MCLE Compliance

Active and House Counsel Members shall complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of Accredited Activity during each three (3) year reporting period. This includes at least three (3) CLE credits on legal ethics or professional responsibility, as approved by the Board or its designee. Such courses may include discussion of the Idaho Rules of Professional Conduct, professionalism and civility, client trust account administration, and legal malpractice prevention. See Idaho Bar Commission Rule 402.

Certify your MCLE compliance using our new MCLE Compliance Certification Form.

No more than fifteen (15) of the required thirty (30) credits may be self-study credits.

New Admittee CLE Requirements

Idaho Lawyers Practicing Out of State

Using Idaho MCLE for Another State

Check Attendance Records

Resources for Additional Credits

MCLE Forms

Course Accreditation
Reporting Periods
Reporting Form
Calculating Credit
Teaching Credits
Self-Study Credit Limit
Published Legal Writing Credits

Course Accreditation

Apply for course accreditation and pay any application fees online using our MCLE Application Form. The application fee is $75.

Affinity Groups (An Idaho-based legal group organized to promote the common interests of certain members of the ISB) pay a reduced application fee of $50. No application fee is required for applications submitted by the Idaho Supreme Court, the Bar and its sections or district bar associations, the Idaho Law Foundation, Inc., or individual members of the Idaho State Bar. Processing time is about 3 weeks. If you need to check the status of a pending application, use our Search Pending Applications page.

For more information, visit our MCLE Accreditation page.

Reporting Periods

All active members (with some limited exceptions) must report their MCLE credits every three years. For most attorneys, their first reporting period began on the date of admission to the Bar and ended on December 31st of the third full year following admission. After the initial reporting period, the reporting periods continue in three (3) year cycles. If an attorney transfers from active status to inactive status and then returns to active status, the reporting period may change. You can check your reporting period by checking your MCLE attendance records. Your reporting period will be listed along with your attendance records. Questions about reporting periods should be directed to the MCLE Department at (208) 334-4500 or email mcle@isb.idaho.gov.

Reporting Form

An MCLE Certificate of Compliance, reporting attendance at accredited CLE courses, must be provided to the Idaho State Bar at the end of each 3-year reporting period.

Calculating Credit

One (1) credit hour is given for each hour actually spent in attendance at an accredited course. No credit shall be given for time spent on introductory remarks, coffee and food breaks, business meetings, or other activities that do not involve educational aspects of the CLE activity.

Teaching Credits

An attorney who teaches an accredited course receives three (3) credit hours for each hour of teaching. No credit will be given for preparation time; time spent in introductory remarks, coffee and food breaks, business meetings, or other activities that do not involve educational aspects of the CLE activity; presentations by attorneys that include the promotion of goods or services; or CLE activities for which the attorney is directly compensated other than as an honorarium or for expenses.

An attorney teaching an activity where the primary audience is non-lawyers receives only one (1) credit hour for each hour of teaching.

Self-Study Credit Limit

Attorneys can earn only 15 “self-study” CLE credits during each reporting period.

A CLE program is considered to be a self-study program unless (1) Three or more participants attend the activity; and (2) the participants have access to the presenter during the CLE activity or, in the case of a video, audio, or other recordings, a moderator who is qualified to answer attendees’ questions about the CLE topic is present during the CLE activity.

Published Legal Writing Credits

A published legal writing authored by an attorney may qualify for CLE credit if the writing contributes to the attorney’s legal education; is intended for an attorney audience; and is an original writing that is published, in print or electronically, in a professional legal journal or publication. The published writing must be at least 1,000 words and one credit may be granted per 1,000 words. A maximum of 6 writing credits can be used per reporting period.