Question 1

Who is considered an Experienced Attorney in Texas?

Accepted Answer

Experienced attorneys are those who have been admitted for more than 2 years following their birthday.

Question 2

What are the TX CLE Requirements for Experienced Attorneys?

Accepted Answer

All attorneys in Texas must complete fifteen (15) hours of CLE per compliance year. At least three (3) of the 15 hours must be devoted to Ethics/Professional Responsibility.

Question 3

What is the “Compliance Year” for Experienced Attorneys in TX?

Accepted Answer

The compliance year is a one-year period that begins on the first day of the attorney’s birth month and ends one year later on the last day of the month preceding the birthday.

For example, if the attorney’s birthday is January 24, their compliance year would be January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023. If the attorney’s birthday is June 12, the compliance year would be June 1, 2023 through May 30, 2024.

Question 4

How can Experienced Attorneys in TX fulfill their CLE Requirements?

Accepted Answer

At least twelve (12) of the 15 hours must be in accredited CLE classes or activities, including live group presentations, live and pre-recorded online CLE and webinars and by reviewing approved downloadable CLE programs such as podcasts and programs recorded onto DVD and CD. Other course delivery formats may be approved for CLE credit as “developed through advanced technology”.

Question 5

Are there other ways Experienced Attorneys in TX can earn CLE credit?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Experienced attorneys can receive credit for:

Self-Study: Up to three (3) hours can be completed via self-study. Self-study credit refers to credits for a CLE activity that is performed by an individual acting alone or while attending a non-accredited professional education activity. Time spent viewing or listening to audio, video, or digital media as part of an organized CLE activity approved by the Committee counts as conventional continuing legal education and is not subject to the self-study limitation. Only one (1) hour of the Ethics/Professional Responsibility requirement can be fulfilled by self-study.
Attending Law School: Up to thirty (30) hours of CLE can be earned per compliance year for attending ABA-accredited, in-person law school courses after admission to practice. Credit can only be earned in this manner through in-person classroom instruction, not through electronic means.
Teaching CLE: Attorneys may earn credit for teaching or participating in accredited CLE activities. Credit may be earned for both presentation and preparation time, and preparation time for repeated presentations.
Legal Research and Writing: Attorneys may earn CLE credit for legal research-based writing, and can apply for credit for these activities to the CLE Committee. The activity needs to have:
- Produced published material in the form of an article, chapter, or book written, in whole or in part, by the applicant
- Contributed substantially to the attorney’s own CLE education and the CLE education of other attorneys
- Not been done during the ordinary course of the practice of law, the performance of regular employment, or as a service to clients.
Teaching Law School: Attorneys who hold full-time faculty positions in ABA-accredited law schools may be credited as fulfilling the Texas CLE requirements, except with regards to the Ethics/Professional Responsibility requirement. Attorneys who hold part-time faculty positions in ABA-accredited law schools may claim participatory credit for actual hours of classroom instruction (up to 12 hours per compliance year), except with regards to the Ethics/Professional Responsibility requirement.
Mentorship Program: Attorneys may earn a maximum of five (5) hours, including one (1) ethics hour, per compliance year for participating in a Mentor Program that is either sponsored or cosponsored by the State Bar of Texas or otherwise approved by the MCLE Committee, is open to all members of the State Bar, and is completed in conjunction with MCLE approved training. The purpose of the Mentor Program is to prepare attorneys for providing pro-bono services or for managing professional responsibility challenges and shall consist of substantive legal training as opposed to coaching or personal encouragement.

Question 6

What is the deadline for Experienced Attorneys in TX to complete their CLE credits?

Accepted Answer

All CLE requirements should be completed by the last day of the MCLE compliance year for any given year. Each attorney has an automatic grace period until the last day of his or her birth month to complete and report MCLE hours for that compliance year.

Question 7

Can Experienced Attorneys in TX carry over CLE credits from one cycle to another?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Attorneys can carry over accredited CLE credits completed during any compliance year in excess of the minimum 15 hour requirement to the following compliance year’s requirement.

Question 8

Can Texas attorneys self-apply for course approval?

Accepted Answer

Texas attorneys can only self-apply for in-person courses located outside of Texas. If you would like a Lawline course approved for Texas credit, please reach out to us at support@lawline.com.

Question 9

How many credits can TX attorneys complete on Lawline?

Accepted Answer

Attorneys can complete all 15 credits on Lawline. Our Texas course catalog can be found here.

Question 10

What are the TBLS CLE Requirements for Attorneys?

Accepted Answer

Attorneys who are certifying compliance for the first time must complete sixty (60) hours of TBLS-approved CLE in their specialty area by December 31 of the year in which they apply for certification. Attorneys are allowed to begin completing their CLE courses up to 3 years in advance of certification, and are encouraged to begin taking courses before receiving the results of their certification exam.

Attorneys who are being recertified as legal specialists in any one of 23 specialty areas by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization must complete at least one hundred (100) hours of TBLS-approved CLE in their specialty area.

Question 11

How can Attorneys fulfill their TBLS CLE Requirements?

Accepted Answer

Attorneys must complete CLE programs that are approved by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. TBLS updates their database daily with new programs for attorneys to choose from, and offers a search tool to find upcoming TBLS-approved programs in a particular specialty area. Credits completed must be in the attorney’s designated area of specialization in order to count towards the TBLS CLE requirement.

Question 12

Are there other ways Attorneys can earn TBLS CLE credit?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Attorneys may earn some TBLS CLE credit for the following activities:

Teaching CLE: Credit shall be granted for preparation time as well as presentation time. Preparation time can be claimed for repeat presentations.
Legal Research-Based Writing: Credit may be earned for this if the activity (i) produced material published or to be published in the form of an article, chapter, or book written, in whole or in part, by the applicant; (ii) contributed substantially to the continuing legal education of the applicant and other attorneys; and (iii) is not done in the ordinary course of the practice of law, the performance of regular employment, or as a service to clients.
Teaching at a Law School: Attorneys who have full-time faculty positions at any ABA-approved law school may be credited as fulfilling the entire CLE requirement.. Those who hold part-time faculty positions at any such law school may claim up to 12 credits per year for actual hours of class instruction.
Self-Study: Attorneys may receive up to 5 hours of self-study credit in a particular specialty area each year.

Question 13

What is the deadline for Attorneys to complete their TBLS CLE credits (Certification)?

Accepted Answer

The deadline for certification is December 31 of the year in which the attorney applies for specialization certification. Because the results of the October certification examination may not come in until after December 31, attorneys are strongly encouraged to begin completing their CLE before receiving their exam results.

Question 14

What is the deadline for Attorneys to complete their TBLS CLE credits (Recertification)?

Accepted Answer

Attorneys must complete their 100 TBLS-approved CLE credits in their area of specialization by December 31, every 5 years from initial certification.

Question 15

Can Attorneys carry over TBLS CLE credits from one cycle to another?

Accepted Answer

During the initial certification period, attorneys may not carry forward excess hours but are allowed to begin completing courses up to 3 years in advance of the December 31 deadline.

For those who are in a recertification period, attorneys can carry forward up to fifteen (15) credit hours in excess of the 100 hour minimum to the following recertification period.

Question 16

What is the deadline for attorneys in TX to report their CLE credits?

Accepted Answer

Attorneys in Texas must report their CLE credits each year by the end of their birth month.

Question 17

How do TX attorneys certify compliance?

Accepted Answer

It is the responsibility of all Texas attorneys to report their own credit hours to the Texas State Bar. Texas attorneys have two options to report their compliance:

Log into My Bar Page on the Texas State Bar website and scroll down to “My MCLE Hours”.
Submit a Credit Input Form by mail to the State Bar of Texas. The Credit Input Form is mailed to all Texas attorneys along with the MCLE Annual Verification Report, but it cannot be copied or reproduced so if an attorney wants to report compliance in this way and needs another copy of the form, he or she will need to reach out to the State Bar of Texas by calling 800-204-2222 (ext. 1806) or 512-427-1806.

Attorneys in Texas are responsible for ensuring that their attendance file is accurate and up-to-date. Lawline will automatically report your completion of this course after you claim credit to Texas, and we report weekly on Tuesdays. If you need to be reported before then, you may self-report your credits online using the course IDs found on your certificates of completion.

Question 18

How do TBLS Attorneys certify compliance?

Accepted Answer

Certification attorneys must certify their compliance on the report that is filed on December 31 of the year of application.

Recertification attorneys certify their compliance every 5 years by:

filing an annual report;
paying both their annual and recertification fees for the applicable specialty area by the deadline established by TBLS;
Providing the names and addresses of attorneys and judges as references for the peer review process by the deadline established by TBLS; and
Completing the CLE requirement for recertification

Texas CLE Requirements for Attorneys

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Texas CLE Requirements At a Glance

TX CLE Requirements - Experienced Attorneys

TBLS CLE Requirements

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TX CLE Requirements - Compliance & Reporting

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