Quiz: How much do you know about MCLE compliance?

It’s often hard to remember what the State Bar rules allow you to report as part of your Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), especially if you only do it once every three years. Rules sometimes change, and others are difficult to understand. Are attorneys still required, for example, to complete substance abuse education to comply with MCLE rules? What happens to your compliance group when you change your name? Should you send in all of your MCLE certificates when you report your compliance? Test your knowledge about complying with MCLE requirements by answering these True or False questions.

1.      I no longer have to take courses defined as substance abuse classes to fulfill my MCLE requirements.

2.      If my last name changes because of marriage or a name change, my compliance group changes to my new name.

3.      I don’t need to send my certificates of attendance when reporting my compliance online.

4.      I don’t have a certificate of attendance, but I can submit a copy of my canceled check proving I paid and the program for the course. This documentation is acceptable as proof of completion.

5.      I attended a CLE workshop in Hong Kong, but I know it’s acceptable in California because it came from an approved jurisdiction.

6.      I can only take up to 12.5 hours of self-study CLE credit every three years. The other half of the 25 hours must be participatory.

7.      I am automatically exempt from MCLE compliance because I’m a part-time professor at a law school accredited by the State Bar and the American Bar Association.

 See the answers to the quiz.