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Illinois CLE Requirements

Whether you're an experienced Illinois attorney or a Illinois newly admitted attorney, here's what you need to know about Illinois’s mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) requirements.

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Illinois CLE Requirements - General Information

General Information
CLE credit requirement30 credits every 2 years
Categories24 General 
4 Professional responsibility 
1 Diversity & Inclusion 
1 Mental Health & Substance Abuse
CLE Compliance deadlineCOVID-19 Update: Attorneys in Group A-M, who were unable to complete their requirement and reported “Not Yet Complete** by July 31, 2020, have until September 30, 2020, to complete their credits and report compliance to the Illinois MCLE Board. 

June 30
CLE Reporting deadlineCOVID-19 Update: Attorneys in Group A-M, who were unable to complete their requirement and reported “Not Yet Complete** by July 31, 2020, have until September 30, 2020, to complete their credits and report compliance to the Illinois MCLE Board. 

July 31
Approved Quimbee formatsOn-demand
CarryoverUp to 10 credits may be carried over to the following reporting period.
CLE reporting instructionsQuimbee reports the previous week's attendance to the Illinois MCLE Board each Wednesday. Please retain your certificate as proof of your attendance. You may also access your certificates from our website at any time.

Illinois CLE Requirements

Illinois-licensed attorneys are required to complete 30 credits, including 6 Professional Responsibility credits, every two years. Of those 6 Professional Responsibility credits, 1 credit must be in Diversity & Inclusion and 1 credits must be in Mental Health & Substance Abuse.

Quimbee currently offers a limited number of on-demand courses for Illinois attorneys.

  • Attend an approved, in-person program. 
  • Attend a law school course. Attend a legal presentation at a bar association meeting for up to 1.0 hour of CLE credit. 
  • Teach an accredited CLE course. Teach (part-time only) a law course at a law school. 
  • Teach (part-time only) a law course at a university, college or community college. 
  • Judge a law school moot court argument or other training simulation. 
  • Publish a scholarly legal book or article. 
  • Complete a year-long mentoring program approved by the Commission on Professionalism.

COVID-19 Update: Attorneys in Group A-M, who were unable to complete their requirement and reported “Not Yet Complete** by July 31, 2020, have until September 30, 2020, to complete their credits and report compliance to the Illinois MCLE Board. 


Illinois attorneys must complete their requirement by June 30 on the second year of their two-year reporting period. Those with last names starting with A-M report in even-numbered years. Those with last names starting with N-Z report in odd-numbered years.

Yes, up to 10 credits, including professional responsibility credits may be carried over to the following reporting period. Only the number of credits needed (up to 10) may be carried over only to satisfy the next consecutive period’s requirements. If carryover credits are needed to meet the current reporting period's requirement, any excess hours earned in the current period are forfeited and may not be carried forward into future reporting periods.

Newly Admitted Attorneys

Newly admitted Illinois attorneys must complete an approved Illinois basic skills course or complete the Illinois mentoring program along with additional CLE credits for a total of 15 credits, within the first year of admission. After the first year, the initial two-year reporting period begins on July 1 after the completion deadline.

CLE Compliance and Reporting

COVID-19 Update: Attorneys in Group A-M, who were unable to complete their requirement and reported “Not Yet Complete** by July 31, 2020, have until September 30, 2020, to complete their credits and report compliance to the Illinois MCLE Board. 


Illinois attorneys must report their compliance with the MCLE requirements by July 31 following the end of their two-year reporting period. Illinois reporting groups are split into two groups: Last names A-M report in even-numbered years Last names N-Z report in odd-numbered years

CLE Providers are responsible for reporting individual course attendance. Illinois attorneys must report their compliance by logging in to their Attorney Portal and submitting their MCLE report.

Resources

The MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois 
200 West Madison Street, Suite 900 
Chicago, Illinois 60606 
312-924-2420

Illinois MCLE Rules

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