Reporting Your MCLE Credits

When do new admittees have to report?

Newly admitted members are exempt for the year of admission and for the following calendar year. After that exemption period, their first three-year reporting period begins. Any credits earned in the 4-plus years after admission to the bar may be claimed during the first reporting period.

Can I claim credit for programs attended prior to admission to the Bar?

No. Credit can be obtained only for those courses taken after your date of admission to the Bar, except for certain approved New Lawyer Orientation courses.

How and when do I report my CLE credits?

You will receive a CLE Declaration (C2/C3) form in your license packet at the end of your three-year reporting period. For each approved seminar, fill in the Activity ID number, course title, sponsor, dates, location, and credits earned, and send the signed and completed declaration form to the WSBA by February 1. Only credits earned during the reporting period from WSBA-approved courses may be claimed for credit.
If you are not due to report, and you are an Active member, you will receive a C4/C5 form in your annual license packet. This form lists the CLE activities that have been reported to the WSBA for your current reporting period. You may update the list online or mail your updates to the WSBA. Actively maintaining the list of CLE activities that you have taken will make it easier to report at the end of your reporting period.

Is it possible to amend the C2/C3 declaration that I submitted? I forgot to add a CLE seminar.

You may amend your original C2/C3 Declaration by filing a Supplemental Declaration, available upon request by calling the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-9722 or 206-443-9722 or e-mailing questions@wsba.org. When completing the Supplemental Declaration, be sure to again include the requisite course information (Activity ID number, title, sponsor, dates, location, and credits earned for each approved seminar).

What is a credit?

One credit is equivalent to one hour (60 minutes) of instruction time at an approved seminar. Credits can be obtained in quarter-hour increments: 15 minutes of instruction equal .25 credits. No credit is given for breaks.

What is the total credit requirement for reporting purposes?

You must complete a total of 45 CLE credits during your three-year reporting period. Of those 45 total credits, at least 6 must be ethics credits and at least 30 must be live (as opposed to pre-recorded).

Starting on January 1, 2007, members will be limited to 15 credits per reporting period of in-house Private Law Firm credits and 15 credits of Corporate Legal Department credits, per APR 11 Regulation 104(e).

What is the ethics requirement?

You must complete at least 6 ethics credits in your three-year reporting period. All ethics credits may be acquired using approved audio/visual self-study or live credits. Ethics credits are approved for segments of courses dealing specifically and exclusively with attorney ethics, professionalism, and professional responsibility, which includes substance abuse, anti-bias and diversity training.

How many credits have I accumulated to date?

You may access your credit roster on the MCLE Website from the Washington State Bar Association homepage at www.wsba.org. Click the MCLE Website link in the upper left corner, and then click on Member and Member Login. Log in using your bar number. You can then view your current reporting period to see what courses you have accumulated. There is online help available, and you may also contact the WSBA Service Center at (206) 443-9722, (800) 945-9722 or questions@wsba.org.

How do I earn credit for self-study or audio/visual (A/V) courses?

Only audio/video seminars (including online taped seminars with streaming audio or video) are approved for self-study credit. You may claim up to a total of 15 A/V credits for the current reporting period. A minimum of 30 credits per reporting period must be live credits. All ethics credits can be acquired using approved audio/visual self-study. No recording may be older than five years, unless it is exclusively a skill tape. A recording of an approved live seminar is automatically approved for the same amount of credits as the live seminar. To get approval for a recorded seminar, include when and where (date and city) the seminar was originally recorded (sponsors can provide that information to you). In order to be approved, a pre-recorded online seminar must contain a streaming audio or audio/video presentation. The duration of that presentation is the basis for calculating credit approval. We do not approve text-only or read-and-test presentations.

What is the maximum number of credits that I can claim?

You may add all credits earned to your online MCLE roster. However, a maximum of 60 credits are numerically significant: 45 for the current reporting period (of which at least 6 must be ethics and at least 30 must be live) and 15 to carry over to the next reporting period.

What about carryover credits?

You may carry over into your next reporting period a maximum of 15 credits. Of the 15 total credits, a maximum of 2 may be ethics credits and a maximum of 5 may be audio/visual credits. (The number of carryover credits in each category from your last reporting period is on your CLE Declaration (C2/C3) form).

What happens if I am not in compliance by December 31? What can I do? Do I need to request an extension? Do I need to send in the C2/C3 declaration anyway? Is there a late fee penalty assessed?

You must file the C2/C3 compliance form by February 1, even if you are not compliant. You may request a petition for an extension by calling the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-9722 or 206-443-9722 or e-mailing questions@wsba.org. After you complete your required credits, certify the credits on a Supplemental Declaration form, which is also available from the Service Center. A late fee will be due. The late filing fee is $150 the first reporting period, and increases by $300 for each consecutive reporting period in which you either complete or report credits late ($450, $750, etc.). According to the revised APR 11.6(b) that goes into effect on January 1, 2009, there will no longer be an automatic 4-month extension until May 1.

I earned a sufficient number of credits but I did not submit my CLE declaration on or before February 1. Do I owe a late fee?

A late fee of $150 is assessed if your MCLE declaration is postmarked or delivered after March 1. The fee increases by $300 for each consecutive late filing ($450 for the second consecutive late filing, $750 for the third consecutive late filing, etc).

How do I request an exemption from these requirements if I am retired, ill or for some similar reason am not practicing law, but want to remain an Active status member?

Call 800-945-9722 or 206-443-9722 or e-mail questions@wsba.org for information about exemption from the requirements of APR 11 based on undue hardship, age, or infirmity. You may also review APR 11 Regulation 110, which pertains to these situations.

What if I reside outside of the U.S.? Must I continue to earn CLE credit?

If you reside outside of the U.S., you are not exempt from the MCLE reporting requirements of APR 11. If you find it difficult to attend CLEs while residing outside the U.S., you may request that the MCLE Board approve a waiver of the 30 Live credit requirement. The request must be made in writing and addressed to the MCLE Board. Because of the unavailability of live programs in some geographic areas, the MCLE Board may give approval to programs offered in those areas that would not otherwise fully meet the standards for approval if offered in the U.S. For information, call the WSBA Service Center 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA or e-mail questions@wsba.org.

How do I obtain a Supplemental Declaration for Reporting CLE credits?

A Supplemental Declaration will be mailed to you upon request by calling the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-9722 or 206-443-9722 or e-mailing questions@wsba.org. If you did not file your C2/C3 form, a Supplemental Declaration will be enclosed with a Notice of Apparent Non-Compliance.

What will happen if I don't get the credits or file a petition?

Your noncompliance will be reported to the Washington State Supreme Court recommending your suspension from the practice of law. You will be reinstated only after fully complying with the MCLE requirements, and after paying the appropriate late filing fee. (APR 11.6.)

Can I get a copy of my previous reporting period's C2/C3 CLE declaration?

If available, copies of C2/C3 forms from prior reporting periods that are stored off-site can be furnished for a $25.00 fee. Please submit your request in writing to the MCLE department at the WSBA and enclose a check for the fee.

Can I get a copy of this reporting period's C2 /C3 form? I forgot to make a copy.

We will provide a copy for a $10 fee after all the forms for the reporting period have been entered in the database, sorted, and filed. If available, copies of C2/C3 forms from prior reporting periods that are stored off-site can also be furnished for a $25.00 fee. Please submit your request in writing to the MCLE department at the WSBA and enclose a check for the fee.

Can you send me verification that I am in compliance?

When your data has been entered into the MCLE system, your online roster will show compliance. We are unable to send written verification of compliance.

The credits listed in my online roster are incorrect. What can I do?

The online roster provides you with a convenient method of tracking CLE attendance. You may edit your online roster by clicking on the EDIT or the DELETE button. It is not imperative that the online roster mirrors the CLE C2/C3 declaration. The signed and dated C2/C3 declaration is the official record of credits.

What if I report in Oregon, Idaho or Utah? What must I submit to satisfy the WSBA MCLE requirements?

If you are an active active member of the Washington State Bar Association and your principal office is located outside Washington State, you may meet your mandatory CLE requirements by providing proof of current compliance with the CLE requirements of Oregon, Idaho, or Utah. Only a Certificate of MCLE Compliance from one of those jurisdictions (not a "Certificate of Good Standing"), sent with your Washington Continuing Legal Education Declaration (C2/C3) form (which is included in your licensing packet), will satisfy your MCLE requirements in Washington. You must contact the Oregon, Idaho or Utah State Bar to request this certificate. A copy of the primary practice state's compliance report will not satisfy the requirements. We must have a CERTIFICATE OF MCLE COMPLIANCE. See comity.

Must I submit a form to designate my primary practice state?

The WSBA does not have a form for designating a primary practice state. Indicate your primary practice state by checking the appropriate box on your yellow C2/C3 declaration.

Any conflict between information on this web page and the Admission to Practice Rules of the State of Washington or regulations pertaining thereto (the Rules) is resolved in favor of the Rules.