Can I earn credits toward my NAA Requirement before being admitted to the Illinois bar?
Supreme Court Rule(s) cited in this FAQ:
Rule 793,
Rule 704,
Rule 704A,
Rule 705,
Rule 715,
Rule 716,
Rule 717, and
Rule 719.
Yes, but only from two activities. You may take a course accredited as a Basic Skills course or enroll in a mentoring program approved by the Commission on Professionalism any time after taking a bar exam, or properly submitting an application for admission, that results in your admission to the Illinois bar.
Attorneys Who Take the Bar Exam
In order to qualify for MCLE credit, an attorney who takes the bar exam under Rule 704 or 715 and then completes a Basic Skills course or enrolls in a mentoring program approved by the Commission on Professionalism before they are admitted to the Illinois bar must:
- Pass that bar exam; and
- Be admitted to the Illinois bar within 365 days of the last day of that bar exam.
Attorneys who do not pass the bar exam, or who pass the bar exam but are not admitted to the Illinois bar within 365 days of the last day of the exam, may not claim those six hours and must repeat the Basic Skills course or enroll in a new mentorship program after retaking the bar exam or after admission.
Once you are admitted to the Illinois bar, you may begin earning the additional Illinois-approved CLE hours needed to reach the 15 total hours required for newly-admitted attorneys.
Note that bar review preparation courses taken before Illinois admission do not qualify towards the NAA requirements. Rule 793.
Attorneys Who Submit an Application for Admission
In order to qualify for MCLE credit, an attorney who properly submits an application for admission under Rule 704A, 705, 716, 717, or 719 and then completes a Basic Skills course or enrolls in a mentoring program approved by the Commission on Professionalism before they are admitted to the Illinois bar must be admitted to the Illinois bar within 365 days of the date the attorney properly submitted that application.
If the attorney's application is approved, but the attorney is not admitted to the Illinois bar within 365 days of date of their properly submitted application, the attorney may not claim those six hours and must repeat the Basic Skills course or enroll in a new mentorship program after admission. If the attorney's application is denied, the attorney may not claim those six hours and must repeat the Basic Skills course or enroll in a new mentorship program after properly submitting a new application or after admission.
Once you are admitted to the Illinois bar, you may begin earning the additional Illinois-approved CLE hours needed to reach the 15 total hours required for newly-admitted attorneys.
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