Florida CLE Requirements: 30 Hours, Ethics, and Technology

To keep your Florida law license in good standing, Florida CLE requirements call for 30 credit hours of approved continuing legal education every three years, with at least 5 of those hours in ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, or mental health and wellness, and at least 3 in technology.¹ Miss any piece of that by the end of your reporting cycle, even by a single credit in a single category, and you are deemed delinquent and prohibited from practicing law in Florida until you cure the shortfall.

The Three-Year Reporting Cycle

Florida runs on a rolling three-year cycle. You accumulate your 30 hours within your assigned period, the clock resets, and you start again at zero.² Your individual deadline is listed on your Florida Bar member profile, so check it early rather than at the end of the cycle.

Excess credits do not carry over.¹ Finishing a cycle with 35 hours does not give you a five-hour head start on the next one.

What Has to Be in Your 30 Hours

Hitting 30 total hours is not enough on its own. The Bar requires certain blocks within that total, and falling short in any one category counts as non-compliance.

Ethics, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health: 5 Hours

At least five of your 30 hours must cover approved programs in legal ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, or mental health and wellness.¹ Two of those five must come from a specific Florida Legal Professionalism course produced by The Florida Bar and approved by the Supreme Court of Florida.² A third-party seminar on professionalism does not substitute. The course is available through the Bar’s online member portal.³ The other three hours in this block can come from any approved ethics, substance abuse, or mental health program.

Technology: 3 Hours

At least three of your 30 hours must come from approved technology programs.¹ Courses in this category commonly address data privacy, cybersecurity, ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal work, and electronic discovery.

Electives: 22 Hours

After the five ethics/professionalism hours and three technology hours, 22 hours are open for any approved CLE activity relevant to your practice. Every course, elective or mandatory, must be approved by the Bar to count.²

Extra Requirements for Newly Admitted Members

If you were recently admitted to The Florida Bar, you have an additional obligation on top of the 30-hour CLE requirement called the Basic Skills Course Requirement (BSCR). It has two phases.⁴

Phase I: Complete “Practicing with Professionalism” within your first year of admission. This applies to every newly admitted member, regardless of age or prior experience in another state.
Phase II: Complete 21 credit hours of basic-level courses within your first three years of admission.

Phase II has a partial exemption. Attorneys who are 36 or older and have practiced for more than five years in another state do not have to complete Phase II, but they must file a BSCR Exemption Form with documentation of their out-of-state practice.⁴ Phase I has no exceptions.

Ways to Earn Credit Besides Live Seminars

CLE credit is not limited to sitting in on seminars. Teaching or lecturing at an approved CLE program, serving on a panel, or instructing an approved law school or graduate course can earn credit. Writing legal or professional articles may qualify if the Bar approves the submission. The Bar also offers a large catalog of on-demand online sessions, which is often how attorneys close a gap in the final weeks of a cycle.

Out-of-State CLE Courses

Florida is not a reciprocal CLE state. A certificate from a course approved by another state’s bar does not post to your Florida record automatically.⁵ To get credit, you file an Application for Course Attendance Credit and include a timed agenda or outline, a speaker biography, and a certificate of completion if one was issued. The Bar then decides whether the course meets Florida’s accreditation standards. Attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions often assume credits transfer; they do not.

Who Is Exempt from the 30-Hour Requirement

Rule 6-10.3(c) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar lists six categories of members exempt from the standard CLE requirement:⁶

Members on extended active military service during the reporting period, provided they file a report confirming that status. They cannot practice Florida law or advise on Florida legal matters while exempt, except as required by military duties.
Members who demonstrate special circumstances unique to them that create an undue hardship. The Board of Legal Specialization and Education reviews each request individually.
Members who have permanently lived outside Florida, have not practiced Florida law or advised on Florida legal matters for the preceding year, and certify those facts to the Bar. They also cannot practice Florida law while exempt.
Full-time members of the federal judiciary who are prohibited from private practice.
Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida and judges of district courts of appeal, circuit courts, and county courts.
Members who have formally moved to inactive status with The Florida Bar.

Coming back to active practice from an exempt or inactive status is not automatic. You have to fulfill the outstanding CLE requirements before resuming your reporting cycle.

How to Report Your Credits

You report completed CLE credits through The Florida Bar’s online member portal, which is also the official record of your coursework and shows how many hours you still need. Credits for courses produced by the Bar or taken through its platform usually post automatically. For outside providers, you self-report by entering the course number from the course description, along with the provider name, completion date, and credit type.¹

Keep certificates of attendance or completion, especially for outside and out-of-state courses. If the Bar questions a reported credit, you need documentation to back it up. Check your portal well before your deadline so you have time to fix reporting errors or add coursework.

What Happens If You Fall Short

Missing a CLE deadline is not a minor administrative issue. An attorney who fails to complete the required 30 hours by the end of their reporting cycle is deemed delinquent and prohibited from practicing law in Florida.¹ You cannot represent clients, appear in court, or give legal advice on Florida matters until the deficiency is cured.

Attorneys delinquent for fewer than five years can petition for reinstatement by completing the missing credits and paying a reinstatement fee, and delinquent members may also appeal to the Board of Governors. The longer the delinquency runs, the harder reinstatement gets, and prolonged non-compliance can bring disciplinary consequences well beyond fees.

1
The Florida Bar. Frequently Asked Questions About CLE Requirements
2
The Florida Bar. Professionalism CLE
3
The Florida Bar. Supreme Court-Mandated Professionalism CLE Now Available on the Member Portal
4
The Florida Bar. Basic Skills Course Requirement FAQ
5
The Florida Bar. Florida Bar Updates Process for Evaluating Unapproved CLE Courses
6
The Florida Bar. CLER Exemption Request Form