September 30, 2021, is the MCLE grace period deadline for Illinois attorneys who are part of the 2019-2021 reporting period but didn’t complete their CLE requirements by June 30, 2021.
Illinois attorneys whose last names begin with N-Z and fall into this category have until 11:59 p.m. CDT on September 30 to report compliance and pay their late fee. (Unlike last year, the MCLE Board isn’t waiving the late fee.)
The MCLE requirements for the 2019-2021 reporting period are 30 hours of approved Illinois MCLE credit, including at least six professional responsibility (PR) hours.
Those six PR hours must include at least one hour in diversity and inclusion CLE and one hour in mental health and substance abuse CLE.
Newly admitted attorneys have separate requirements.
How do I report compliance to the MCLE Board?
Attorneys can report “complied” and pay their late fee by logging into the portal on the “Attorneys” tab of the MCLE Board’s website.
Instructions for reporting compliance and paying your late fee are available on the website.
What is my late fee?
If you reported “not yet complied” to the MCLE Board by June 30, 2021, you owe a $100 late fee by September 30.
If you didn’t submit a report to the MCLE Board by July 31, 2021, your late fee is $250.
Payment can be submitted online or by mailing a check. Please note, if you choose to pay the late fee by mailing a check, the MCLE Board must receive the check and accompanying invoice no later than September 30.
Still need CLE?
The Commission on Professionalism offers 5 hours of free online PR CLE through 6 courses on our website.
- Advancing Women in Law Summit: Explores challenges and opportunities in advancing women in the legal profession. (1.0 hour of diversity and inclusion CLE credit in Illinois)
- The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Well-Being: Introduces attorneys to simple strategies to help manage their well-being. (0.5 hours of mental health and substance abuse CLE credit in Illinois)
- The Resilient Lawyer: Demonstrates how developing a resilient mindset can help manage daily stressors. (0.5 hours of mental health and substance abuse CLE credit in Illinois)
- Ending Harassment, Bullying, and Incivility in the Legal Workplace: Places attorneys in real-life scenarios to help them manage workplace incivility and identify organizational changes that can lead to a more equitable work environment. (1.0 hour of PR CLE credit in Illinois)
- Rebalance the Scales: Implicit Bias, Diversity, and the Legal Profession: Explores how implicit bias impacts diversity in the legal profession and shares strategies to address implicit bias in personal and professional lives. (1.0 hour of diversity and inclusion CLE credit in Illinois)
- The Buck Stops Here: Ethics and Professionalism for In-House Counsel: Seeks to answer the ethical and professionalism questions in-house counsel face every day. (1.0 hour of PR CLE credit in Illinois; satisfies the Rule 716(c) requirement for foreign in-house counsel)
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