Illinois
CLE Requirements: The Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois requires attorneys to complete 30 credits, including 6 professional responsibility credits, by June 30 every two years. Starting with attorneys whose two-year reporting period ends on June 30, 2019, Illinois attorneys are required to complete one credit of diversity and inclusion and one credit of mental health and substance abuse, as part of their professional responsibility requirement. Attorneys with last names beginning with A-M report in even years; attorneys with last names beginning with N-Z report in odd years. Credits must be reported by July 31 of the reporting year. A maximum of 10 credits, including professional responsibility, may be carried over to the next reporting period. Attorneys can verify their requirements with the Illinois MCLE Board. For additional information, please see the FAQ page on the Illinois MCLE Board's website. For additional information on the credit rule change, please see the FAQ page on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism's 2Civility website.
Newly admitted Illinois attorneys are required to complete 15 Illinois-approved CLE credits. At least 6 of these must be fulfilled by a Basic Skills Course approved by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (ILSCCP), such as PLI's Illinois Basic Skills course.
Coronavirus update: The Supreme Court of Illinois announced that in consultation with the MCLE Board, the Court has decided to provide every attorney in the 2018-2020 compliance period (last names beginning A-M) the option to secure a no-cost, three-month extension to the June 30th compliance deadline.
Instructions for an Illinois-licensed attorney to choose between the June 30, 2020 deadline and the September 30, 2020 deadline:
- Option 1: Keeping June 30, 2020 compliance deadline - For an attorney who completes the required credits or has a valid out-of-state exemption by June 30, 2020, that attorney reports "Complied" or the exemption on the Board's website, by July 31, 2020. No other report is needed, and no fee is due.
- Option 2: Selecting the September 30, 2020 deadline - To choose this option, the attorney reports "Not Yet Complied" on the Board's website, no later than July 31, 2020. With that report, the attorney obtains a new deadline of September 30, 2020, to complete the required credits and report compliance online to the Board. No fee is due this year for securing this new deadline.
- Please note: If an attorney fails to submit a report choosing Option 1 or Option 2 no later than July 31, 2020, the attorney will incur a $250 late fee and need to complete their credits and report compliance to the Board no later than September 30, 2020.
Completing Your Illinois Requirements with PLI: All PLI and SEC Institute products can fulfill Illinois' CLE requirements for experienced attorneys. There is no limit to the number of credits an attorney can earn via PLI products. View all CLE programs approved in Illinois. View professional responsibility CLE programs approved in Illinois. View diversity and inclusion CLE programs approved in Illinois. View mental health and substance abuse CLE programs approved in Illinois.
PLI is an approved Course Provider with the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois, and our programs are presumptively approved for general credit. Providers are required to submit applications to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (ILSCCP) for each program containing professional responsibility credits.
Attendance Reporting: Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 796(a), Illinois-licensed attorneys are responsible for submitting an MCLE certification ("Initial MCLE Notice") within 31 days after the end of their reporting period. Attorneys can log in to their MCLE account to submit the certification. CLE providers are required to report attendance to the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois for all credits earned on or after July 1, 2019, in addition to an attorney’s obligation to report. Please update your PLI account to include your Illinois ARDC number.