2013 is coming to an end and the WSBA’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) department is busy fielding phone calls, letters, and emails as one-third of our members complete MCLE compliance requirements. We hope this post will answer a few questions and address some common mistakes made while trying to comply with MCLE requirements, so you can be out celebrating the new year rather than being stuck at home watching a CLE marathon before the December 31 deadline.
The Admission to Practice (APR) Rule 11 and Appendix APR 11 are the guiding rules and regulations for MCLE compliance.
Mandatory Credits: 45
Every active member is required to complete 45 CLE credits in a three-year reporting period. Of the 45 credits, 6 must be ethics and 22.5 must be “live.”
MCLE Roster: Check your roster periodically
You will find your reporting period on your roster after logging in at mywsba.org. Our MCLE website will guide you through adding or deleting a course to your roster, ordering a comity certificate, or submitting a course for CLE accreditation.
Check your roster periodically to make sure it is up-to-date and that no courses are listed twice. December is not the time to find out you had a course listed twice on your roster and are now short on credits for compliance.
MCLE Reporting
CLE credits must be completed on or before December 31 of the last year of your reporting period and certified on or before February 1 of the next year. For 2011–2013, the certification deadline is Feb. 3, 2014.
There are two ways to submit the certification. The quickest and easiest way is certifying online.
- Log in at mywsba.org.
- Click the “My Profile” tab.
- Click the MCLE link on the left.
- Click the “Submit MCLE Certification (C2) Form” link on the right.
- Check the box below “Record of MCLE Credits – 2011-2013” if you agree with the certification statement.
- Click the Submit button.
If you cannot certify online, you may use the paper MCLE Certification (C2) form in your licensing packet. Be sure to update it with credits you earned after mid-September and sign the form.
If you don’t have enough credits for compliance, you may take courses in January, but an MCLE late fee will be assessed.
CLE Courses: Form 1 application
Apply for course approval by submitting a Form 1 application.
- Search the MCLE database to see if it has already been accredited.
- If it has not, call the sponsor and ask them to submit the course. If they will not, you may submit a Form 1 application. If you are requesting ethics, upload the materials.
Remember that MCLE and WSBA-CLE are separate. CLE presents and sells continuing legal education. MCLE is part of the WSBA’s regulatory division.
We in the MCLE department are happy to help. If you need assistance, call or email us at questions@wsba.org, 206-443-9722, or 800-945-9722. Happy holidays!
Kathy Todd. Kathy Todd has been managing MCLE at the WSBA for over 12 years. Prior to that, she managed regulatory compliance for an electronic financial services company in part of her duties as the operations manager.She and her family have long roots in the Seattle area, beginning in the early 1900s when her great-grandfather was an English professor at the University of Washington for 30 years. She can be reached at kathyt@wsba.org.
