE costs can be tax deductible in the U.S., but only if they meet IRS rules (they must maintain or improve skills in your current profession and not qualify you for a new profession). These are considered work-related education expenses under IRS Topic 513.

CLE expenses must satisfy the “maintain or improve skills” test or be legally required for your profession; if they don’t, they won’t qualify. Under current tax law, unreimbursed employee expenses (including CLE) are not deductible for W-2 employees through 2025, but they may be deductible for self-employed attorneys as ordinary and necessary business expenses.

Details:

• Qualifies if: Maintains or improves skills, or is legally required.
• Does not qualify if: Education prepares you for a new profession (e.g., bar exam costs).
• Self-employed: May deduct CLE as business expense.
• Employees: Unreimbursed CLE costs not deductible 2018-2025 under TCJA.
• Associated costs: Registration, books, travel, lodging, and 50% of meals may be deductible if directly tied to qualifying CLE.

Key Takeaway
Yes — CLE costs may be deductible if they maintain or improve professional skills and are not for a new profession, but current law limits deductions for W-2 employees. Self-employed attorneys may deduct CLE as a business expense.

No — judges in Massachusetts do not have a separate, mandatory CLE requirement apart from general attorney education norms.

Massachusetts does not impose a mandatory CLE for attorneys; judges may participate in Judicial Education programs, but those are not required under a distinct CLE mandate.

Details

• The Massachusetts Bar Association confirms that Massachusetts does not maintain a mandatory CLE regime for attorneys.
• Because there is no required CLE for attorneys statewide, there is no parallel, separate CLE requirement for judges in Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts’s Judicial Education program offers training and ethics guidance for judges, but it functions on a discretionary or policy basis rather than under a binding credit mandate.
• The Judicial Ethics FAQs for Massachusetts reference ethics obligations but do not state a continuing legal education credit mandate for judges.

Key Takeaway

In Massachusetts, judges are not subject to a separate mandatory CLE requirement — only discretionary Judicial Education applies, because the state does not enforce CLE for attorneys.

A CLE deficiency notice is an official notification sent by a state bar or MCLE board when an attorney has not completed or reported the required CLE credits by the deadline. It alerts the attorney to the deficiency and provides a cure period before penalties or suspension are imposed.

What It Includes

• The number of CLE credits still outstanding.
• Categories of credits missing (e.g., ethics, professionalism, specialty).
• Deadlines for curing the deficiency (often 30–60 days).
• Instructions for submitting proof of compliance and paying late fees.

Key Takeaway: A CLE deficiency notice is the bar’s formal warning that you are out of compliance, giving you a final chance to fix missing credits before fines or suspension take effect.

Lawyers in North Carolina generally do not self-report CLE; approved CLE sponsors submit attendance to the State Bar within 40 days of the program. If a lawyer is asked to cure a CLE deficiency, they may self-report attendance (by mailing, faxing, or emailing certificates) to the CLE department.

Key Details:

• Most sponsors of CLE programs must report attendance directly to the NC State Bar CLE department within 40 days.
• If a lawyer receives a notice of a prior year’s deficit, they may self-report attendance via submission of the certificate(s) to the CLE department.
• The State Bar provides a “Report of Attendance at a CLE Program” form for sponsors.
• Attorneys must maintain records and certificates in case the Bar audits the compliance certificate.

Key Takeaway: In North Carolina, the reporting format is primarily sponsor-driven attendance submission, with attorneys only self-reporting in corrective or deficiency contexts.