Pennsylvania attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours annually, including 2 hours in ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse prevention.
Credits are assigned to one of three compliance groups; deadlines differ by group.
Details
• Total requirement: 12 credits per compliance period.
• Specialty requirement: At least 2 hours must cover ethics,
No — Pennsylvania’s CLE rules do not distinguish between part-time and full-time attorneys; all active attorneys must meet the same requirement (unless exempt or prorated under special conditions).
Pennsylvania requires active lawyers to complete 12 credit hours annually under Rule 105, including required credits in ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, and substantive/practice topics.
Details:
The CLE reporting deadline in Pennsylvania varies by compliance group: April 30, August 31, or December 31.
Attorneys must complete their 12 required credits within their assigned period and certify compliance by that same date (compliance equals reporting).
Yes — Pennsylvania requires attorneys to earn a minimum number of “live” credits each year (live-online or in-person).
The annual CLE rule mandates 12 total credits, of which 6 must be from live or synchronous formats; up to 6 may come from prerecorded/on-demand programs.
Details
You report CLE credits in Pennsylvania by relying on accredited providers to submit your attendance (within 30 days of the course) and by reviewing the CLE Board’s compliance notice—if it’s incorrect, you notify the Board within 30 days.
Pennsylvania operates on an annual compliance cycle with three staggered reporting deadlines depending on your assigned “compliance group.”
Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, you don’t file a detailed self-report—providers report attendance for you. Your job is to complete 12 CLE credits (including ethics) by your deadline, review your compliance notice, and dispute any errors within 30 days. Sprout Education ensures accurate reporting where allowed, but you must verify your compliance notice.
You may begin having Pennsylvania CLE credits reported soon after you complete a qualifying activity — accredited providers are required to submit attendance to the PA CLE Board within 30 days of the course.
That said, you can’t formally certify compliance until your assigned compliance period ends; after that, you have a fixed reporting window (typically 30 days post-deadline) to report or dispute.
In Pennsylvania, CLE credit counts when earned through CLE Board-approved courses—including live programs, distance learning, teaching, law-school coursework, and pro bono service—subject to format limits and reporting rules.
Each active attorney must complete 12 credit hours annually, at least 2 of which must be in ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse.
No — you may not directly submit (i.e. self-report) CLE credits online in Pennsylvania; accredited providers must report most CLE attendance to the PACLE Board.
Attorneys use the MyPACLE portal to view courses and credits but do not directly upload or certify all CLE themselves.
Details:
Yes — Pennsylvania’s CLE rules allow limited exemptions or deferrals under certain conditions, but not wholesale blanket exemptions for all attorneys.
An attorney on voluntary inactive status, those serving active military duty outside Pennsylvania, or attorneys who obtain non-resident active status may have their CLE requirements deferred or waived.
Yes — Pennsylvania allows carryover of CLE credits, subject to limits and restrictions.
Under 204 Pa. Code Rule 108(d), credit hours in excess of the current annual requirement may be carried forward for the next two succeeding years, but only up to twice the annual requirement.
Key Takeaway
In Pennsylvania, you can carry forward excess live/interactive CLE credits (up to twice your annual requirement) for up to two years — but distance learning credits, pro bono credits beyond the cap, and credits beyond the carryover limit are excluded.
Pennsylvania attorneys must complete 12 CLE credit hours each year. This includes at least 2 hours in ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse.
Key Takeaway: Pennsylvania requires 12 CLE hours every year, including 2 in ethics, with half of the credits live, limited carryover of live credits, and a mandatory “Bridge the Gap” program for new attorneys.
Lawyers in Pennsylvania who place their license on voluntary inactive status have their CLE obligation deferred.
When they return to active status, they have 12 months to complete not just the current year’s CLE requirement, but also any deferred credits (up to twice the annual amount).
Yes — Pennsylvania attorneys may request an extension or waiver for CLE reporting under 204 Pa. Code § 6. The CLE Board may grant extensions of time for completing CLE requirements in cases of undue hardship or compelling reasons.
Key Takeaway
Pennsylvania allows CLE reporting extensions or waivers under § 6 and Rule 113 for undue hardship or compelling reasons — submit a timely application with justification and plan, and pay the $50 filing fee, but approval is not automatic.
Yes — Pennsylvania requires that 6 of the 12 annual CLE credits be earned via “live-online or in-person/classroom” formats (i.e. synchronous or live courses). The remaining 6 credits may come from prerecorded (asynchronous) distance learning courses, subject to the Board’s limits.
Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, attorneys must earn half of their CLE credits through live formats (in-person or synchronous webcasts), and only the other half may be from prerecorded courses — in-person attendance is not required as long as the format is live.
Pennsylvania does not grant a post-deadline “grace period” beyond the compliance date. As long as CLE credits are earned by the compliance deadline, accredited providers have 30 days to report them, but noncompliance triggers formal penalties.
Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, there is no automatic grace period past your compliance deadline — meeting the deadline is essential, and failure triggers a 60-day cure window after official notice.
If you miss Pennsylvania’s CLE deadline, you’ll be assessed a $100 late fee and given a cure period to meet your obligations; if noncompliance continues, your name may be submitted to the Supreme Court for administrative suspension. Pennsylvania attorneys complete 12 CLE credits annually and are assigned to one of three compliance groups, each with its own deadline (April 30, August 31, or December 31).
Key Takeaway: Missing your Pennsylvania CLE deadline triggers a structured late-fee and cure process; continued noncompliance leads to administrative suspension unless you timely satisfy credits and fees.
No — Pennsylvania does not explicitly permit “late reporting” of CLE hours after deadlines; instead, noncompliance triggers a late-compliance fee and a grace period to remedy deficiencies before possible suspension.
Under the Pennsylvania CLE rules, if you miss your compliance deadline, the Board will notify you, you must pay a late compliance fee (usually $100), and you have 60 days to cure the deficiency before the Board reports noncompliance to the Supreme Court.
| Provision | Description |
|---|---|
| Late Compliance Fee | The Pennsylvania CLE rules provide a $100 fee for late compliance. |
| Notice |
Pennsylvania attorneys report CLE through provider-submitted attendance; individual lawyers do not need to file a separate credit report. Providers have 30 days after each activity to submit attendee lists to the Pennsylvania CLE Board, and attorneys are notified of their compliance status before their deadline.
Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, attorneys rely on CLE providers to report attendance within 30 days, and compliance is determined by the Board’s finalized attendance report—no self-filing is required.
Yes — judges in Pennsylvania have a separate continuing judicial education (CJE) requirement, distinct from the CLE rules for attorneys.
Under Supreme Court authority starting in 2017, commissioned judges of various Pennsylvania courts must annually complete 12 CJE credits (3 in judicial ethics, 9 in judicial practice or related areas).
Details
