Nine primary responsibilities of all CLE sponsors

• Elimination of Bias = Ethics Credit: Because one of the required ethics hours must be an elimination of bias credit, elimination of bias is calculated as part of the total ethics hours;
• Ethics = Part or all of the 15 Hour Total: Because three of the required total hours must be ethics, ethics is calculated as part (or all in some cases) of the total 15 hours required;
• Total Hours = Ethics (which must have one Elimination of Bias) + Practice Hours: Because 15 total hours are required and three of them must be ethics, the total hours are comprised of ethics (including elimination of bias) plus any other practice hours.
• Examples: A program worth two elimination of bias credits will be reported as two elimination of bias; two ethics; and two total hours. A 50-minute program on substance abuse in the law will be reported as zero elimination of bias; one ethics; and one total hour.

#2 Accurately calculate program credit hours
One credit hour = 50 minutes of instruction. Minutes of instruction do not include introductory remarks, coffee or meal breaks or business meetings. The number of credit hours shall be computed by determining the total minutes of instruction or the equivalent; dividing the total by 50; and rounding the quotient up or down to the nearest one-tenth of an hour.
A stand-alone program must be at least 50 minutes in length to receive accreditation.

#3 Know what qualifies for ethics or elimination of bias credit

• Professionalism = Ethics: Professionalism includes, but is not limited to, instruction concerning legal or judicial ethics; the duties of attorneys to the judicial system, courts, public, clients, and other attorneys; the concept of a profession; history of the legal profession; rules of professional conduct; comparison of the legal professions in different nations; and jurisprudence and philosophy of law.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health = Ethics: Substance abuse and mental health programs include, but are not limited to, the prevention, detection, and response to substance abuse and mental health issues in the legal profession, including available lawyers’ assistance programs.
• Legal or Judicial Ethics = Ethics: Legal or judicial ethics include, but are not limited to, instruction concerning Rules 2 and 4 of the Supreme Court Rules and the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct and Code of Judicial Conduct. They do not include instruction on topics such as attorney fees, client development, law firm administration, marketing or advertising, law office economics, and practice systems except to the extent that the topics set forth directly and substantially relate to those legal or judicial ethics.
• Malpractice Prevention Programs = Ethics: Malpractice prevention programs include, but are not limited to, instruction concerning law office systems and procedures that reduce the possibility of professional errors and omissions and instruction concerning the malpractice potential in substantive areas of law.
• Explicit or Implicit Bias, Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Competency = Ethics/Elimination of Bias: Topics of explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion and cultural competency that focus on issues in the legal profession and practice of law. To receive credit in this area, courses must cover eliminating bias, increasing representation, and reducing harassment, and barriers to the hiring, retention, promotion, professional development, and full participation of underrepresented groups in the legal profession. Credit shall not include the substantive law of illegal discrimination except to the extent it directly and substantially relates to the topics set forth.

#4 Timely apply for program accreditation
Sponsors desiring accreditation of a CLE program or activity should apply for accreditation with The Missouri Bar no later than 60 days prior to the date on which the program is scheduled. While The Missouri Bar may exercise discretion in accrediting a program outside of the 60-day deadline provided for by Regulation, timely submission and approval of CLE programs assures that attendees can locate programming in The Missouri Bar’s online system.

#5 Provide sufficient documentation for accreditation review
Sponsors must provide a complete timed agenda, to include the starting and ending times of all sessions, breaks, etc., indicating the total number of hours in which the CLE program will take place. Additionally, sponsors should provide outlines, brochures, advertising descriptions, power point slides or other materials sufficient to determine that the content of the CLE program qualifies for the credit type sought.

#6 Adhere to standards in administering programming
It is desirable that high quality written materials be made available to all participants at or before the time the program is presented. The CLE program must be conducted in a comfortable physical setting, conducive to learning and it is desirable that there be suitable writing surfaces if the program is conducted in lecture format.

#7 Differentiate in advertising between accredited in-person and live remote programming versus on-demand programming for self-study
Missouri lawyers may report up to six self-study hours during a compliance period. Such self-study hours may not include ethics or elimination of bias credit. Sponsors should be knowledgeable about the difference between accredited programs, such as in-person and live remote programming, and those activities which will only count towards self-study credit, such as on-demand programming. Attendees rely heavily on the advertisement of program sponsors when determining whether to enroll in a program and will be highly dissatisfied to learn that a program advertised as accredited may only be used towards self-study.

• Live Remote: Programs that utilize materials electronically presented live, recorded, or reproduced may be accredited programs. Such programs will be accredited and not considered self-study programs if a qualified instructor is available, either in person or via telephone or other means of communication, to comment and answer questions. Live remote programming must take place on a specified date with a designated start and stop time;
• On-Demand: Lawyers may receive up to six hours of self-study credit in a reporting year by studying law-related materials, including, but not limited to videotapes and audio presentations. Recorded programming that can be accessed by the viewer at any time and does not have a specified access date with a designated start and stop time is on-demand programming which is not accredited and can only be utilized towards self-study.

#8 Provide evaluation questionnaires
At the conclusion of an approved program, each participating lawyer must be given the opportunity to complete an evaluation questionnaire addressing the quality, effectiveness, and usefulness of the program. Summary results of the questionnaires applicable to each speaker must be provided to that speaker in a timely fashion. Sponsors must maintain the questionnaires for one year following a program pending a request for submission of them or a summary thereof to The Missouri Bar.

#9 Maintain attendance records
Each sponsor shall retain records of attendance at all programs for at least three years after the date of completion. A record of attendance by an individual lawyer shall be made available to the lawyer, his or her attorney, or The Missouri Bar upon request.