What Are the CLE Requirements for Pennsylvania Attorneys?

Pennsylvania lawyers must complete 12 CLE hours every year, and at least 2 of those hours must be in ethics, under Pa.R.C.L.E.

105(a).

The annual requirement is the same for all three compliance groups; each group has its own deadline date.

Because the requirement is annual, hours earned in one compliance year are planned against that year's 12-hour total, with carryover governed by the separate rules described below.

The only subject minimum in the Pennsylvania rule as our research captured it is ethics: a minimum of 2 of the 12 annual hours must be in ethics (Pa.R.C.L.E.

105(a)).

The pacle.org FAQ pages we reviewed do not list separate minimums for bias, wellness or technology credits, and we will not assert one that the pages we read did not show.

If Pennsylvania interprets or adds subject categories beyond the ethics minimum, that change was not reflected in what we reviewed on October 2, 2026 — confirm the current subject rules with the CLE board at pacle.org.

Each Pennsylvania lawyer is permanently assigned to one of three compliance groups, and the group sets both the compliance year and the deadline.

Group I runs May 1 through April 30, Group II September 1 through August 31 and Group III January 1 through December 31, so the 12 hours are due by April 30, August 31 or December 31 respectively.

The assignment does not change from year to year.

Our research captured the deadlines and the fee schedule but not the mechanics of how course attendance is reported to the board, so confirm the reporting steps and your own group with the CLE board at pacle.org.

Newly admitted Pennsylvania lawyers are exempt from CLE for at least 12 months and up to 24 months from the date of admission, with the exact span depending on the compliance group the new lawyer is assigned to.

That includes lawyers admitted on motion from other states.

Once the exemption ends, the annual requirement — 12 hours including at least 2 in ethics — applies.

Yes, but only in part.

Pennsylvania caps distance-learning credit at 6 credits per compliance period, which means at least 6 of the 12 required hours cannot be met as distance learning.

The pages we reviewed do not break out how individual formats — live webcasts versus in-person classes, for example — count against the distance cap, so confirm with the CLE board how a specific format is credited before you rely on it.

Distance credits also do not carry forward, which the carryover section below covers.

Live-course credits can carry forward: a lawyer may carry live courses into the succeeding two compliance years, up to two times the current year's 12-hour requirement.

Distance-learning credits do not carry forward at all, so distance credit beyond the 6-credit annual cap cannot be banked for a later year.

On exemptions, our research captured only the newly admitted exemption described above; the FAQ pages we reviewed do not list other exemption categories, so ask the CLE board whether an exemption beyond the new-admittee window applies in your situation.

Missing the deadline runs down a fee ladder.

An initial $100 late compliance fee is assessed when the 12 CLE hours are not completed by the assigned deadline date, and another $100 applies after 90 days.

A lawyer who stays non-compliant faces administrative suspension and a third $100 fee.

An attorney who is already past a deadline should confirm their current standing and options directly with the CLE board rather than relying on a summary.