Illinois Newly Admitted CLE Requirements for Attorneys

Newly Admitted Attorneys are attorneys admitted to the Illinois bar for two years or less.

Newly Admitted Attorneys must complete a six-hour Basic Skills course that has been approved by the MCLE Board to meet the Basic Skills requirement, as well as nine additional hours of approved CLE credits of their choosing. 

Newly Admitted Attorneys in Illinois can complete their requirements in one of  three ways:

1. Attend a six-hour Basic Skills course plus nine additional CLE hours of the attorney's choosing
2. Participate in a year-long Mentoring Program approved by the Commission of Professionalism for at least six credits, and attend an additional nine CLE hours of the attorney's choosing
3. Do a combination of the above and attend a six-hour Basic Skills course, participate in a year-long, six-credit Mentoring Program, and attend an additional three CLE hours of the attorney's choosing

Newly Admitted Attorneys can fulfill their full requirement on Lawline by completing our six-hour Basic Skills course plus nine additional CLE hours of their choosing.

The Newly Admitted Attorney requirement must be completed within 1 year after being admitted to the bar, by the last day of the month.

Yes! Newly Admitted Attorneys in Illinois may carry a maximum 15 hours of CLE credit. Up to six (6) approved Professional Responsibility credit may be carried over, but only to the attorney’s initial two-year reporting period requirement. Details regarding carrying over credit can be found on the MCLE Board website.

The initial reporting period is the first two-year compliance reporting period following the attorney’s completion of the Newly Admitted Requirement.

The MCLE Board automatically enters a report of compliance for you when your transcript reflects that you’ve met your compliance. Please see here for more information regarding the online transcripts.

Newly admitted attorneys that were admitted to the Illinois State Bar before January 1, 2023 must still report compliance for their current CLE cycle.

Once you have completed your Basic Skills course and nine other hours of Illinois-approved CLE credit, Newly Admitted Attorneys must submit an online compliance report to the MCLE Board 31 days after the completion deadline.

Newly Admitted Illinois attorneys can complete their Basic Skills course as well as the remaining 9 CLE hours on Lawline!