April 21, 2020

    MCLE - West Virginia

    Detailed jurisdiction information about MCLE regulations and general information accreditation of ABA CLE events, webinars, teleconferences, and on-demand CLE courses

    MCLE Rules Changes

    The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
     has issued an order suspending the live CLE requirement through June 30, 2020. West Virginia attorneys may now complete all 24 hours of their requirement online through webinars or on demand programming.

    On Thursday, April 16, 2020 the Court issued a second order extending the general CLE reporting deadline from June 30, 2020 to September 30, 2020, as well as extending the time to complete the Bridge the Gap program, which is mandatory new attorney training. Attorneys admitted between July 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019 now have a one-year extension of the original 24-month requirement for completion. The extension of the Bridge the Gap compliance deadline was due to the live course requirement and the cancellation of the April 2020 training session. 

    MCLE Requirements

    Credit hours required: 24 hours per reporting period

    Specialty credits required: 3 hours of legal ethics, office management, substance abuse and/or elimination of bias in the legal profession per reporting period

    Length of reporting period: 2 years

    Compliance date: June 30 of even-numbered years

    Reporting date: July 31 of even-numbered years

    Compliance group: All attorneys report biennially.

    Minutes per credit hour: 50 minutes. To calculate credit for a specific program, divide the total length of the program in minutes by 50 and round down to the nearest one-hundredth of an hour.

    Limit on credit hours for recorded programs:Attorneys can earn up to 12 CLE hours via recorded programs per reporting period. ABA recorded product formats listed below are approved in West Virginia.

    Attendance Reporting Procedure: Attorneys must self-report CLE program attendance within 30 days of completion of the activity. The ABA does not send certificates of attendance to the CLE Commission of the West Virginia State Bar.

    Approval of ABA Programs

    The ABA is a presumptively accredited provider in West Virginia and is approved for the following formats.

    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

    State Contact Information

    West Virginia State Bar
    Continuing Legal Education Commission
    2000 Deitrick Blvd.
    Charleston, WV 25311-1231

    (304) 553-7238 / (866) 989-8227
    e-mail: greshamh@wvbar.org 
    website: www.wvbar.org

    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.