New York
MCLE Rules Changes
The New York MCLE Board has issued an order temporarily allowing Newly Admitted Attorneys to complete their live Skills requirement via live webinar, teleseminar, or videoconference. This change is effective through June 30, 2020.
MCLE Requirements
Credit hours required for experience attorneys: 24 hours per reporting period
Specialty credits required: 4 hours in ethics and professionalism credit per reporting period and, of the remaining 20 credits, 1 hour in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias credit per reporting period.
Length of reporting period: 2 years
Compliance date: 30 days after birthday in alternate years
Reporting date: 30 days after birthday in alternate years
Compliance group: Attorneys must register and complete their CLE requirement by the end of their reporting period. Attorneys admitted before 1982 or in even-numbered years register in even-numbered years and certify compliance for the prior two-year period. Attorneys admitted after 1982 in odd-numbered years register in odd-numbered years and certify compliance for the prior two-year period.
Minutes per credit hour: 50 minutes. To calculate credit for a specific program, divide the total minutes of instruction by 50 and round down to the nearest half hour.
Credit requirements and format limitations for newly admitted attorneys: Attorneys who are admitted to the New York state bar two years or less are considered to be newly admitted attorneys and are required to take 16 hours of transitional credit in each of the first two years (3 hours of ethics and professionalism, 6 hours of skills, and 7 hours of law practice management or areas of professional practice each year). Effective January 1, 2016, New York revised its format restriction rules to allow newly admitted attorneys to earn CLE credit for certain categories of transitional credit via approved webinar, teleconference, or on-demand/recorded products, in addition to the traditional live classroom setting or fully interactive videoconference. As of January 1, 2016, newly admitted attorneys also may earn ethics and professionalism credit, law practice management, and areas of professional practice credit through approved webinars or teleconferences, and may also earn credit for law practice management and areas of professional practice through on-demand/recorded products. Skills credit may only be earned through the traditional live classroom setting or through a fully interactive videoconference for newly admitted attorneys. Newly admitted attorneys based in law offices outside of the United States may earn up to 16 credit hours in any approved format; the remaining credit hours must be completed in a format permissible for the credit category. Newly admitted attorneys eligible for a prorated CLE requirement must complete the credit in a format permissible for the credit category, except that no more than 14 credits may be earned through approved on-demand/recorded formats. See below for approved ABA formats for experienced and newly admitted attorneys.
Newly admitted attorneys may not earn credit in the new diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias credit category. This credit type does not qualify for transitional credit.
Attendance Reporting Procedure: The ABA issues New York certificates of attendance to attorneys after verifying their participation. Attorneys must retain these certificates for four years after the program and certify completion of CLE requirements each reporting period. The ABA does not send certificates of attendance to the New York board.
Approval of ABA Programs
Approved ABA CLE Product Formats
The ABA is an accredited provider in New York and is approved for the following formats. Experienced attorneys may earn credit through any of the approved formats below in all NY credit categories (ethics and professionalism, skills, law practice management, and areas of professional practice) for all the approved formats. Newly admitted attorneys may earn credit for the formats below subject to the indicated credit restrictions.
Approved ABA Live Program Formats
Live, In-Person meetings (e.g., National Institutes)*
Live Webinars and Teleconferences**
Approved ABA CLE Product Formats
On-Demand Online courses***
*Credit available for all credit categories for newly experienced attorneys
** Credit available for all credit categories except skills (i.e., credit available for ethics and professionalism, law practice management, and areas of professional practice)
*** Credit available for experienced attorneys and for newly experienced attorneys in the law practice management and areas of professional practice credit categories (i.e., credit not available for ethics and professionalism and skills)
State Contact Information
New York State Continuing Legal Education Board
25 Beaver Street, Room 888
New York, NY 10004
(212) 428-2105
Toll-free outside NYC: (877) 697-4253
e-mail: CLE@nycourts.gov
website: www.nycourts.gov/attorneys/cle
A Note About MCLE Credit
The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only. Each state has its own rules and regulations indicating what qualifies for CLE credit. Certain programs, subjects, and formats may not receive credit in some states and there may be specific rules regarding who may earn credit or the maximum number of credit hours that may be earned with specific formats. Please contact your state MCLE regulatory entity for specific questions about your MCLE rules.
