Vermont CLE Requirements: Hours, Caps, and Reporting

Vermont CLE requirements call for active-status attorneys to complete 24 hours of accredited continuing legal education every two years, including at least 2 hours of ethics, 1 hour of attorney wellness, and 1 hour of diversity and inclusion.¹ The remaining 20 hours can cover any qualifying legal topic. The full system is set out in the Vermont Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.²

The 24 Hours and What Has to Be in Them

Every two-year reporting period, you need 24 approved credit hours. Four of those hours are locked to specific subjects: 2 in ethics, 1 in attorney wellness, and 1 in diversity and inclusion.¹ The other 20 are yours to allocate across any accredited legal programming.

Teaching an accredited CLE course, publishing legal scholarship, and mentoring newly admitted attorneys can also count toward your total under Rule 6, though each activity type carries its own credit-hour ceiling.¹ Pro bono legal work does not earn CLE credit in Vermont, so volunteer hours, however valuable, will not appear on your CLE transcript.

Format Caps You Need to Respect

Vermont recognizes three format categories, and the rules impose real constraints on how you split your 24 hours among them. At least 12 hours must come from either moderated programming (live instruction where you can ask questions in real time) or non-moderated programming with interactivity as a key component, such as recorded content that includes built-in engagement features like quizzes or guided exercises. No more than 6 hours can come from non-moderated programming without interactivity, meaning passive formats like watching a recorded lecture or listening to an archived audio session.¹

If you max out your 6 passive hours, the remaining 18 must involve some interactive element.

Reporting Period and Deadline

Vermont uses a two-year biennial cycle that runs from July 1 through June 30 of the second successive year. Each attorney is assigned to report in either even-numbered or odd-numbered years, based on date of admission to the bar.² The MCLE Board sends a notice before June 1 of your reporting year reminding you that credits must be completed and certified by June 30.

At the close of the period, you certify compliance on the licensing statement you file when renewing your license. Credits earned after June 30 count toward your next reporting period, not the one that just closed.¹

Carrying Over Extra Credits

If you earn more than 24 hours in a reporting period, any excess hours completed during the second year of that period can carry forward to the next cycle. Vermont does not cap carryover credits, but only second-year hours qualify. Anything above 24 that you earned during the first year of the period cannot be banked.¹ Plan around this: if you’re going to stack extra programming, doing it in the second year of your cycle is what earns you the carryover.

If You Fall Short

Reaching June 30 without your full 24 hours does not mean immediate suspension, but the clock starts. You must file an MCLE Makeup Plan through the Attorney Portal as part of your license renewal, laying out how and by when you’ll earn the missing credits. Filing the plan adds a $50 fee to your renewal cost.¹

You then have until November 15 of your renewal year to complete the plan and electronically file a Certification of Completion. Miss that November 15 deadline and your license is subject to administrative suspension.¹ A separate $50 fee applies if you request accreditation for a CLE activity more than 30 days after it took place, so submit accreditation requests promptly.

Administrative suspension means you cannot practice law in Vermont until your license is restored. To start reinstatement, email the Office of Attorney Licensing at AttyLicensing@vtcourts.gov with your request and preferred effective date, and the office will respond with the specific steps.³ The MCLE Board can extend reporting deadlines for good cause. The rules don’t spell out qualifying hardships, so if a medical issue, military deployment, or other serious circumstance puts compliance out of reach, contact the Board before the deadline rather than after.²

If You’re Newly Admitted

New admittees carry an additional obligation on top of the standard 24 hours. You must complete 15 hours of specially approved CLE focused on Vermont practice and procedure, and at least 9 of those 15 hours have to come from moderated or interactive programming. The window runs from one year before admission to one year after.⁴

Your first regular reporting period also runs on a different clock. Instead of starting July 1, it begins on your actual date of admission and ends on June 30 of the second full year after the year you were admitted.² That longer initial window gives you room to meet both the 15-hour introductory requirement and your first set of standard credits.

How to Report Your Credits

You certify CLE compliance through the Attorney Portal when you renew your license at the end of each reporting period. Enter the details of each completed program (course title, date, and credit hours), certify that the information is accurate, and the system confirms your compliance status.¹ If you’re short, the portal is also where you file the Makeup Plan. Any discrepancies generate a notification so you can correct entries before your status is finalized.

1
Vermont Judiciary. Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
2
Vermont Judiciary. Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
3
Vermont Judiciary. Attorney Licensing
4
Vermont Bar Association. First-Year CLE Requirements for Newly Admitted Attorneys