What Are the CLE Requirements for Montana Attorneys?
Active Montana attorneys need 15 CLE credit hours every reporting year, April 1 through March 31.
At least 10 of those hours must come from interactive seminars, and no more than 5 may come from other methods.
At least 2 hours must be Professional Fitness and Integrity credits, a category that covers ethics as well as substance-abuse, mental-health and stress programs.
The State Bar of Montana administers the program, and up to 30 interactive hours can carry forward into the next two reporting years.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The State Bar of Montana, a mandatory bar, administers the MCLE program.
15 credit hours per reporting year for active members; at least 10 from interactive seminars.
April 1 through March 31.
At least 2 hours of Professional Fitness and Integrity: ethics or substance-abuse, mental-health or stress programs.
No more than 5 of the 15 hours may come from other methods; the rules we read do not break the categories down by online or on-demand.
Exempt for the balance of the reporting year in which they are admitted.
Noncompliance after May 15 adds an extra fee.
How many CLE hours does Montana require?
Active Montana lawyers need 15 CLE credit hours of approved CLE each reporting year.
At least 10 of those hours must come from interactive seminars.
No more than 5 of the 15 may come from other methods.
The State Bar of Montana, a mandatory bar, publishes the MCLE rules that set these totals.
“Active Members must earn a minimum of 15 credit hours of approved CLE each reporting year.”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
The MCLE rules we read name one required category: Professional Fitness and Integrity.
At least 2 of the 15 annual hours must fall in it, and the category covers ethics programs as well as programs on substance abuse, mental health or stress.
The MCLE pages we read do not confirm a separate bias or technology credit requirement, so check the current rules with the State Bar of Montana before you plan around one.
“Of the 15 credit hours of CLE required each reporting year, at least 2 credit hours must be in Professional Fitness and Integrity activities.”
When is the deadline and how do you report?
Montana's CLE reporting year runs April 1 through March 31.
The Commission sends preliminary transcripts by April 15, and they become official on June 1.
The pages we read do not name a separate hours-completion deadline inside the year, so confirm the current dates with the State Bar of Montana.
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
New Montana admittees are exempt from the CLE requirement for the balance of the reporting year in which they are admitted.
Once that reporting year ends, the standard 15-hour requirement applies like any other active member's.
One Montana quirk to know: the Montana Law Seminar every applicant completes for admission does not earn CLE credit, so its hours do not count toward the 15.
“An Active Member is exempt from the CLE requirements of these Rules during the balance of the reporting year during which he or she is admitted.”
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Montana's MCLE rules set their minimums by format category: at least 10 of the 15 hours must come from interactive seminars, and no more than 5 may come from other methods.
The pages we read do not break the interactive category down by online or on-demand format, so confirm how a specific course is credited with the State Bar of Montana before you count on it.
Carryover and exemptions
Montana lawyers may carry forward a maximum of 30 interactive credit hours into the next two reporting years.
Credits earned through other methods cannot be carried forward.
The exemptions sit separately: members admitted during a reporting year are exempt for its balance, and inactive members are exempt from the CLE requirement entirely.
“A member may carry forward a maximum of 30 interactive credit hours.”
What happens if you miss the deadline?
A Montana member who remains noncompliant after May 15 owes an extra fee.
Montana also charges an annual MCLE fee of up to $45.
The pages we read do not describe consequences beyond those fees, so ask the State Bar of Montana what a missed reporting year means for your standing.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Montana 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 State Bar of Montana publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Montana, see bar admission rules in Montana.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CLE mandatory for Montana attorneys?
Yes, for active members.
The State Bar of Montana is a mandatory bar, and its MCLE rules require active members to earn 15 credit hours each reporting year.
At least 10 hours must come from interactive seminars, and at least 2 must be Professional Fitness and Integrity credits.
Inactive members are exempt from the requirement entirely.
Does the Montana Law Seminar count toward CLE?
No. The Montana Law Seminar is an admission requirement every Montana applicant completes, whatever the admission route.
It is a Supreme Court-required online, pre-recorded course on Montana law and practice culture, and it does not earn CLE credit.
The 15 annual hours come from approved CLE activities under the MCLE rules instead.
Can ethics programs count toward Montana's Professional Fitness and Integrity requirement?
Yes.
The Professional Fitness and Integrity category includes ethics programs, and it also covers programs on substance abuse, mental health or stress.
At least 2 of Montana's 15 annual hours must fall in this category, and any of those program types can satisfy it.
More Montana Resources
Sources
- State Bar of Montana: MCLE Rules (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- State Bar of Montana: Bar Admissions (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 State Bar of Montana.