Delaware

You may begin having your CLE attendance reported in Delaware as soon as the provider submits the record (within 30 days of the program), but you do not actively “report” until you certify on your Annual Registration Statement by March 1.
Delaware relies on providers to enter attendance into your transcript; your role is to confirm your compliance certificate when registering.

Key Details

• Providers must submit attendance to the CLE Commission within 30 days after each program.
• Your CLE transcript should reflect new entries by date of the program, not the entry date.
• The compliance period ends December 31 of your group cycle (even/odd based on admission year).
• You formally certify your compliance via the Annual Registration Statement by March 1 following that December 31.
• If a course you attended is missing from your transcript, you can submit an “Approval Request” through the DESCLMS platform.

Key Takeaway: In Delaware, CLE reporting is largely driven by providers (within 30 days of a program), and the first moment you must act is via the March 1 certification on your attorney registration.

In Delaware, attorneys do not self-report each CLE; instead, course providers submit attendance records via the Delaware Supreme Court Lawyer Management System (DESCLMS). Attorneys must certify compliance on their Annual Registration Statement by March 1 following the compliance period.

Key Details:

• All CLE credit requests and attendance data must be submitted via DESCLMS.org.
• Providers are required to transmit attendance within 30 days of the program.
• Attorneys certify CLE compliance through their Annual Registration Statement (not detailed course-by-course reporting).
• If a course does not appear on the transcript, the attorney must request credit via DESCLMS.

Key Takeaway: In Delaware, CLE reporting is managed by providers via DESCLMS, and attorneys certify compliance via their Annual Registration Statement by March 1.

Yes — you can report CLE late in Delaware, because the CLE rules allow “curing” noncompliance by completing missing credits, submitting proof, and paying delinquency fees by specified deadlines. The rules impose graduated fees and possible administrative suspension if you miss those cure dates.

Details from Delaware’s official CLE rules (current and under amendment):

• Attorneys must complete required CLE credits by December 31 of their compliance year.
• The Commission sends a Notice of

Credit toward Delaware CLE may include live seminars (in person or live webcast), eCLE (online/recorded), enhanced ethics programs, and out-of-state or nontraditional courses if approved.

Activities must be approved by the Delaware CLE Commission and comply with rules on live credit, enhanced ethics, reporting, and accrual.

Details

• Delaware requires 24 CLE hours every two years, of which 4 must be enhanced ethics and 12 must be live in-person.
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Yes – Delaware provides CLE exemptions for attorneys on inactive, senior, or retired status, but CLE obligations resume if the attorney seeks reinstatement to active status. Inactive attorneys are not required to earn CLE credits while inactive, though reinstatement may require catch-up credits or specific courses depending on the length of inactivity.

Delaware CLE Rules for Inactive Attorneys

• Inactive exemption: Attorneys on inactive, senior, or retired status are exempt from Delaware’s mandatory CLE requirements while they remain in that status.
• Reinstatement obligation: Upon returning to active status, attorneys must satisfy CLE requirements for the period of inactivity as directed by the Delaware Supreme Court’s Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
• Extended inactivity (10+ years): Attorneys who have been inactive for 10 years or more must complete the Fundamentals of Lawyer-Client Relations course within one year of reinstatement.
• CLE credit upon reinstatement: The Commission may award CLE credit for approved courses completed during the inactive period if they meet Delaware accreditation standards.

Key Takeaway

Delaware exempts inactive, senior, and retired attorneys from ongoing CLE requirements. However, upon reinstatement to active status, attorneys must complete required CLE credits and, if inactive for more than 10 years, must take the Fundamentals course within one year.

Missing Delaware’s CLE deadline exposes you to delinquency fees and administrative suspension if noncompliance isn’t cured. Under Rule 5 of Delaware’s CLE Rules, attorneys who fail to certify by the deadline are assessed escalating fees and may be administratively suspended after April 15.

Delaware CLE Cycle & Deadlines

• Every two years: attorneys must complete 24 CLE credits, including 4 enhanced ethics credits.
• CLE credits must be completed by December 31 of the compliance year.
• Certification (reporting) is due by February 1 following the compliance year.

Noncompliance, Delinquency Fees & Suspension (Rule 5)

• By ~January 15: Commission issues Notice of Noncompliance and assesses a $150 delinquency fee.
• By March 1: If still noncompliant, another $150 fee is assessed.
• By April 1: Additional $200 fee is added if noncompliance remains.
• By April 15: An attorney still not in compliance is administratively suspended; the clerk issues suspension notice and courts are notified.
• Reinstatement: Must complete missing credits, submit proof, pay all delinquency fees by July 1 to qualify for retroactive reinstatement.
• If reinstatement by July 1 is not sought, attorney must petition under Rule 22 of the Delaware Lawyers’ Rules of Disciplinary Procedure.

Key Takeaway: In Delaware, failure to certify CLE by February 1 triggers escalating delinquency fees—$150, then another $150, then $200—and unresolved noncompliance by April 15 leads to administrative suspension unless the attorney cures and pays by July 1.

You report CLE credits in Delaware by submitting your compliance certification via your DESCLMS (“Delaware Supreme Court Lawyer Management System”) account.
You must certify by March 1 (or earlier) following your compliance period and ensure your attendance is posted to your online transcript.

Overview of Delaware CLE Reporting

Delaware requires 24 CLE credits every two years, including at least 4 hours of enhanced ethics and at least 12 hours of live/in-person credit.
Providers must submit attendance records to the Commission within 30 days of the program date.
Your transcript is updated accordingly; if a program doesn’t appear, you may need to submit an approval request in the DESCLMS system.
If not compliant by deadlines, a graduated delinquency fee is imposed (first $150, then increments), and failure to cure by April 15 may lead to administrative suspension.

How to Report CLE in Delaware

• Complete required 24 CLE credits by December 31 of your compliance year, including the required

Delaware attorneys must complete 24 CLE credit hours every two years. That mandate includes at least 4 hours in enhanced ethics and requires a minimum of 12 live hours.

Reporting Cycle & Deadlines

• Compliance period: two years
• Credits due by December 31 of the appropriate compliance year (even or odd, depending on admission year)
• Certification/reporting deadline: February 1 following the compliance year

Credit Requirements & Formats

• Total required: 24 hours
• Enhanced ethics: 4 hours
• Live hours: at least 12 hours must be live (in-person or real-time)
• Online/self-study (eCLE) hours: up to 12 hours allowed

Carryover, Exemptions & Special Rules

• Carryover: up to 20 excess credit hours may roll into the next compliance period — but enhanced ethics credits do not carry over
• Senior attorneys: reduced requirement of 12 hours per two-year period, including 2 enhanced ethics
• Newly admitted attorneys’ first cycle is prorated; fundamentals programs must be completed within first 4 years

Provider Role & Reporting Support

• Sprout Education assists in tracking credit accumulation and supports submission of compliance data to Delaware’s CLE Commission

Key Takeaway: Delaware attorneys must earn 24 CLE hours every 2 years, including 4 enhanced ethics hours and a minimum of 12 live hours, with certification due February 1 after the compliance year.

Yes — Delaware requires attorneys to complete at least 12 hours of CLE in a “live” in-person format within each two-year compliance period.

Of the 24 total CLE hours required every two years, 12 must be earned through live, in-person instruction; the remaining may be completed via online or recorded formats.

Details

• Delaware’s CLE rules specify that credit for “live” courses must be in person, with real attendance by lawyers from

No — Delaware does not impose a separate CLE requirement exclusively for judges; judges (judicial officers) are subject to the same CLE rules as other attorneys.

Delaware’s CLE rules define “Attorney” to exclude judicial officers, but also explicitly allow judicial officers to “comply with the educational requirements” set for attorneys under the same rule.

Under those rules, all attorneys must complete 24 approved CLE credit hours every two years (of which at least 4 must be in ethics

No — Delaware requires a portion of CLE to be “live,” which includes in-person formats; live webcast alone is not sufficient to meet the full live-credit requirement. Under Delaware’s CLE rules, at least 12 of the 24 credits in each two-year period must be earned via live, in-person courses (or equivalent in-person interactive formats).

Delaware CLE Live-Credit Requirement

• Total requirement: 24 CLE credits every two years
• Live credits required: at least 12 credits must come from in-person, live approved courses
• Ethics requirement: 4 credits in enhanced ethics, which may satisfy part of the live or non-live credits

Other Formats & Limits

• Up to 12 credits per period may be earned via non-live or “eCLE” formats (such as recorded courses, webinars, or distance learning)
• Non-live courses must be approved and may require verification of completion

Key Takeaway: Delaware requires half of CLE credits (12 of 24) to be earned through in-person live courses; live webcast or non-live formats can fill the remaining credits but cannot satisfy the full live requirement.

No — Delaware’s CLE rules do not provide different requirements based on part-time versus full-time practice; all active attorneys must meet the same baseline (unless exempt).

Delaware requires 24 CLE credit hours in each two-year compliance period for most attorneys, including at least 4 hours of ethics and at least 12 hours of live credit.

Details:

• Senior attorneys (those with 40 or more years of bar membership) have a reduced 12-hour requirement every two years

Yes — Delaware permits certain attorneys to be exempt from CLE under specific circumstances, such as retirement certification, inactive status, or serving in elected public office and not practicing law.

Delaware Rules for Continuing Legal Education, Rule 4(F), outlines that attorneys or judicial officers with a retirement certificate, those holding elected public office who certify nonpractice, and inactive members may be exempt.

Details / Exceptions

• Retirement Certificate: Any Attorney or Judicial Officer who has been granted a certificate of retirement

The CLE reporting deadline in Delaware is February 1 following the compliance period.

Attorneys must complete required CLE credits by December 31 of the compliance year and then submit their transcript or certification by February 1.

Delaware CLE Reporting Rules

• Completion Deadline: December 31 of the final year of the two-year period.
• Reporting Deadline:

Yes — in Delaware you can request an extension of time to complete CLE or to certify compliance, but only in circumstances the CLE Commission deems “exceptional,” and it’s not an automatic right.

The Delaware CLE Rules state the Commission “may, in its discretion, extend” deadlines for completion or certification when an attorney shows exceptional circumstances that prevented timely compliance.

Detailed Explanation

• Under Rule 5(A) of the Delaware CLE Rules: “The Commission may, in its discretion, extend the deadline for

Yes — in Delaware attorneys can submit CLE attendance and compliance online via the DESCLMS (Delaware Supreme Court Lawyer Management System).

Delaware’s CLE system requires providers to submit attendance to the Supreme Court and allows attorneys to view transcripts and request credit via DESCLMS.

Details:

• Providers have 30 days after the program to report attendance, which then appears on your online transcript.
• If a

Yes — Delaware allows carryover of excess CLE credits, but only up to 20 credit hours (as general CLE, not in their original specialized category).

Under Rule 4(A) of the Delaware CLE Rules, attorneys may carry forward “excess CLE credit hours” of up to 20 hours into the next two-year compliance period, though ethics credits carried forward cannot retain their ethics designation.

Details & nuances

• The Delaware Rules for Continuing Legal Education state: “If an Attorney has earned excess CLE credit

Delaware attorneys are required to complete 24 CLE credit hours every two years, including 4 hours in ethics.

The CLE cycle is aligned with the attorney’s admission year (even-year admittees end compliance December 31 of even years, odd-year admittees end December 31 of odd years).

Details

• Live requirement: At least 12 of the 24 hours must be live/in-person CLE.
• Carryover: Up to 20 excess credits may be

Delaware’s CLE rules allow attorneys to cure CLE noncompliance after the December 31 reporting deadline through a formal delinquency procedure. The Commission on Continuing Legal Education issues deficiency notices and assesses fees, and if the deficiency remains uncorrected, suspension proceedings may follow. The exact timeframe to cure may vary depending on the reporting group or administrative schedule.

Delaware CLE Deadlines and Delinquency Procedures

• Compliance deadline: Attorneys must complete all required CLE credits by December 31 of their assigned reporting year.
• Certification filing: The transcript or compliance confirmation must typically be submitted by February 1 of the following year.
• Delinquency process: Attorneys who fail to meet the CLE requirement are notified by the Commission and given a limited period to cure the deficiency.
• Fees and suspension: Continued noncompliance results in a delinquency fee and, if unresolved, administrative suspension until the deficiency is corrected and fees are paid.
• Variable cure period: The Delaware Supreme Court and CLE Commission set cure and suspension timelines administratively; these may differ slightly across compliance groups or years.

Key Takeaway

Delaware attorneys who miss the December 31 CLE completion deadline may cure deficiencies during a Commission-specified delinquency period, but failure to comply after notice and fee assessment can lead to suspension. The precise cure deadline varies by administrative policy rather than a fixed statutory date.