CLE Sponsors/Provider Information
The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE providers or individual programs. Therefore, a provider is not required to submit any information regarding the seminar, or subsequent attendance lists.
The State Bar does not retain or track CLE records for members and registrants other than CLE taken through the State Bar. For CLE taken with other providers, it is the responsibility of each member/registrant to keep documentation such as the event/seminar/training material and the certificates of attendance to support the hours and events claimed on their annual affidavit.
The filing of the annual affidavit demonstrating compliance is predicated on the assumption that members and registrants will evaluate CLE activities based on the guidelines set forth in the MCLE Regulations. An extract of pertinent regulations is provided in this document.
Yearly CLE Requirements
At least 15 hours of CLE are required each year, of which at least three hours must be professional responsibility. Reference Supreme Court Rule 45 extract in this document re subjects included in professional responsibility.
Specialists are required to attend advanced level programming in their specialization field. Their yearly requirement is at least 12 hours of substantive/advanced level CLE in their area of specialty, plus three hours of professional responsibility. Eight areas of law are currently recognized as specialization: Bankruptcy, Criminal, Estate and Trust Law, Family Law, Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, Real Estate, Taxation, and Workers' Compensation.
Arizona utilizes a base credit-hour calculation of a 60-minute hour of instruction, omitting breaks and introductory remarks that do not substantively relate to the topic of the activity.
Advertising of CLE Events
The following language must be included for general CLE events:
"The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE activities for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirement. This activity may qualify for up to _____ hours toward your annual CLE requirement for the State Bar of Arizona, including _____ hour(s) of professional responsibility.
The following language must be included for advanced level CLE events:
"The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE activities for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirements of specialists. This activity may qualify for up to _____ hours toward your annual CLE requirement for the State Bar of Arizona, including _____ hour(s) of professional responsibility and including _____ hours of advanced level training in the area of __________________________________________." (Indicate applicable area: Bankruptcy, Criminal Law, Estate and Trust Law, Family Law, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law, or Workers' Compensation.)
Certificates of Attendance
Certificates of attendance must be provided to Arizona attendees. The sample certificate may be used, or a similar format used by the provider that contains the same information.
MCLE Regulations Extracts
REGULATION 101. DEFINITIONS
J. "Records" means course outlines, written materials, verification of attendance, and other evidence of a CLE program identifying the course, sponsor, and date and place of presentation and/or publication. Materials that are stored electronically as scans, either on an attorney’s own computer system or through the provider’s electronic system, that are accessible during the audit period will comply with this requirement.
REGULATION 104. STANDARDS AND CALCULATION OF HOURS
A. Standards
CLE Activities that are claimed toward the annual requirement shall meet the following standards:
1. Significant Content. The activities shall have significant intellectual or practical content, have attorneys as the primary audience, and have as the primary objective to increase the participant's professional competence as a lawyer.
2. Organized Program. The activities shall constitute an organized program of learning, deal with matters directly related to the practice of law, professional responsibility, professionalism, or ethical obligations of lawyers, follow the agenda and be accompanied by substantive or practical written materials or exercises.
3. Appropriate Setting. The activities shall be conducted in a setting physically suitable to the educational activity of the program.
4. CLE Credit. CLE credit for any individual program may be claimed one time only. Subsequent viewing of the same program or review of the same program materials may not be claimed in another MCLE educational year.
B. CLE Categories and Calculation of Credit Hours.
2. Interactive CLE Hours
a. Definitions of Interactive programs:
1. A live CLE program or event attended in person and sponsored by the State Bar or a 3rd party organization (i.e. a commercial provider, an association of lawyers, a private law firm, a corporate law department, or a department of a federal, state or local governmental entity). The program must be attended by no fewer than 5 attorneys including presenter(s).
2. A web-cast or teleconference, offered in real time, with the ability of the member to ask questions of the presenters.
3. A CLE program which is offered online and in which the member is required to respond to prompts placed at random periods throughout the program or is required to capture imbedded codes during the program which are later entered online to obtain the certificate of completion or attendance.
b. Calculation of credit hours for Interactive CLE shall be determined by dividing the total minutes of instruction or participation by 60, and rounding down to the nearest quarter hour. Breaks shall not be included in calculating the credit hours.
c. The Active member claiming Interactive CLE credit must have future access to the written materials or exercises or the electronic equivalent (such as in a personal, firm or provider’s website, or public library).
3. Teaching Hours
Credit may be earned for teaching at a CLE program or event; teaching at an ABA accredited law school; or teaching a law course at any accredited American university, any American community college, any ABA approved paralegal school or institute, or a CLE activity where the primary audience is paralegal professionals whether the teaching is in a classroom or online.
a. Speakers whose presentations are accompanied by original written materials, prepared, augmented, or updated by the speaker may earn teaching credit, as follows:
For the original presentation: First hour of presentation x 6 = total credit hours
Additional hours of presentation x 2 = total credit hours
Repeat live presentations hours x 1 = total credit hours
b. Speakers, including College of Trial Advocacy educators, whose presentations are not accompanied by original written materials prepared, augmented, or updated by the speaker may earn teaching credit as follows:
Each hour of presentation x 1 = total credit hours
c. Credit hours earned through teaching is limited to a maximum of 10 credit hours each Year.
5. Self-study Hours
Self-study is any course of legal study meeting the standards of Regulation 104, which is undertaken by a member for the member's own benefit. Self-study may include listening to audio reproductions or viewing video reproductions of programs, but does not include reading.
Credit hours earned through Self-study is limited to a maximum of 5 credit hours each Year.
Self-study also includes:
- A computer based or online CLE program that is not interactive (i.e. that does not provide an opportunity to respond to prompts or questions from the faculty or participating member).
a. Self-study hours shall be equal to the actual hours of the program watched or the actual time spent in Self-study, whichever is less.
b. A member may not receive credit for both attendance at a CLE program and Self-study of course materials from that program.
c. Written materials (or the electronic equivalent) must be in the possession of the member viewing the video reproduction or listening to the audio reproduction of a live CLE program at the time of such viewing/listening. The member claiming Self-study credit must have future access to the written material (such as in a personal, firm, provider’s website or public library).
d. Verification of Self-study in the event of audit includes the purchase receipt or rental agreement in the member’s name; notes made while viewing/listening; and file notes establishing the date of Self-study, name of program, and sponsor of the program.
If a provider does not allow the sharing of Self-study programs with a 3rd party, then only the member whose name appears on the purchase or rental agreement may claim credits for that program.
e. Verification of non-compensated arbitration in the event of audit will be a copy of the appointment as arbitrator and a copy of the decision.
f. Verification of pro bono service hours in the event of audit will be a document produced by the attorney or legal services organization (LSO) to include the name of the LSO, date(s) of service, the number of service hours provided, the number of self-study hours being claimed, signed by a representative of the LSO affirming the attorney’s service.
Supreme Court Rule 45 Extract
Rule 45. Rules of the Supreme Court of Arizona
(a) Continuing Legal Education Requirements.
2. A minimum of three hours of continuing legal education activity each educational year shall be in the area of professional responsibility. Professional responsibility includes instruction in legal and judicial ethics, professionalism, and malpractice prevention, and may include such topics as substance abuse, including causes, prevention, detection and treatment alternatives, attorneys' fees, client development, law office economics and practice, alternatives to litigation for managing conflict and resolving disputes, stress management, and the particular responsibilities of public lawyers, judges, and in-house counsel, to the extent that professional responsibility is directly addressed in connection with these topics.