Category: Mandatory Continuing Legal Education

• Which members of the State Bar of Georgia are required to complete MCLE?
  All active, non-exempt members who are not part of the Transition into Law Practice Program.
• What is the CLE requirement?
  18 CLE hours including 3 ethics hours and 2 professionalism hours every two years. The CLE deadline is always Dec. 31 of every odd year.
• How am I notified if my hours are deficient?
  You can view your online CLE transcript at any time. Lawyers needing hours to complete their requirement will receive up to three email notices prior to the CLE deadline notifying them of their requirement. These notices will be sent six months, three months and 1 month prior to the deadline to the email address on file with the State Bar of Georgia.
• Who is exempt from MCLE?
  1. Members who are inactive (on their license fee status with the Membership Department) for the entire compliance period.
  2. Out-of-state members who neither practice in Georgia nor represent Georgia clients for the entire compliance period.
  3. Out-of-state members who comply with the CLE requirements of their resident state ($75 fee required with this exemption.) It does not matter if the resident state has a different CLE compliance period as long as the attorney in in compliance with the CLE requirements of their resident state.
  4. Members who turned 70 before Jan. 1, 2026.
  5. Judges who are prohibited from practicing law.
  6. Designated statewide elected officials.
  7. Active-duty military.
  8. Attorneys who establish special circumstances constituting undue hardship.
  9. Members who have been actively practicing in Georgia for more than 40 years without a disciplinary suspension.
• What happens in the event an attorney fails to comply with the Mandatory CLE program?

  If an attorney remains in noncompliance, the Supreme Court of Georgia will be notified so that it may enter any order it deems appropriate including suspension from the practice of law until, as a minimum, the deficiency is corrected, all penalty fees are paid and a reinstatement fee is paid.

• What are sponsor fees and attorney fees?

  All courses entered into our CLE database are charged a $4 per hour, per attorney fee. Sponsors of the seminars are required to pay this fee for courses held in Georgia and for online/distance-learning courses. Attorneys are required to pay this fee if the CLE provider does not pay this fee. An attorney can pay the $4 per hour fee to the State Bar of Georgia when attendance is reported, or can be billed on the CLE transcript. Attorney fees can be paid online throughout the year.

• How can I view my CLE record?

  You can check your CLE record by logging into your member portal and clicking “Check My CLE Status.”

• How can I best comply with my MCLE requirements?

  Take all the required hours before the CLE deadline. Remember that the CLE deadline is always Dec. 31 of every odd year. The CLE Department will allow six weeks after the compliance deadline for courses to post on transcripts. On Feb. 15 of every even year, a $200 late fee will post on the transcript for any lawyer who is still in noncompliance for the previous compliance period.

  Monitor your record during the year by logging into your member portal by clicking here. Some sponsors take several weeks to report your attendance, so check back if a seminar is not listed in your record. If it does not appear, contact the CLE Department staff at cle@gabar.org or 404-527-8710.

• How are CLE exemptions taken by attorneys?

  Age 70 exemptions have been entered for all members who turned 70 prior to Jan. 1, 2026.

  Forty years of practice exemptions are entered automatically for qualifying members at the beginning of each biennial compliance period. Lawyers shall be exempt from the continuing legal education requirements beginning in the compliance period immediately following the lawyer’s eligibility.

  Inactive exemptions are entered automatically for members electing inactive membership status for the full biennial compliance period.

  Out-of-state exemptions are entered by the member by electing the exemption on their online CLE transcript. The CLE transcript can be found by logging into the member portal and clicking “Check My CLE Status.”

  All other exemptions must be taken by the member biennially. Exemption forms can be found here.

• Can any CLE hours be taken by online or other distance learning format?

  Distance Learning CLE. In addition to traditional approved continuing legal education activities attended live and in-person by groups of attorneys, distance learning delivery formats are acceptable provided they are designed specifically as organized programs of learning and meet the other accreditation standards set out in these Rules and Regulations. Examples of qualifying distance learning formats include: live CLE activities presented via video or audio replays of live CLE activities; computer-based CLE activities, on demand CLE programs, teleconference CLE programs and live CLE webcasts/webinars. Attorneys can earn all or any portion of their CLE requirement through Distance Learning CLE programs.

• Can CLE hours be carried forward?

  Yes.

  • Regular CLE hours - 18 hours can be carried to the next compliance period
  • Ethics hours - 3 ethics hours can be carried to the next compliance period
  • Professionalism hours - 2 professionalism hours can be carried to the next compliance period
• While on inactive status, would I have to take CLE hours? Are there other requirements to maintain inactive status besides paying inactive license fees?

  You are not required to take CLE hours while you are inactive. There are no other requirements to maintain your inactive status. You may remain inactive for an unlimited amount of time. While you are inactive it is very important to keep your address updated with the Bar and pay your license fee. You may change your address by logging into your member portal by clicking here.

• Would I have to take CLE hours to regain my active status from inactive?

  If you were active for any part of the previous compliance period, then within one month of activating your membership, you must complete the CLE hours for the previous compliance period.

  You will need to complete the full CLE requirement for the current compliance period by the compliance period deadline. Be sure to consider this when you are activating at the end of a compliance period. The compliance period deadline is always Dec. 31 of every odd year.

• If I am inactive and wish to take CLE hours anyway, are there any restrictions?

  Up to two years of CLE hours (24 credit hours) taken while inactive can be carried over and applied when you reactivate.

• If I live out of state and do not practice in Georgia, am I required to go inactive?

  You are not required to change to inactive status. In order to eliminate the CLE requirement if you are not practicing in Georgia and live out of state, you may file an out of state exemption. You can take this exemption from your online CLE transcript that you can find when you log into your member portal and click “Check My CLE Status.”