Nevada CLE Requirements: 13 Hours, Categories, and Exemptions

Nevada CLE requirements call for 13 hours of continuing legal education each calendar year: 10 general credits, 2 ethics credits, and 1 credit on substance abuse or mental health, all due by December 31. The rules apply to every active member of the State Bar of Nevada and to attorneys certified to practice under Rule 49.1, unless a specific exemption fits your situation.¹

The Three Credit Categories

The 13-hour total is not one bucket. The State Bar tracks each category separately, and coming up short in any one of them counts as noncompliance even if your overall hours exceed 13.

10 hours of general credits on any accredited legal topic.
2 hours of ethics and professional conduct.
1 hour on substance abuse or mental health issues that affect professional competence.

One credit equals 60 minutes of participation in an approved program.² All 13 must be completed by December 31.³

Deadlines and Late Fees

The compliance calendar is tighter than many attorneys assume, and the old February 15 date floating around in older references is not the current rule.⁴

December 31: all 13 hours completed and your affirmation of attendance submitted.
January 1 through March 1: extension period for anyone who missed December 31, with a $100 extension fee.
March 1: hard deadline. Attorneys still noncompliant face a $250 late fee.

Reinstatement after an administrative suspension runs between $250 and $1,250 depending on the circumstances.⁵

Reporting happens through the State Bar’s online portal. For each course you’ll need the certificate of attendance, the provider’s name, the activity date, and the Nevada Board of CLE course ID number on the program materials.⁶ Keep every certificate. If the Board audits your file, the certificate is the only proof that counts.

What Formats Count

Nevada places no cap on distance learning. You can earn all 13 hours through live webcasts or on-demand recorded programs, which keeps compliance workable for attorneys in rural counties or carrying heavy caseloads. Live in-person seminars count as well.

Teaching and Writing

Teaching an accredited CLE course or publishing legal scholarship can earn credit, but you must apply to the Board within 30 days of the event or publication date. Late applications carry a $50 fee.⁵

Pro Bono Service

Uncompensated legal work earns one general credit for every three full hours of service, capped at four credits per year. The service must run through a legal aid organization that receives IOLTA funds or through a court-sponsored program approved by the Nevada Access to Justice Commission.³ Pro bono alone won’t fill your requirement, but it can offset a meaningful chunk of your general hours.

Banking Credits for Future Years

If you earn more than the minimum, Nevada lets you carry the surplus forward, with separate caps by category:

General: up to 20 excess hours.
Ethics: up to 4 excess hours.
Substance abuse: up to 2 excess hours.

Carried-forward credits stay valid for the next two calendar years. After that, any unused surplus expires.³ Front-loading ethics or substance abuse hours buys breathing room, but you can’t stockpile indefinitely.

Who Is Exempt

Supreme Court Rule 214 carves out several exemptions from the annual CLE requirement:³

Newly admitted attorneys are exempt for the remainder of the exam year and the first full calendar year after admission. CLE obligations begin January 1 of the second full calendar year following admission. TIP still applies.
Full-time federal judges are exempt while serving.
Voluntary inactive members owe nothing for a year if they move to inactive status in writing before year end and weren’t already in default.
Active-duty military stationed outside the United States for more than 60 days in a calendar year can request an exemption by March 1, renewable annually for up to five years.
Attorney legislators are exempt from the 10 general credits in a regular session year, but still owe the 2 ethics hours and 1 substance abuse hour.

Separately, active members of the judiciary and attorneys age 70 or older are exempt from the annual CLE fee. The fee exemption and the credit-hour exemption are distinct, so check your specific status before assuming one covers the other.

The Transitioning Into Practice Program for New Attorneys

Every newly admitted Nevada attorney must complete the Transitioning Into Practice program (TIP), separate from the general CLE exemption for new admittees. TIP pairs you with a mentor who has practiced in Nevada for at least seven years and was selected by the Court for commitment to ethics and professionalism.⁷

The mentoring plan requires at least six activities from one or more practice areas, is designed to be finished in six months, and expects at least two hours of in-person meetings per month. Submission goes through the Bar’s online portal with a $350 program fee. Missing the December 31 deadline of your first full year of admission without an extension triggers a $250 fine and suspension until you finish.

The Nevada Supreme Court has approved eliminating TIP effective December 31, 2027, as the state moves to the Nevada Comprehensive Licensing Exam. Attorneys subject to TIP in 2026 have until December 31, 2027, to finish. Anyone admitted after TIP sunsets will not need to complete the program.⁸

What Happens If You Don’t Comply

Under Supreme Court Rule 213, the Board sends a notice of noncompliance by certified mail once you’ve missed the deadlines. You then have 30 days to finish your requirements or request a hearing. If you do neither, the Board petitions the Supreme Court to suspend you, and the Court generally grants the petition.⁹

Suspension means no representing clients, no court appearances, and no holding yourself out as an attorney until you’re reinstated. Reinstatement requires completing all delinquent credits plus an additional 15 hours of CLE, including at least 6 in ethics and 1 in substance abuse, within the 12 months before you file your reinstatement application. Those 15 hours sit on top of your regular annual requirement.³ A missed deadline turns expensive quickly, so don’t wait until December to start earning credits.

1
State Bar of Nevada. Board of Continuing Legal Education
2
State Bar of Nevada. Nevada Board of Continuing Legal Education Regulations
3
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Supreme Court Rules
4
State Bar of Nevada. Rules, Deadlines, Forms and Resources
5
State Bar of Nevada. Nevada Board of Continuing Legal Education Regulations
6
Supreme Court of Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts. Certificate of Attendance for CLE Credits
7
State Bar of Nevada. TIP Mentor Program Manual
8
State Bar of Nevada. TIP Program to Expire December 2027
9
Nevada Supreme Court. ADKT 0577 Order – SCR 213 Noncompliance