What Are the CLE Requirements for Maine Attorneys?
Maine attorneys with an active license must earn at least 12 CLE credit hours every calendar year under Maine Bar Rule 5, which the Board of Overseers of the Bar administers.
Each year must include at least 1 live ethics-and-professionalism hour and 1 in-person hour on harassment and discrimination.
Self-study counts for no more than 5 hours, and up to 10 hours carry over.
You certify an MCLE Annual Report Statement by the last business day of February; the late fee is $100.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, which administers Maine Bar Rule 5.
At least 12 CLE credit hours per calendar year.
The calendar year; the MCLE Annual Report Statement is certified by the last business day of February for the prior year.
At least 1 live ethics-and-professionalism hour and 1 in-person hour on harassment and discrimination; our research did not record a separate bias, wellness or technology hour — ask the Board.
Self-study (on-demand) programs count for no more than 5 of the 12 hours.
Exempt for the admission year and the following calendar year after completing an accredited new-attorney (bridge-the-gap) program in the admission year.
A $100 CLE late fee under the Board of Overseers' fee schedule (M.
Bar R.
5(l)(2)).
How many CLE hours does Maine require?
Every attorney with an active license to practice law in Maine must earn a minimum of 12 MCLE credit hours per calendar year.
The requirement sits in Maine Bar Rule 5, which the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar administers.
The hours are measured by the calendar year, and the annual minimum already carries earmarks inside it: at least 1 hour of live ethics-and-professionalism credit and 1 in-person hour on harassment and discrimination.
“Every attorney with an active license to practice law in this jurisdiction shall be required to earn a minimum of 12 MCLE credit hours per calendar year.”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
Maine Bar Rule 5 sets two required credits inside the 12 hours.
At least 1 hour must be live ethics-and-professionalism credit, and at least 1 hour must cover harassment and discrimination — that hour must be attended in person unless the CLE Committee pre-approves live-streaming for good cause.
Our research did not record a separate bias, wellness or technology hour; that is a gap in our research, not a finding that Maine has none.
Specialty categories can change, so confirm the current credit requirements with the Board of Overseers of the Bar before you plan a compliance year around a non-ethics credit.
When is the deadline and how do you report?
Maine lawyers certify an MCLE Annual Report Statement for the prior calendar year no later than the close of business on the last business day of February.
The annual minimum is measured by the calendar year, and the February certification is the reporting step that closes out the prior year.
Our research did not record how the statement is filed, so confirm how to file or verify your hours with the Board of Overseers of the Bar.
“no later than the close of business on the last business day of February.”
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
New admittees to the Maine bar who complete an accredited new attorney program that focuses on basic skills and substantive law — a bridge-the-gap program — during the year they are admitted are exempt from CLE for that year and the following calendar year.
Our research did not record a separate first-year hour requirement beyond that exemption, so confirm how your first two compliance years are counted with the Board of Overseers of the Bar.
“New admittees to the Maine bar who complete an accredited new attorney program that focuses on basic skills and substantive law during the year in which they are admitted are exempt for that year and the following calendar year.”
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Partly.
Maine caps self-study programs — the on-demand format — at 5 of the 12 annual credit hours, so the remaining hours must be earned in other formats.
Two credits are format-bound as well: the ethics-and-professionalism hour must be live, and the harassment-and-discrimination hour must be attended in person unless the CLE Committee pre-approves live-streaming for good cause.
If you are not sure whether a specific recorded course counts as self-study under the rule, ask the CLE Committee before counting it toward the cap.
“No more than five of the credit hours may be earned through self-study programs as defined in Rule 5(h)(1)(B).”
Can you carry over Maine CLE hours, and who is exempt?
Each calendar year, Maine attorneys may carry over up to 10 credit hours to satisfy the following year's requirement, but no more than 5 of the carried-over hours may be self-study, and the live ethics requirement must still be met in each year itself.
Beyond the new-admittee exemption, the rule as we read it also exempts lawyers admitted for under three months of a calendar year, and attorneys 65 or older with 40 or more years in practice who are not practicing full-time.
“Each calendar year, attorneys may carry over up to 10 credit hours to satisfy the requirements of the following year”
What happens if you miss the deadline?
The consequence our research documented is a $100 CLE late fee, recorded in the Board of Overseers' fee schedule (M.
Bar R.
5(l)(2)).
Our research did not record what happens beyond that fee; that is a gap in our research, not a finding that the fee is the only consequence.
Questions about the full consequences of noncompliance belong with the Board of Overseers of the Bar.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Maine court rules, board and bar pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state CLE requirements series, current as of October 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Maine, see bar admission rules in Maine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CLE hours do Maine attorneys need?
At least 12 credit hours each calendar year, under Maine Bar Rule 5.
Inside the 12, at least 1 hour must be live ethics-and-professionalism credit and at least 1 hour must be an in-person course on harassment and discrimination.
No more than 5 of the 12 hours may come from self-study (on-demand) programs.
Does Maine require live or in-person CLE?
Yes, for two credits.
Each year's hours must include at least 1 live ethics-and-professionalism hour and 1 hour on harassment and discrimination attended in person; the harassment hour can be live-streamed only if the CLE Committee pre-approves it for good cause.
The rest of the 12 hours can be earned in other formats, subject to the 5-hour self-study cap.
What is the Maine CLE deadline?
Maine lawyers certify an MCLE Annual Report Statement for the prior calendar year no later than the close of business on the last business day of February.
A $100 CLE late fee applies under the Board of Overseers' fee schedule (M.
Bar R.
5(l)(2)).
Confirm the current filing process with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.
Do new Maine attorneys have to complete CLE?
Not in the admission year or the next one, if they complete an accredited new attorney program focused on basic skills and substantive law — a bridge-the-gap program — during the year they are admitted.
The exemption covers that year and the following calendar year; the rule as we read it also exempts lawyers admitted for under three months of a calendar year.
Can extra Maine CLE hours carry over to the next year?
Yes.
Each calendar year, attorneys may carry over up to 10 credit hours into the following year, with no more than 5 of those carried-over hours from self-study programs.
The live ethics requirement is not covered by carryover — it must be met in each year itself.
More Maine Resources
Sources
- Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar — Maine Bar Rules (Rule 5, MCLE) (retrieved 2026-10-02)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified October 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.