Free compliance check
Mandatory CLE Credits by State: Requirements Validator | Caseledge
Confirm whether your CLE credit tally satisfies the mandatory hours and categories required by your licensing state.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements vary significantly across US jurisdictions. Some states operate on annual reporting cycles, others on biennial or triennial cycles, and each imposes distinct sub-category minimums for ethics, professionalism, diversity, and technology credits.
This validator lets you select your licensing state and confirm whether your current CLE tally meets the mandatory thresholds set by that state's bar or supreme court. It also flags carryover rules and specialty credit caps where they apply.
Use it as a compliance self-check before your reporting deadline. It is not a substitute for verifying credits directly with your state bar or MCLE regulator.
Why use itBuilt for the way law firms actually work
Jurisdiction-specific rules
Covers annual, biennial, and triennial reporting cycles for seven high-volume attorney states.
Ethics and bias category checks
Validates sub-category minimums for ethics, diversity, technology, and substance abuse credits.
Deadline awareness
Flags reporting deadlines tied to birth month, compliance group, or fixed calendar dates.
Instant results
Runs entirely in your browser and shows a compliance summary the moment you check off rules.
100% free
No paywall, no trial, no upsell to a paid CLE tracking product or subscription.
No signup required
You do not need an account or email address to run the validator and view results.
ProcessHow it works
- 01 Select your licensing state
Pick the jurisdiction where you are admitted and required to report CLE credits.
- 02 Review each requirement
Read the state-specific rules covering total hours, sub-category minimums, and reporting deadlines.
- 03 Check off completed items
Mark each rule you have satisfied based on your current transcript or CLE tracker.
- 04 Read the compliance summary
See how many rules you have met and which required items still need attention.
- 05 Verify with your state bar
Log in to your state bar portal to confirm the official transcript before your deadline.
CoverageWhat's included
- Total CLE hours required per reporting cycle
- Ethics and professional responsibility minimums
- Diversity, bias elimination, and inclusion credits
- Technology, cybersecurity, and data protection credits
- Substance abuse and mental health credit requirements
- Reporting deadlines and compliance group rules
- Carryover and self-study caps where applicable
ContextWhy this matters
CLE noncompliance is one of the most common reasons attorneys face administrative suspension. State bars regularly publish lists of attorneys whose licenses have been placed on inactive or suspended status for failing to complete or report mandatory credits on time.
The rules are not uniform. New York requires 24 credits every two years with specific carve-outs for cybersecurity and diversity. California recently added a technology requirement to its 25-hour triennial cycle. Florida imposes a 3-credit technology mandate within its 33-credit triennial total. Missing a sub-category minimum can leave an attorney short even if the total hours look correct.
For solo attorneys and small firms without a compliance officer, a quick self-check against jurisdiction-specific rules can prevent last-minute scrambling before a deadline, avoid late-filing fees that often exceed $200, and eliminate the risk of a suspension that must be disclosed on future bar applications and malpractice renewals.
Q&AFrequently asked
- Mandatory CLE credits are the continuing legal education hours that each state bar or supreme court requires licensed attorneys to complete within a defined reporting cycle. The number of hours, sub-categories, and cycle length vary from one jurisdiction to another.
- Yes. The validator is free, requires no account, and does not store the answers you check off. It runs entirely in your browser.
- It is intended for US-licensed attorneys, paralegals tracking attorney compliance, and law firm administrators who need a quick self-check against state CLE rules before a reporting deadline.
- Paid CLE trackers such as Attorney Credits or CE Manager store your transcript and file credits on your behalf. This validator only confirms whether the rules you have satisfied match the state minimums; it does not upload credits to your state bar.
- Use it 30 to 60 days before your reporting deadline so you have time to complete any missing credits, particularly sub-category requirements such as ethics or technology that often trip attorneys up.
- No. This is an informational tool. You should always confirm your official credit total and reporting status through your state bar's member portal before certifying compliance.
- The most frequent mistake is meeting the total hour requirement but falling short on a specific sub-category, such as ethics, diversity, or technology credits. Missing a single specialty hour can render the entire filing noncompliant.
- Register for accredited on-demand or live CLE programs immediately, prioritize any sub-category deficits, and confirm the provider reports credits directly to your state bar. If your deadline has passed, contact the bar about late-compliance procedures and fees.