What Are the CLE Requirements for Missouri Attorneys?
Missouri requires its lawyers to complete 15 CLE hours every reporting year, including at least 3 hours of accredited ethics — at least 1 of which must cover explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency.
The Missouri Bar's MCLE Department administers compliance under Supreme Court Rule 15.
The MCLE year runs July 1 to June 30, with hours due June 30 and the annual report due July 31, up to 6 hours allowed as self-study, and up to 15 excess live accredited hours carried forward.
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At a glance
The Missouri Bar MCLE Department, which administers the CLE requirement under Supreme Court Rule 15.
15 CLE hours each reporting year, including at least 3 ethics hours.
July 1 to June 30; hours are due June 30 and the annual report is due July 31.
3 ethics hours, at least 1 of which must be on explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency.
Up to 6 self-study hours per year, including on-demand video and audio; self-study cannot cover the ethics or bias hours.
No CLE required in the reporting year in which a lawyer is first licensed (admissions after July 1, 2018).
A $200 late fee if a lawyer is not in compliance by August 31 without a deficiency plan or hardship extension, rising $50 each successive month to a maximum of $500; a timely deficiency plan that misses September 30 costs $250.
How many CLE hours does Missouri require?
Missouri lawyers must obtain and report 15 CLE hours of programs or activities each reporting year.
At least 3 of the total 15 credit hours must be devoted exclusively to accredited ethics programs.
The requirement sits in Supreme Court Rule 15, and The Missouri Bar's MCLE Department administers compliance.
“A total of 15 hours of CLE programs or activities must be obtained and reported each year. At least three of the total 15 credit hours must be devoted exclusively to accredited ethics programs”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
Two credit types are built into Missouri's 15-hour requirement: at least 3 ethics hours, and at least 1 ethics hour devoted to explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency.
The requirement our research verified names no wellness, mental-health or technology credit.
Self-study hours cannot satisfy the ethics or bias hours, so plan those required credits in other formats.
Because rules change, check The Missouri Bar's current MCLE rules before you plan a specialty credit that is not one of these two.
When is the deadline and how do you report?
Missouri's MCLE year runs July 1 through June 30.
Credits must be completed by June 30, and the annual report is due July 31 — for example, the 2026–2027 compliance credits must be completed by June 30, 2027 and reported by July 31, 2027.
Our research establishes the deadlines but not the filing mechanics, so confirm how to submit your annual report with The Missouri Bar's MCLE Department.
“The 2026-2027 compliance credits must be completed by June 30, 2027, and reported by July 31, 2027.”
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
Lawyers admitted after July 1, 2018 are not required to complete or report any credit hours in the reporting year in which they are initially licensed to practice law in Missouri.
The exemption covers that first reporting year only; the 15-hour requirement applies to reporting years generally, so newly admitted lawyers should confirm when their first full cycle opens with the MCLE Department.
“lawyers admitted after July 1, 2018, are not required to complete or report any credit hours in the reporting year in which they are initially licensed to practice law in Missouri.”
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Partly.
Missouri allows up to 6 hours of self-study credit in a reporting year, and that category includes on-demand video and audio programs.
Self-study hours cannot satisfy the ethics or bias hours and do not count toward carryover, so the self-study cap shapes how much of your year on-demand courses can cover.
Live webinars and replays presented with a simultaneous instructor count as regular credit rather than self-study.
“A lawyer may receive up to six hours of self-study credit in a reporting year”
Carryover and exemptions
Missouri lawyers can carry forward up to 15 excess live accredited hours to the next reporting year, including up to 3 excess ethics hours.
Self-study hours do not count toward carryover.
On exemptions from the requirement itself, our research verified only the newly admitted first-year rule; we did not establish other exemption categories, so direct exemption questions to The Missouri Bar's MCLE Department.
“the excess accredited program hours may be carried forward to the next reporting year, up to a maximum of 15 hours.”
What happens if you miss the deadline?
A Missouri lawyer who is not in compliance by August 31, without a deficiency plan or hardship extension, incurs a $200 late fee.
The fee rises $50 each successive month until compliance is established, up to a maximum of $500.
A lawyer who files a timely deficiency plan but misses the September 30 deadline pays $250.
What happens after the fee cap is not established in our research, so direct questions about a delinquent transcript to the MCLE Department.
“The late fee for compliance before the end of each successive month shall increase by $50 until compliance is established, not to exceed $500.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Missouri 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 The Missouri Bar MCLE Department publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Missouri, see bar admission rules in Missouri.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ethics hours do Missouri attorneys need?
At least 3 of Missouri's 15 annual CLE hours must be devoted exclusively to accredited ethics programs, and at least 1 of those ethics hours must cover explicit or implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency.
Self-study credit cannot satisfy the ethics or bias hours, so plan those credits in other formats.
When are Missouri CLE hours due?
Missouri's MCLE year runs July 1 through June 30.
Credits must be completed by June 30 and reported by July 31 — for the 2026–2027 year, completed by June 30, 2027 and reported by July 31, 2027.
A lawyer not in compliance by August 31, without a deficiency plan or hardship extension, pays a $200 late fee.
Can Missouri CLE hours carry over?
Yes.
Up to 15 excess live accredited hours can be carried forward to the next reporting year, including up to 3 excess ethics hours.
Self-study hours do not count toward carryover.
Hours beyond those maximums do not carry over, so check your transcript against the limits with The Missouri Bar's MCLE Department.
Do newly admitted Missouri lawyers have to complete CLE?
Not in the year they are licensed.
Lawyers admitted after July 1, 2018 are not required to complete or report any credit hours in the reporting year in which they are initially licensed to practice law in Missouri.
The 15-hour requirement applies to reporting years generally, so the first full cycle follows.
How much of Missouri CLE can be self-study?
Up to 6 hours per reporting year, and the self-study category includes on-demand video and audio programs.
Self-study cannot satisfy the ethics or bias requirements and does not count toward carryover.
Live webinars and replays presented with a simultaneous instructor count as regular credit instead.
More Missouri Resources
Sources
- The Missouri Bar: MCLE frequently asked questions (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- The Missouri Bar: My 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 The Missouri Bar MCLE Department.