Preparing for the Mcle Compliance Deadline

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Author: ERIC LEDGER, ESQ.
• Publication year: 2015
• Citation: Vol. 28 No. 4

Preparing for the MCLE Compliance Deadline

ERIC LEDGER, ESQ.

Oakland, California

The Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) compliance deadline for those with last names beginning A-G is February 1, 2016, which is fast approaching. Don't find yourself on the uncomfortable end of an audit. The general rules for compliance follow:

1. Active members of the State Bar are required to complete 25 hours of MCLE every three years.
2. Members must fulfill at least one-half of their MCLE requirement with activities approved for "participatory" MCLE credit.
3. The maximum number of hours of "self-study" is 12.5.
4. Of the 25 hours, 6 hours must be completed in the following special categories, which may be completed as participatory or self-study credit:
1. Legal Ethics: 4 hours (required)
2. Competence Issues (formerly known as Prevention, Detection and Treatment of Substance Abuse or Mental Illness): 1 hour (required)
3. Recognition and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and Society: 1 hour (required)

Here are some tips to make sure you are MCLE compliant. First, log in to your State Bar profile and navigate to the CLE Summary and Tracking Tool. This tool automatically keeps track of all MCLE credits you've earned, which were reported to the State Bar. This can be a perk of attending programs the Workers' Compensation Section sponsors. The CLE Summary automatically tracks your attendance, making it easy for you to review the MCLE that you've completed and see where you might be deficient.

Second, ifyou are a member of the Workers' Compensation Section, you are entitled to six free self-study credits as part of your membership. These six credits alone make your membership worthwhile. The best part is that the six free hours will cover completely the required special topics of ethics, competence, and elimination of bias. You can access those free six hours by signing into your...