Illinois CLE Requirements: Hours, Exemptions, and Reporting

Illinois CLE requirements call for every actively licensed attorney to complete 30 hours of continuing legal education every two years, including at least six hours on professional responsibility topics. All 30 hours must be finished by June 30 of your reporting year, and your online transcript with the Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Board must show compliance by July 31. Miss those dates and late fees start; miss the grace period and you come off the Master Roll.

The 30-Hour Requirement

Established practitioners complete 30 approved CLE hours during each two-year reporting period ending June 30.1Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794 – Continuing Legal Education Requirement The hours can come from live or recorded seminars, law school classes, in-house training, teaching, legal writing, pro bono service, and other approved activities.

Six of the 30 hours must address professional responsibility. These are counted inside the 30-hour total, not on top of it. Qualifying topics include legal ethics, professionalism, civility, sexual harassment prevention, diversity and inclusion, and mental health and substance abuse.1Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794 – Continuing Legal Education Requirement Two of those six carry specific sub-requirements:

  • At least one hour on diversity and inclusion.
  • At least one hour on mental health and substance abuse.

The other four professional responsibility hours can come from any qualifying topic on the list.2State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Amends Rule on Minimum Continuing Legal Education Requirement Attorneys who complete the yearlong Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program approved under Rule 795(d)(11) can satisfy all six professional responsibility hours through that program, including the diversity and mental health pieces.3Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 795 – Accreditation Standards and Hours

Which Reporting Year Applies to You

Illinois assigns attorneys to one of two groups by last name. Surnames beginning A through M report in even-numbered years; surnames N through Z report in odd-numbered years.1Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 794 – Continuing Legal Education Requirement For 2026, Group A-M is on the clock, with a reporting period running July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026.

Two dates to keep in front of you:

  • June 30 of your reporting year. All 30 hours, including the six professional responsibility hours, must be completed.
  • July 31. Your MCLE Board online transcript must reflect full compliance. If it doesn’t, you owe a late fee and enter a grace period.4Illinois State Bar Association. CLE Frequently Asked Questions

If You Were Recently Admitted

New Illinois attorneys follow a separate first-year track before joining the regular cycle. Within one year of admission, you must complete:5Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 793 – Requirement for Newly-Admitted Attorneys

  • A Basic Skills Course of at least six hours covering practice fundamentals like client communication, trust accounts, recordkeeping, and professional responsibility. All six hours count as professional responsibility credit. The Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program can substitute for this course.
  • Nine additional CLE hours in any combination of general and professional responsibility credits.
  • Compliance reporting to the MCLE Board as required by Rule 796.

That totals 15 hours in the first year. Once the first-year deadline passes, your initial two-year reporting period begins on the next July 1 that matches your last-name group.

Anyone admitted on or after January 1, 2028 will need a Basic Skills Course that includes at least half an hour of instruction on access-to-justice topics such as pro bono service or limited-scope representation, a component that must appear in all Basic Skills Courses submitted for accreditation beginning January 1, 2027.5Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 793 – Requirement for Newly-Admitted Attorneys

Who Is Exempt

Not every licensed Illinois attorney owes CLE hours. Rule 791 exempts:6Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 791 – Persons Subject to MCLE Requirements

  • Attorneys registered as inactive or retired under Supreme Court Rule 756.
  • Attorneys on disability inactive status under Rules 757 or 758.
  • Justices, judges, associate judges, and magistrates of any federal or state court, plus judicial law clerks and certain court staff who are prohibited from practicing law as a condition of employment.
  • Attorneys on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, until they leave military service and return to practice.
  • Attorneys whose primary office (or residence, if they have no office) is in another state with comparable MCLE requirements, provided they are in full compliance with that state’s CLE rules.
  • Attorneys granted a temporary hardship exemption or extension by the MCLE Board for good cause. The Board describes these as rare.

If you’re returning to active practice from an exempt status, confirm with the MCLE Board which reporting period you fall into and whether any transitional requirements apply.

Ways to Earn the Hours

Rule 795 recognizes a wide range of activities beyond traditional seminars, several of them with credit calculations that reward preparation work:3Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 795 – Accreditation Standards and Hours

  • Teaching a CLE course. Full credit for the first presentation, half for repeats, with preparation counted at six times presentation time. A one-hour talk can yield up to seven hours of credit.
  • Teaching at a law school. Part-time faculty earn credit at three times presentation time for preparation, plus full credit for the initial class session.
  • Legal scholarship. Writing law books or law review articles earns credit, capped at 15 hours per publication per reporting period.
  • In-house programs at law firms, corporations, or government agencies. Discussions of specific pending cases do not qualify.
  • J.D. or graduate-level courses at ABA-accredited law schools, capped at the minimum required hours for the period.
  • Cross-disciplinary programs that blend law with fields like accounting-tax or medical-legal. Purely non-legal subjects don’t qualify.
  • Pro bono legal service. One hour of CLE credit for every two hours of service, capped at five credits per two-year reporting period.
  • Service on qualifying Illinois Supreme Court boards, commissions, or committees. One hour per qualifying meeting, capped at 12 hours per reporting period, and these hours cannot carry over.

All courses must have meaningful educational content related to the practice of law and be conducted by a qualified instructor or group. Live and recorded formats both qualify.

Carrying Over Extra Hours

Earn more than 30 hours in a reporting period and you can carry up to 10 excess hours into the next period. Up to six of those carried-over hours can be professional responsibility credits.7MCLE Board. How Are Carryover Hours Calculated From a Two-Year Reporting Period to the Next Plan ahead and you can start a new cycle needing as few as 20 general hours. Hours earned through Supreme Court board service are specifically ineligible for carryover.3Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 795 – Accreditation Standards and Hours

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

Missing the July 31 reporting deadline sets off a specific sequence under Rule 796, and it moves faster than most attorneys expect:8Illinois Courts. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 796 – Enforcement of MCLE Requirements

  • Attorneys who miss the initial deadline can request a grace period extension and pay a late fee. That buys 92 additional days from the initial reporting deadline to reach compliance.
  • If compliance still isn’t reported and fees still aren’t paid by the grace period deadline, the MCLE Board refers the attorney to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The ARDC removes the attorney from the Master Roll on the same date as the referral. Once removed, the attorney is no longer authorized to practice law in Illinois.
  • Reinstatement requires completing all outstanding CLE hours for every noncompliant reporting period, plus a reinstatement fee for each. Attorneys removed across three or more reporting periods have their required credits and fees capped at the three most recent periods.

The distance between missing a deadline and losing the ability to practice is only a few months. Address a shortfall well before June 30 rather than counting on the grace period as a safety net.

How to Report and Keep Records

The MCLE Board runs an online transcript system that serves as your official compliance record. Accredited course providers usually report credits directly, so your transcript may already list many of your completed hours. Practical steps:

  • Log in well before June 30. Look for courses that weren’t automatically reported and contact the provider or add them manually.
  • Check that your transcript shows at least six professional responsibility hours, including the one hour of diversity and inclusion and one hour of mental health and substance abuse.
  • Confirm full compliance on the transcript by July 31. The Board uses the transcript as your compliance report.
  • Keep certificates of attendance and other documentation. If the Board audits your transcript, you’ll need proof for every reported activity.

Certificates should include the provider’s name, the course title, the date you attended, and the number of credits earned. A simple digital folder organized by reporting period keeps you covered if questions come up after you’ve filed.