Ohio CLE Requirements for Attorneys

Experienced Attorneys are attorneys admitted to the Ohio State Bar that have completed their first biennial reporting period and the NLT newly admitted requirement.

Experienced Ohio Attorneys must complete a minimum of twenty-four credits of CLE for each biennial compliance period, including a minimum of 2.5 credit hours of instruction on one or any combination of the following Professional Conduct topics:

• Legal Ethics - CLE courses that deal directly with the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct
• Professionalism - CLE courses that focus on the role of attorneys in promoting ethics and professionalism
• Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, or Mental Health Issues - Courses that are about their causes, prevention, detection, and treatment options
• Access to Justice -  Courses that deal with fairness in the courts and how these issues impact public trust and confidence in the judicial system and the perception of justice in Ohio. This includes any combination of the following topics:
  • Interacting with self-represented litigants
  • Encouraging pro bono representation
  • Accommodating language interpretation
  • Assuring fairness in matters of race, ethnicity, foreign origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or other relevant topics.

Experienced OH Attorneys can fulfill their CLE Requirements by attending CLE classes that have been approved and accredited by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Some examples of acceptable CLE course formats include:

• Self-Study CLE
  • On-Demand Video or Audio
  • Live Interactive Webinar
• Live CLE
  • Live Technology CLE in a group setting with a moderator in the room
    
  • Traditional Classroom setting (faculty in room with participants)

OH attorneys can complete all 24 credits on Lawline. Our Ohio course catalog can be found here. 

Yes! Experienced Attorneys can receive credit for:

• Teaching a Law School Course
  • For each semester hour taught by an adjunct or part-time professor at an American Bar Association-accredited law school, attorneys may receive 3 credits the first time the course is taught. Subsequent teaching of the course may receive one-half credit per semester hour. 
  • For each semester hour taught by a full-time professor at an American Bar Association-accredited law school, attorneys may receive one-half credit.
  • Prorated credit may be granted for quarter or trimester hours.
    
• Publishing an Article or Book - Ohio attorneys may earn up to twelve credit hours for authoring and publishing an article or book. There is a maximum of twelve credit hours for publications during a biennial compliance period.
• Attending a Law School Class - Ohio attorneys can earn three credit hours for each semester hour of a course taken at an ABA-accredited law school. Prorated credit may be granted for quarter or trimester hours.
• Mayor’s Court Education - For every two credit hours of accredited mayor’s court education for the purpose of serving as a mayor’s court magistrate, an attorney may earn one CLE credit hour.
• Pro Bono Legal Service - For every six hours of pro bono legal service performed, attorneys may earn one CLE credit hour. In a biennial compliance period, there is a maximum of six CLE credit hours earned for pro bono legal service. “Pro bono” is defined here as a legal service provided to either a person of limited means or a charitable organization in which the legal service is assigned, verified, and reported to the Commission by any of the following:
  • An organization receiving funding for pro bono programs or services from the Legal Services Corporation or the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation;
  • A metropolitan or county bar association;
  • The Ohio State Bar Association;
  • The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation;
  • Any other organization recognized by the Commission as providing pro bono programs or services in Ohio.

Experienced Attorneys must complete their CLE requirement by December 31st of their biennial reporting cycle. An attorney’s reporting cycle depends on his or her reporting group.

Ohio attorneys are divided into two reporting groups, depending on last name. Attorneys whose last names begin with a letter from A through L must complete the continuing legal education credit requirement on or before December 31st of each odd-numbered year.

Attorneys whose last names begin with a letter from M through Z must complete the continuing legal education credit requirement on or before December 31st of each even-numbered year.

Yes! Experienced Attorneys can carry over up to 12 excess General CLE credits to the following biennial reporting cycle.

Ohio attorneys are not able to self-apply for self-study CLE credit, but they may self-apply for live-in person courses.

Commission on CLE 
30 E. Broad Street, 35th Fl. 
Columbus, OH 43266-0419 
614-387-9320    
ccle@sc.ohio.gov
https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/attorneys/cle/

Ohio CLE FAQ Page

http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/attysvcs/cle/activitysearch/