What requirements and limitations apply to earning CLE credit by attending a traditional CLE course?

Except for limited situations involving certain live out-of-state or live technology courses, the course provider is the entity that applies to accredit courses for Illinois MCLE credit.

The provider of an Illinois MCLE-accredited course must report the credit earned by each Illinois attorney attending their course to the MCLE Board by the 15th of the next month after the attorney earns the credit. The course provider needs the attorney's seven-digit ARDC number to report their credit, so an attorney needs to make sure the provider has the correct number. An attorney can click here to look up their number on the ARDC's website. Once reported, the credit displays on the attorney’s My MCLE online list of reported credits on the Board’s website.

The course provider must also issue to attorneys attending their course an attendance certificate reflecting the number of Illinois CLE credits earned by participating in the course. Retain your MCLE certificates and other compliance documents until your online transcript reflects your credits earned in the reporting period and for three years after your reporting period ends.

The MCLE Rules do not provide an option for an attorney to apply for CLE credit for a live, in-person course held in Illinois. The Rules also do not allow an attorney to apply for CLE credit for a recorded course. The only way an attorney may get Illinois MCLE credit for participating in these types of courses is if the course provider applies to the MCLE Board and obtains course accreditation. Consider asking the provider about Illinois MCLE accreditation before you register for a course.

Here are some key facts about Illinois MCLE-accredited courses.

Courses submitted by the course provider may be approved by the MCLE Board for the following delivery methods: live in-person, live technology, and recorded technology (this includes recorded online on-demand courses).
The MCLE Rules do not limit how many credits an attorney can earn by delivery method. Given this, an attorney may choose to earn all their required CLE credits through Illinois accredited recorded online on-demand courses.
An attorney is permitted to earn CLE credit for attending the same course only once within a 12-month period.
The MCLE Board uses a 60-minute credit hour when approving courses. Approved credit hours are rounded down to the nearest quarter hour.
Illinois CLE credit is awarded for actual attendance only.
For partial attendance, the provider issues the attorney CLE credit only for hours actually attended. A provider may elect to require attorneys to attend an entire course to earn credit, but the provider must make attorneys aware of this requirement before they register.

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