Effective January 1, 2017, new Connecticut Practice Book Section 2-27A will require, with certain exceptions set forth in the rule, all members of the Connecticut Bar and attorneys certified to be Authorized House Counsel (AHC) in Connecticut to complete a minimum of twelve hours of continuing legal education each year, at least two hours of which shall be in ethics and professionalism. Certification of compliance with the MCLE requirement will be done during the following year’s online registration process (e.g. the attorney or AHC will certify his or her 2017 compliance when registering in 2018).
The Commission on Minimum Continuing Legal Education has been established to aid attorneys and AHCs in understanding the rule and complying with it. The Judicial Branch has also established a dedicated MCLE website at https://www.jud.ct.gov/MCLE/, where attorneys and AHCs can view the MCLE rule, FAQs developed by the Commission, forms, and a videotaped seminar conducted on November 7, 2016 regarding MCLE. An attorney or AHC who watches the videotaped seminar may take 1.5 hours of MCLE credit in ethics/professionalism that can be carried over to the attorney’s or AHC’s 2017 twelve hour MCLE requirement.
Unlike many other states, Connecticut does not certify courses or providers. Connecticut lawyers are urged to independently review Practice Book §2-27A and make their own determination that a course qualifies for credit towards their MCLE requirement taking into consideration the delivery and content requirements of the rule. If a course has been approved for CLE credit in another jurisdiction, then it automatically meets the content and delivery requirements in Connecticut, subject to the caveat that credit hours are awarded in Connecticut based on “actual instruction time” (e.g., 60 minutes of instruction time equals one credit hour of Connecticut CLE).
If after visiting the MCLE website and reviewing the information provided there, an attorney or AHC has a question about the MCLE rule, the attorney or AHC may contact the Commission at MCLE@jud.ct.gov for further information.