Carryover Rules

Washington attorneys must complete 45 CLE (MCLE) credits every three years. That includes at least 15 credits in law & legal procedure and 6 credits in ethics, and as of 2023 one ethics credit must be on equity/inclusion/bias mitigation.

Cycle & Deadlines

• Reporting period: 3 years (varies by group)
• Credits must be completed by December 31 of the final year of the cycle
• Certification/reporting deadline: February 1 of the year following the cycle

Credit Subcategories & Carryover

• Minimum required: 15 law & legal procedure credits
• Ethics/Professional Responsibility: at least 6 credits, of which at least 1 must focus on equity, inclusion, and bias mitigation
• Carryover: up to 15 excess credits may carry into the next reporting period, including up to 2 ethics credits

New Admittees & Special Rules

• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt from MCLE in the year of admission and the following calendar year
• All approved credits (live, recorded, teaching, mentoring, pro bono, etc.) may be applied so long as they comply with WSBA rules

Key Takeaway: Washington requires 45 CLE credits every three years, with minimums in law & procedure and ethics (including an equity-focused ethics credit), and allows up to 15 credits to carry forward.

North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 CLE credit hours every three years. That requirement includes 3 hours in legal ethics, a portion from live programs, and allows limited carryover.

Requirements & Credit Composition

• Total: 36 credit hours per three-year compliance period
• Ethics: 3 credit hours
• Live programs: minimum of 12 credit hours must be live
• Self-study (on-demand): up to 24 credits permitted

Deadlines, Reporting & Carryover

• CLE compliance deadline: June 30 of the final year in cycle
• Reporting deadline: July 31 following end of cycle
• Carryover: attorneys may carry over up to 12 excess credits into next cycle; ethics credits may not be carried forward

Key Takeaway: North Dakota’s CLE cycle requires 36 credits every three years, including 3 ethics hours, with minimums for live programming and limited carryover.

New Jersey attorneys must complete 24 CLE credit hours every two years. This includes at least 5 hours in ethics, of which at least 2 must be in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.

Core Requirements & Breakdown

• Live requirement: at least 12 of the 24 credits must be earned through live or interactive programs
• Carryover: up to 12 general credits may carry into the next two-year period
• New admittee requirement: 16 of the 24 credits must be in NJ-specific subject areas across at least 6 required topics, with at least 1 credit in NJ attorney trust & business accounting fundamentals
• Compliance grouping: attorneys are divided into 2 groups by birth month; each group has alternating biennial deadlines

Key Takeaway: New Jersey mandates 24 CLE hours every two years, with ethics/diversity minimums and a requirement that half the hours be live.

Missouri attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours each reporting year. Within those 15 hours, at least 3 must be in ethics, and 1 of those must address elimination of bias.

Annual CLE Requirements in Missouri

• Total requirement: 15 credit hours per year between July 1 and June 30
• Ethics requirement: 3 credit hours
• Elimination of bias requirement: 1 of the ethics hours
• Live minimum: at least 9 credit hours must be from live or interactive programs
• Self-study limit: up to 6 credit hours may be self-study (on-demand, etc.)
• Reporting deadline: July 31
• Excess hours (beyond 15) earned in a year may carry forward (live or ethics credits within limits)

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks Missouri CLE credits and assists with reporting compliance to The Missouri Bar

Key Takeaway: Missouri requires 15 CLE hours annually, including 3 ethics hours (1 in bias), with a live minimum, self-study cap, and carryover options.

Tennessee attorneys must complete 15 CLE credit hours each year. That requirement includes 3 hours in ethics and 12 general credits.

Annual CLE Requirements in Tennessee

• Total requirement: 15 credit hours per compliance year
• Ethics requirement: 3 credit hours
• General credits: 12 credit hours
• Compliance deadline: December 31
• Reporting deadline: March 31

Carryover & Format Rules

• Up to 15 hours of credit (including up to 3 EP credits) may be carried into the next compliance year.
• All formats (live or distance) may be applied toward the requirement, with no fixed cap on distance learning formats.

Key Takeaway: Tennessee’s annual CLE cycle requires 15 hours per year, including 3 ethics hours, with full flexibility to use live or distance learning credits and a one-year carryover option.

No — carryover CLE credits are not applicable in South Dakota because there is no mandatory CLE requirement.
South Dakota is a non-mandatory CLE state, so there is no regulated carryover system.

Details & nuances

• The State Bar of South Dakota states that CLE is voluntary and not required to maintain a license.
• CLE overage or carryforward is irrelevant in South Dakota’s regulatory scheme because there is no baseline CLE requirement to exceed.
• CLE providers or jurisdictional aggregators also acknowledge that carryover is “N/A” in South Dakota.

Key Takeaway
Because South Dakota has no mandatory CLE, there is no formal carryover mechanism for CLE credits.