MCLE Requirements
Credit hours required: 45 hours per reporting period
Specialty credits required: 6 hours of ethics and professional responsibility and 15 hours of law and legal procedure per reporting period, as of January 1, 2016. See below for effect on compliance groups.
Length of reporting period: 3 years
Compliance date: December 31
Reporting date: February 1
Compliance group: There are 3 compliance groups. Attorneys are assigned to groups in a consecutive manner based upon their year of admission.
Minutes per credit hour: 60 minutes. To calculate credit for a specific program, divide the total length of the program in minutes by 60 and round up or down to the nearest quarter hour.
Limit on credit hours for recorded programs: Washington no longer has a live credit requirement as of January 1, 2016. Attorneys can earn all credits through approved live programs, recorded products, or other approved methods of earning credit such as writing and teaching. See the Washington State Bar Association website below for additional approved methods and pertinent requirements.
Attendance Reporting Procedure: The ABA reports attendance to the Washington State Board of Continuing Legal Education for live programs (in-person programs, webinars, and teleconferences) within 30 days after the program. The ABA does not report attendance for recorded products.
Approval of ABA Programs
The ABA is a general sponsor in Washington and submits applications for most programs to Washington for the following formats.
ABA Live Program Formats
Live, in-person meetings (e.g., National Institutes)
Live Webinars and Teleconferences
ABA CLE Product Formats
On-Demand Online Courses
Recorded products may be used for credit for up to 5 years from the original recording date. Skills programs may be available for a longer period as long as they are still timely.
State Contact Information
Washington State Board of CLE
Washington State Bar Association
1325 4th Ave., Ste. 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
(800) 945-9722 / (206) 443-9722
Website
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.