Overview
Active California attorneys must complete Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) every three years to maintain their license. The State Bar of California sets the requirements and audits compliance. The summary below reflects the current rules as of May 2026.
Total Credit Hours
- 25 credit hours every three-year compliance period
- At least 12.5 of those hours must be participatory (live or interactive) credit
- Credits do not carry over to the next compliance period
Subfield Requirements (counted within the 25 total hours)
- 4 hours of Legal Ethics
- 2 hours of Competence Issues
- 2 hours of Recognition and Elimination of Bias, at least 1 of which must focus on implicit bias and bias-reducing strategies
- 1 hour of Technology in the Practice of Law
- 1 hour of Civility in the Legal Profession
Compliance Groups
Each licensee is permanently assigned to a compliance group based on the first letter of their last name. A name change does not change the assignment.
- Group 1 (A–G): Cycle runs April 1, 2025 – March 29, 2028. Report by March 30, 2028.
- Group 2 (H–M): Cycle runs February 1, 2024 – March 29, 2027. Report by March 30, 2027.
- Group 3 (N–Z): Cycle runs February 1, 2023 – March 29, 2026. Report by March 30, 2026.
After this cycle, each group returns to a standard 36-month schedule.
New Attorneys
Newly licensed attorneys must complete the State Bar’s 10-hour New Attorney Training within their first year. Those hours count toward the regular 25-hour requirement.
Reporting
California is a self-reporting jurisdiction. Attorneys submit their statement of compliance through My State Bar Profile at calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar audits a sample of licensees in each reporting cycle.
Provider Approval
Only the State Bar of California may approve MCLE providers and activities. Approval status for each Walkup Trial Skills Lab course is listed on its individual registration page.
Source
Current as of May 2026. Refer to the State Bar of California (calbar.ca.gov) for the complete rules and any updates.