Colorado Supreme Court, 0518 COBJ, Vol. 47, No. 5 Pg. 74
| Position | Vol. 47, 5 [Page 74] |
COURT BUSINESS
Rules Committees
Rule Change 2018(04) Colorado Rules of Procedure Regarding Attorney Discipline and Disability Proceedings, Colorado Attorneys’ Fund for Client Protection, and Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and Judicial Education
Rule 250. Mandatory Continuing Legal And Judicial Education
Rule 250.1. Definitions
Rule 250.2. Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Requirements
Rule 250.3. The Supreme Court Advisory
Committee and the Continuing Legal and
Judicial Education Committee
Rule 250.4. Attorney Regulation Counsel
Rule 250.5. Immunity
Rule 250.6. Accreditation
Rule 250.7. Compliance
Rule 250.8. Access to Information
Rule 250.9. Representation in Pro Bono Legal Matters
Rule 250.10. Participation in the Colorado
Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP)
PREAMBLE: Statement of Purpose
As society becomes more complex, the delivery of legal services likewise becomes more complex. Te public rightly expects that lawyers, in their practice of law, and judges, in the performance of their duties, will continue their professional development throughout their legal careers. Te purpose of mandatory continuing legal and judicial education requirements is to promote and sustain competence and professionalism and to ensure that lawyers and judges remain current on the law, law practice management, and technology in our rapidly changing society.
Rule 250.1. Definitions
(1) An “accredited” CLE activity is an educational endeavor that meets the criteria in these Rules and the CLJE Committee’s Regulations Governing Mandatory Continuing Legal and Judicial Education and satisfies the requirements of C.R.C.P. 250.6.
(2) “CLE” stands for “Continuing Legal Education,” which is any legal, judicial, or other educational activity that meets the criteria in these Rules and the Continuing Legal and Judicial Education (CLJE) Committee’s Regulations Governing Mandatory Continuing Legal and Judicial Education and, therefore, satisfies the requirements of C.R.C.P. 250.2.
(3) A “CLE credit” or a “CLE credit hour” is a measurement unit combining time and quality assigned by the CLJE Office to all or part of a particular continuing legal educational activity. A CLE credit hour will be the equivalent of attending 50 minutes of an accredited program with accompanying textual material unless otherwise specified in these rules.
(4) “CLE transcript” means the official record maintained by the CLJE Office of a registered lawyer’s or judge’s CLE credit hours earned during a CLE compliance period and will be used to verify a registered lawyer’s or judge’s compliance with the CLE requirements.
(5) The “CLJE Committee” is the Colorado Supreme Court’s Continuing Legal and Judicial Education Committee.
(6) “Compliance period” means the three years during which a registered lawyer or judge is required to earn the minimum number of CLE credits.
(7) “Court” means the Colorado Supreme Court.
(8) “Judge” is a judicial officer who is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission on Judicial Discipline or the Denver County Court Judicial Discipline Commission.
(9) “Office of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education” (CLJE Office) is the central office of the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel that administers and implements these rules and the CLJE Committee’s Regulations Governing Mandatory Continuing Legal and Judicial Education.
(10) “Provider” means any individual or organization that offers continuing legal education activities.
(11) “Registered lawyer” is a lawyer who has paid the registration fee required by C.R.C.P. 227 for the current year and who is not on inactive status, or suspended, disbarred, or placed on disability inactive status by the Court.
(12) “Teaching” means participating as a speaker, lecturer, presenter, or moderator in any accredited CLE activity.
(13) “These rules” refer to rules 250.1 through 250.10 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.
Rule 250.2. CLE Requirements
(1) CLE Credit Requirement. Every registered lawyer and every judge must complete 45 credit hours of continuing legal education during each applicable CLE compliance period as provided in these rules. Te 45 credit hours must include at least seven credit hours devoted to ethics. Failure to comply with these requirements in a timely manner as set forth in these rules may subject the registered lawyer or judge to a fee, a penalty, and/or administrative suspension.
(2) Compliance Period. All registered lawyers and judges become subject to these rules on the date of their admission or certification to the bar of the State of Colorado. The first compliance period begins on the date of admission or certification and ends on the 31st of December of the third full calendar year following the year of admission or certification to practice law in Colorado. For non-lawyer judges, the first CLE compliance period begins on the date of appointment as a judge and ends on the 31st of December of the third full calendar year following the year of appointment as a judge. Subsequent CLE compliance periods begin o n the 1st of January immediately following a previous compliance period and end on the 31st of December of the third full calendar year thereafter. Compliance periods that commenced under the previous C.R.C.P. 260 will continue without interruption under these rules.
(3) Reporting. All registered lawyers and judges must report compliance as set forth in C.R.C.P. 250.7.
(4) Lawyer Status and Compliance. Any registered lawyer who has been suspended under C.R.C.P. 227A(4), or who has elected to transfer to inactive status under C.R.C.P. 227A(6)(a), will, upon being reinstated pursuant to C.R.C.P. 227A(5) or (7), become subject to the minimum continuing legal educational requirements set forth in these rules on the date of reinstatement, pursuant to C.R.C.P. 250.2 and as set forth in paragraph (5) of this rule.
(5) Modification of Compliance Period. A registered lawyer’s obligation to comply with these rules during a compliance period will be deferred if the lawyer has been suspended for any reason other than noncompliance with these rules, has elected to transfer to inactive status, or has been placed on disability inactive status by Court order. However, upon reinstatement or return to active status, the compliance period will be calculated as follows:
(a) If the registered lawyer remains on suspension, inactive status, or disability inactive status for one year or longer, the start of the compliance period will begin on the date of reinstatement from suspension or disability inactive status, or date of transfer to active status, and will end on the 31st of December of the third full calendar year following the start of the compliance period.
(b) If the registered lawyer is suspended, on inactive status, or on disability inactive status for less than one year, the compliance period will not be recalculated. However, upon reinstatement or return to active status, the lawyer will have 91 days from the date of reinstatement or return to active status, or the remainder of the original compliance period, whichever is longer, to complete and report all deferred CLE requirements as otherwise set forth under C.R.C.P. 250.7, and to pay any penalties or fees that accrued before the suspension or transfer to inactive status. Failure to complete deferred CLE requirements or to pay related penalties or fees during this 91 day period will subject the lawyer to suspension pursuant to C.R.C.P. 250.7(8).
(c) No registered lawyer will be permitted to change status to circumvent these rules.
(6) No Roll-Over Credits. CLE credit hours completed in excess of the required 45 credit hours in any applicable compliance period may not be used to meet the minimum educational requirements in any subsequent compliance period.
(7) Exemptions.
(a) Inactive or Suspended Status. A lawyer who is on inactive status, disability inactive status, or under suspension during his or her entire CLE compliance period is excused from the CLE requirements for that compliance period.
(b) Age. A registered lawyer or judge will be exempt from the CLE requirements of these rules starting on the registered lawyer’s or judge’s 72nd birthday. On the...
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