California's MCLE Requirements

California's Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Requirement:
The State Bar of California requires attorneys to complete 25 Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit hours every 3 years. The 25 CA MCLE hours must include 4 hours of legal ethics, 1 hour of competence issues (formerly substance abuse), and 2 hours of elimination of bias in the legal profession and society, one of which must be in implicit bias and the promotion of bias reducing strategies.

California MCLE Deadline:
California State Bar groups attorneys into 1 of 3 compliance groups depending on your last name. The MCLE deadlines for these groups are:

   Group 1 (A-G)
   Compliance Deadline: Jan 31st, 2025
   Reporting Deadline: Feb 1st, 2025

   Group 2 (H-M)
   Compliance Deadline: Jan 31st, 2024
   Reporting Deadline: Feb 1st, 2024

   Group 3 (N-Z)
   Compliance Deadline: Jan 31st, 2023
   Reporting Deadline: Feb 1st, 2023

State Bar of California Accredited MCLE Providers:
LexVid is an accredited MCLE provider in the State of California. All of LexVids on-demand courses are considered participatory and count toward fulfilling your California MCLE requirement.

LexVid CA Accredited Provider: #14350

Frequently Asked Questions About California MCLE Compliance

How do I report my California MCLE compliance?
Attorneys are required to report compliance by their deadline by mailing in the affidavit sent to them by the State Bar or electronically through their My State Bar Profile. You do not need to send in your certificates or report the individual courses you have completed.

What if I'm a newly admitted attorney in California?
New attorneys in California have a reduced MCLE requirement under Rule 2.72(C). The number of MCLE hours you need to complete is proportional to the amount of time you have been a member of the bar. You can find the proportional requirement table here: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/

What if I've been inactive or exempt for part of my California MCLE cycle?
Attorneys who were inactive or exempt for any amount of time during their CLE cycle are subject to the same proportional requirement as new attorneys under Rule 2.72(C). You can find the proportional requirement table here: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/

What if I don't comply by my California MCLE deadline?
Failing to comply with the CA MCLE deadline results in a $75 late fee. You must pay the fine and comply by June 30th in the year of your deadline. Otherwise, you will need to request an extension or risk disciplinary action.?

What if I take a continuing legal education course outside of the state of California?
Attorneys can earn credit for courses taken while physically outside of California as long as the course was accredited by an Approved Jurisdiction. The list of Approved Jurisdictions can be found here: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/

How are California continuing legal education credit hours calculated?
CLE credit is calculated by rounding the length of the program instruction to the nearest 1/4.

Can I carry over extra California CLE credit hours?
Sorry, according to Rule 2.72(D), attorneys who earn more than 25 hours during a compliance period cannot carry excess hours forward to the next compliance period.

Are LexVid programs participatory in California?
Yes! All of our on-demand programs are considered participatory in California. That means you can fulfill your entire MCLE requirement right here!

Can I earn self-study CLE credits in California?
All LexVid CLE courses are participatory. However, you can earn up to a maximum of 12.5 self-study credits [Rule 2.72].

How long do I need to keep my California MCLE certificates?
Attorneys must maintain their records of CLE program attendance for one year from the time compliance is reported in case they are audited. All of your LexVid certificates can be found at lexvid.com/secure/completed/california-mcle. To learn more about what to do in case of an MCLE audit, please visit the following link: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/

How can I contact the California MCLE board?
   The State Bar of California MCLE Department
   180 Howard Street
   San Francisco, CA 94105-1639
   Phone: 888-800-3400
   Email: mcle@calbar.ca.gov

What do I do if I am audited by The California Bar?
The California Bar will notify you via mail and email if your MCLE compliance is being audited. If you are audited, you will need to log into your State Bar Profile and complete the online MCLE Summary Log. Next, you will need to email your certificates of compliance in a single PDF attachment to auditsubmission@calbar.ca.gov. Make sure you reference your bar number in the subject line of the email.

Please note that you can download all of your LexVid certificates at once into a ZIP file by visiting lexvid.com/secure/completed/california-mcle.
Failure to submit adequate proof by the stated deadline will result in a $75 penalty, and issuance of a 60-day Notice of Non-Compliance. If such proof and penalty payment is not submitted by the final deadline of October 30th, you will be placed on Not Eligible to Practice status effective on October 31st of your audit year.

What if I have more questions about California MCLE?
Check our help center: https://help.lexvid.com, shoot us an email at support@lexvid.com or give us a call at 1-877-327-1226. We look forward to hearing from you!