Attorneys and Judges may view their CLE transcript by logging on to the Attorney Services Portal at www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/attorneyportal.

Please note email reminders will be sent to attorneys and judges regarding the compliance period.  Pursuant to Gov. Bar R. VI, Sec. 4(B) attorneys/judges are required to provide a valid email address. To ensure that future communications are received, attorneys/judges should verify their contact information on the Attorney Services Portal.

The Office of Attorney Services receives many questions regarding the CLE requirements.  Below are the answers to the frequently asked questions:

• Sponsors of CLE activities have 30 days to submit an attorney’s/judge’s credit for attending a CLE activity. Attorneys and Judges may add attendance credits to their records 35 days after the activity;
• If an attorney or judge attends an out-of-state, live in person CLE activity, and the sponsor has not already got it approved for CLE credit, the attorney/judge may apply for credit by completing Forms 1a and Form 6.  The forms are available here;
• Unlike live courses, INDIVIDUAL ATTORNEYS/JUDGES CANNOT APPLY FOR APPROVAL FOR SELF-STUDY ACTIVITIES. Only the sponsor can request approval;
• There is a maximum of 12 hours of self-study credit per biennium. Self-study hours over the cap do not carry over to the next biennium;
• Live webcast activities are self-study and therefore subject to the 12 hour self-study cap;
• Self-Study activities are approved for a calendar year. The date on the transcript will appear as the first date the activity was available and not the date completed;
• New Lawyer Training Core hours (professionalism, law office management and client fund management) in excess of the one hour requirement, do not count towards the NLT general hour requirements;
• There is a maximum of 12-hours that can be carried-over to the next biennium. All carry over hours count as general CLE and self-study hours over the 12.0 hour cap do not carry over;
• Attorneys must complete 2.5 hours per compliance biennium of Professional Conduct (which is also referred to as called Attorney Conduct) CLE. This can be done in any single or combination of the following topics: Legal ethics, Professionalism, Alcoholism/Substance Abuse/Mental Health, and Access to Justice/Fairness. Credit can be attained in a single or separate program or activity;
• Activities must be at least one hour long in order to receive credit in Ohio. Seminars/webinars, etc. that are only 15/30/45/50 minutes long are not approved;
• A list of approved CLE activities (live, self-study and professional conduct) can be found at www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/AttySvcs/CLE/ActivitySearch/default.aspx.
• Attorneys or judges who do not complete the required CLE requirements by Dec. 31, 2018, must remove the CLE deficiency within 90 days of the deadline, and pay the late compliance fee pursuant to Gov. Bar R. X, Sec. 18.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Commission on Continuing Legal Education at ccle@sc.ohio.gov or at 614.387.9320, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Magistrates (part-time and full-time) will be required to complete 40 hours of CLE on subjects devoted to the law and court administration. Of the 40 hours, a minimum of 10 hours must be from courses offered by the Judicial College, including three hours of judicial conduct instruction.

The increased CLE requirements will first apply to magistrates whose last names begin with the letters A through L for the 2018/2019 compliance period ending Dec. 31, 2019. These magistrates will be required to complete a prorated requirement of 32 hours. As part of the 32 hours, a minimum of 10 hours must be from courses offered by the Judicial College, including three hours of judicial conduct.

Magistrates with the last name starting with M through Z will be required to comply with the 40-hour requirement beginning with the 2019/2020 compliance period.

Attorneys appointed as a magistrate on or after Jan. 1, 2019, or sitting magistrates who change jurisdictions will also be required to complete the orientation and mentor program.

Any questions regarding the requirements should be directed to the Office of Attorney Services at 614.387.9320.