Delaware CLE Requirements for Attorneys

An attorney in Delaware is considered an Experienced Attorney after they have been admitted to the DE Bar for 4 years and have completed their first two reporting cycles.

Experienced Attorneys must complete 24 credits, including at least 4 Enhanced Ethics, every 2 years. Of the 24 credits required, 12 must be Live In-Person.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their CLE requirement in Delaware by completing courses that have been approved and accredited by the Delaware Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Examples of accepted course formats include:

eCLE

• CLE Online courses (On Demand Videos, Webcasts, Webinars, etc.)
• CLE Audio courses
• CLE Telephone or Video Conferences

Live CLE  (Minimum 12 credits per reporting period)

• CLE Classes in a Live Traditional Classroom

Yes! attorneys can receive credit for:

• Published legal research-based writing. Attorneys can earn credit for uncompensated writing and publication. Generally, articles published in general circulation newspapers and periodicals will not receive credit. Brief published works that the Commission deems worthy of credit receive 2.5 credits, while substantive articles that get published in professional newspapers and periodicals and show research and analysis receive 5 credits. Law review articles, books, or chapters of published works may receive more credit. Form 7 
• Speaking or Teaching courses.  Attorneys can earn credit for being a teacher or panelist of a CLE program or law school course. Form 8
• Moderation at an accredited CLE activity. Attorneys who moderate programs but do not otherwise teach in the program can earn CLE credits. Credits are awarded on the basis of 1.5x the time of attendance of the portion of the program moderated. Form 8-A
• Judging a Moot Court Competition. Attorneys can earn credits for judging a moot court competition. Form 8-B(1)
• Participating as a judge or coach in a mock trial competition. Attorneys can earn 3 general CLE credits by participating as a Judge or a Coach in a Mock Trial Competition, with a maximum of 3 credits per day of competition. Form 8-B(2)
• Providing pro bono legal services. Attorneys can earn CLE credits for giving Pro Bono legal services. Credit is awarded at a rate of one hour of CLE credit for every six hours of uncompensated legal services performed. Form 13
• Participation in Professional Work. Attorneys can earn CLE credit for various types of professional work.
  • For work with the Board of Bar Examiners, attorneys can receive the following amounts of credit per year of service. Form 9-A
    • Board Members - 12 credits, including 2 ethics
    • Associate Members - 6 credits, including 1 ethics
    • The Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Board -  6 credits, including 1 ethics
  • For work with the Board on Professional Responsibility or Preliminary Review Committee, attorneys can receive 4 ethics credits per year of service. Form 9-B
  • For work with the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, attorneys can receive 2 ethics credits per year of service. Form 9-C
    

Yes! Attorneys can carry over up to 20 excess credits into the next biennial reporting cycle. Enhanced Ethics credits can carry forward as general CLE credits.

The deadline to complete CLE credits in Delaware is December 31st each year. However, because the reporting period is every two years, the year in which a particular attorney is due to report depends on when they were admitted to practice.

Attorneys admitted in even numbered years must complete credits by December 31st in even numbered years, and attorneys admitted in odd numbered years must complete credits by December 31st in odd numbered years.

Delaware attorneys can complete up to 12 credits on Lawline through On Demand courses. 

Lawline's Live Webcasts do not count for Live credit in Delaware.

Delaware is a self-apply only state. Attorneys can self apply for course accreditation by filling out the form below:

Delaware Self Study Application

Commission on CLE 
200 W. 9th Street, Suite 300-B 
Wilmington, DE 19802 
302-651-3941 
Margot.Millar@state.de.us 
http://courts.delaware.gov/index.aspx

Delaware CLE FAQ Page

https://courts.delaware.gov/cle/

https://courts.delaware.gov/rules/index.aspx#cle

https://www.dsba.org/