Members Administratively Suspended for MCLE or Fee

Minimum Continuing Legal Education, or MCLE, was instituted by the Supreme Court of Missouri in 1988 and requires all members of The Missouri Bar to meet annual continuing legal educational requirements as set forth in Rule 15 of the Supreme Court of Missouri and the Regulations to Rule 15.

If your license has been administratively suspended for previous failure to comply with the MCLE requirements of Rule 15 and/or the enrollment fee requirements of Rule 6, your licensure suspension does not affect your obligation to comply with the MCLE requirements for the 2020-2021 compliance period, including the filing of an MCLE annual compliance report. 

How can I remedy my administrative suspension to come into full compliance?
On Mar. 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of Missouri suspended the license of lawyers who had failed to meet the Rule 15 MCLE compliance requirements for the 2019-2020 extended compliance period. In order to remedy a suspension for the 2019-2020 compliance period, you must first complete all required CLE credits and record your CLE hours in your online annual compliance report. Once the minimum required CLE credits have been recorded, the compliance status on your main reporting page will change to “pending late fee” and instructions for paying the $300 late fee and $100 suspension fee will appear next to your status. Upon completion of your annual compliance report and full payment of the late fee and suspension fee, the MCLE Department will contact the Supreme Court of Missouri for removal of the suspension. Pursuant to Rule 15.06, you will be reinstated upon certification to the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Missouri that you are in full compliance with Rule 15.

Licensure suspensions resulting from failure to comply with the enrollment fee requirements of Rule 6 may be remedied by contacting the Supreme Court of Missouri’s Attorney Enrollment Office at 573-751-4144 or mae@courts.mo.gov

What are the 2020-2021 MCLE requirements?
Lawyers must complete 15 hours of CLE programs or activities. At least three of the total 15 credit hours must be devoted exclusively to accredited ethics activities, including professionalism, substance use, mental health, legal or judicial ethics, malpractice prevention, explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency. At least one of the three ethics credit hours must be devoted exclusively to explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency. See Supreme Court of Missouri Rule 15.05(a).

How may CLE hours be earned?
Lawyers may earn MCLE credit by attending accredited CLE programs and activities. 

Additionally, CLE credit may be obtained through self-study (up to six hours of general credit, not including ethics credit). A lawyer may also earn credit by speaking at accredited programs (including a limited amount of preparation time) or for writing an article on a legal issue or topic which is published in a professional journal (up to 15 hours). Finally, members of the Missouri General Assembly may earn CLE credit for legislative service.

When are the deadlines for completing and reporting compliance?
The deadline for MCLE compliance is June 30, 2021. The reporting deadline for the 2020-2021 annual report is July 31, 2021.  Due to last year’s extended compliance period, the current compliance year began Oct. 1, 2020, and concludes June 30, 2021.

How do I file my report of compliance?
MCLE annual reports of compliance are filed electronically at MoBar.org/MCLEReporting.  The Missouri Bar’s My MCLE online reporting platform provides members a comprehensive mechanism for reporting annual MCLE compliance, requesting program accreditation, and tracking compliance throughout the year.

How are carryover hours calculated?
Hours in excess of 15 hours earned between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, excluding self-study hours, may be carried over to the next reporting year and will be automatically reflected in your 2021-2022 online annual compliance report.

What if I attended a program not previously accredited in Missouri?
If a program has been accredited in Missouri, members can find it in the database of programs in the My MCLE online reporting platform. If a program sponsor did not seek accreditation in Missouri, individual members may seek attendance credit by submitting the program for accreditation at MoBar.org/MCLE and selecting “Member Request for Program Accreditation.” Following review of the program submission, approved programs for accreditation will be automatically added to the submitting member’s annual compliance report. 

How may I request additional time to complete the compliance requirement?
A lawyer unable to complete the necessary MCLE hours by June 30, 2021, may submit a deficiency plan at MoBar.org/MCLEReporting. The ability to submit a deficiency plan will be available July 1, 2021, after the compliance deadline has passed, and must be submitted on or before July 31, 2021, the filing deadline for MCLE annual reports.

Pursuant to Regulation 15.06.3, lawyers utilizing a deficiency plan must be compliant with Rule 15 no later than Sept. 30, 2021, to avoid the imposition of a late fee.

What happens if I do not complete the MCLE compliance requirement?
Lawyers who have not submitted a deficiency plan by July 31, 2021, and are not in compliance with Rule 15 by Aug. 31, 2021, will be notified and will incur a $200 late fee. The late fee for compliance before the end of each successive month shall increase by $50 until compliance is established, not to exceed $500. Pursuant to Supreme Court of Missouri Rule 15.06, a list of lawyers who are not in compliance with Rule 15 will be submitted to the Supreme Court of Missouri no later than March 1, 2022. Lawyers included on the delinquency list will be automatically suspended from practice. See Rule 15.06(f).

Lawyers who have submitted a deficiency plan by July 31, 2021, but who have failed to establish compliance by Sept 30, 2021, will be notified and will incur a $250 late fee, the amount assessed for failure to comply with Rule 15. The late fee for compliance before the end of each successive month after Sept. 30, 2021, shall increase by $50 until compliance is established, not to exceed $500. Pursuant to Supreme Court of Missouri Rule 15.06, a list of lawyers who are not in compliance with Rule 15 will be submitted to the Supreme Court of Missouri no later than March 1, 2022. Lawyers included on the delinquency list will be automatically suspended from practice. See Rule 15.06(f).

Are there any exemptions from completing MCLE?
Lawyers who have not engaged in the active practice of law in Missouri during the compliance period and certain government officials may be exempt from fulfilling Rule 15 requirements. Additionally, lawyers for whom compliance is unreasonably difficult due to disability, isolated military service, age or good cause shown, may request an exemption or other hardship modification. Exemptions may be claimed and hardships may be requested via the My MCLE online reporting platform at MoBar.org/MCLEReporting. Also see Regulations 15.05.2-3 for complete information regarding exemptions and hardship requests.

How can I contact the MCLE Department?
The MCLE Department may be reached at 573-638-2233 or mcle@mobar.org.