Georgia State Bar - Continuing Legal Education Program

In 1989, the State of Georgia, under the leadership of the Georgia Supreme Court, established a program that tries to ensure that members of the Georgia State Bar are competent, ethical and professional. The program that was established is the Continuing Legal Education Program (CLE).

Continuing Legal Education is operated by the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency, and CLE is funded through the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE). The ICLE is a consortium of the Law Schools of Emory, Georgia, Georgia State and Mercer Universities and the State Bar of Georgia. It is a self-supporting educational service.

Many of the CLE classes required by Georgia are sponsored by the ICLE, but there are close to 200 other accredited CLE sponsors. The lists of accredited sponsors is located at http://www.gabar.org/programs/continuing_legal_education/accredited_cle_sponsors/

Georgia CLE Requirements

All attorneys who have licenses to practice law in the State of Georgia and is a member of the Georgia State Bar must complete 12 CLE hours on a yearly basis. Of those 12 hours, 1 hour must be completed in ethics education, and 1 hour must be in professional education. For trial attorneys, three hours must be devoted to trial education.

If an attorney completes more than 12 hours in a calendar year, the credits can be carried forward to the next year.

Description of CLE Requirements

Ethics
These classes focus on an attorney’s responsibility to and conduct toward clients and the justice system. Classes discuss what constitutes malpractice.

Professionalism
The general purpose of the professionalism CLE class is to create dialogue between judges, lawyers, and legal educators on the duties of lawyers. These classes also look at the roles of attorneys and how to successfully resolve disputes. In addition, these classes explore pro bono work, compare the U.S. legal system to other countries’ legal systems, and discuss the philosophy of law.

Noncompliance with the Georgia Mandatory CLE Program

If an attorney does not comply with the Mandatory CLE program, the Georgia Supreme Court is notified. The Supreme Court then issues a minimum punishment of a suspension from practicing law to the noncompliant attorney until the CLE requirements are met. If the Supreme Court determines there is a need for stricter punishments they may do so. In addition, there are penalty fees assessed for not meeting the CLE requirements on a timely basis.

Exemptions from Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)

1. Members of the State Bar who are inactive for an entire calendar year.
2. Bar Members who are out of state and do not practice in the State of Georgia.
3. Bar members who are out of state and meet their resident state’s CLE requirements and pay a $75 fee.
4. Bar Members who are 70 years old and older.
5. Judges who may not practice law
6. Certain state elected officers
7. Lawyers who are able to document CLE requirements are an undue hardship.

Contacting the State Bar of Georgia CLE Department

To obtain more information on the Continuing Legal Education program, contact the CLE at: