CLE Requirements 

Massachusetts is one of the few states where continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys is not mandatory. However, many of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s CLE programs are accredited or approved in most nearby states, including:

• Connecticut: There is no approval or accreditation process in Connecticut for providers. The course will be automatically approved if in compliance with Connecticut Practice Book.
• Maine: Attorney must submit a certificate of attendance and apply for course credit individually. Attorneys will then follow Maine’s self-application procedure.
• Vermont: Accredited Sponsor 
• New York: Attorney must submit “Application for Accreditation of an Individual Course Activity.”
• New Hampshire: No longer certifies any providers of CLE courses. Instead, New Hampshire requires attorneys to self-report that they have attended CLE courses of sufficient intellectual and practical content. 

Please contact your local state bar association to verify the specific mandatory CLE requirements for your jurisdiction. 

NOTE: Rhode Island permits attorneys to submit their own individual application for accreditation for taking a program offered by an unaccredited sponsor for no fee. The MBA will assist Rhode Island attorneys in obtaining the necessary information for accreditation. Please contact education@massbar.org with any questions.

If you require CLE credit in another state for your attendance at an MBA CLE program, we can provide you with a Certificate of Attendance for filing in that jurisdiction. The MBA offers, upon request, Certificates of Attendance to individuals who attend real-time webcasts. Certificates are not available for participation in recorded MBA On Demand programs. Please contact education@massbar.org to request a Certificate of Attendance or a Certificate for Teaching Credit. (The MBA cannot offer the Official Certificate of Attendance for New York State at this time.)

Practicing with Professionalism Requirement (Repealed Aug. 14, 2024)

Supreme Judicial Court repeals Rule 3:16 requiring newly admitted lawyers to complete Practicing with Professionalism Course

The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has issued an order repealing SJC Rule 3:16, effective Aug. 14, 2024, thereby removing the requirement that all persons admitted to the bar of the commonwealth complete a mandatory Practicing with Professionalism Course within 18 months of admission. See the full press announcement here.