LPO Continuing Education

LPO Continuing Education Information Online

LPOs can log into the LPO Directory, where they will find their:

• LPO profile;
• Total hours to-date, including carry-over;
• List of seminars attended; and
• Seminar/activity search tool.

LPOs using the directory for the first time should go choose New User to login. You will need to have an e-mail address on file with the WSBA to do so. If you do not have an e-mail address, or you have any other problems, you may contact Talia Clever at 206-239-2112 or LPO@wsba.org.

LPO Continuing Education FAQ

LPO: Hours/Credits
LPO: Seminars and Attendance
LPO: Reporting Hours/Affidavit of Attendance
LPO: Continuing Education Calendar
LPO: Teaching or Participating Credit
Sponsor: Seminar Approval
Sponsor: Seminar Duties
Sponsor: Reporting Attendance

LPO: Hours/Credits

How many hours do I need?
You must attend 10 hours of continuing education each calendar year. Two of the 10 hours must be liability hours; the remaining hours may be general or liability.

What is Distance Learning?
Half of the hours earned may be non-live or Distance Learning. You must earn at least 5 live hours each year.

I am a new LPO; do I need to have 10 hours?
New LPOs are exempt from the continuing education requirements for the calendar year in which they were certified as an LPO, regardless of how much time is left in the year. For example, if you were certified in December 2007, then you do not need hours for 2007, but you will for 2008. Any seminars you attend in the year you are certified will be credited and appear in the next year. You cannot receive credit for seminars attended prior to your certification date. 

When do I need to have all my hours complete?
You must complete your hours within the calendar year (by December 31). If you must take a seminar in the next year (including January) to meet the 10-hour requirement, then you will be subject to a $50 late fee.

How many hours carry over to the next year?
You may carry over up to 10 hours to the next calendar year. Only two liability hours will carry over as liability; any liability hours over 2 will carry over as general hours.

How do I find out how many hours I have to date?
You may see how many hours you have by logging into your profile through the LPO Directory. Once logged in, you will be able to see how many hours you have through attendance for the current year and how many carry over hours you have from last year.

LPO: Seminars and Attendance

How do I find seminars approved for LPO CEU credit?
Seminars that have been approved for LPO CEU credit are maintained in a data base on the WSBA website. You can access the database by logging in through the LPO Directory. Once logged in, you can search for seminars by date, location, sponsor, etc. Only seminars open to all LPOs will appear in the search results; in-house-only seminars will not appear.

How do I receive credit for attending a seminar?
You must sign in when you attend a seminar. The sponsor of the seminar will provide the attendance list to our office. Only LPOs on the attendance list receive credit for the seminar.

How do I check to see which seminars I have attended?
You may see a list of seminars you have attended each year since 2000 by logging into your profile through the LPO Directory. Once logged in, you will be able to see which courses you attended and how many hours credit you received.

What do I do if a seminar I attended does not appear in my profile?
First, be sure it has been 30 days since the seminar; that is how long the sponsor has to report the attendance. If the seminar still does not appear in your profile after 30 days, then contact our office so we can double-check the attendance list. If you do not appear on the attendance list, we will ask you to contact the sponsor, who must provide our office with verification that you attended the seminar.

LPO: Reporting Hours/Affidavit of Attendance

How and when do I report my continuing education hours?
You will receive an affidavit of attendance in mid-November every year. The affidavit will list the seminars that you attended and show how many hours, if any, were carried over from the previous year. You must complete the affidavit, have it notarized, and return it to the WSBA by January 31 of the following year. If the affidavit is not submitted by the January 31 deadline, then you will be subject to a $50 late fee.

What do I do if the affidavit of attendance does not list a seminar that I attended or a seminar that I will attend in the future?
You should write in the seminar information for any seminars that you have attended, or will attend, that do not appear on your affidavit. We will verify that information when we receive the attendance list from the seminar sponsor.

How long do I have to complete my hours and submit the affidavit of attendance if I cannot make it by January 31?
If you cannot meet the requirements by January 31, then you will receive an automatic extension until April 30 to complete your hours and submit the affidavit. Please hold onto your affidavit until you attend the seminars. After attending the seminars, complete the affidavit and submit it to our office with the $50 late fee.

What if I do not comply by April 30?
If you do not comply by April 30, your LPO license will be suspended until you comply. You will have 9 months to cure the suspension; otherwise, your LPO license will be revoked.

Are there any exceptions to the requirements?
Waivers or further extensions of the continuing education requirements are granted only in cases of undue hardship or infirmity. Requests for waivers or extensions must be made in writing.

LPO: Continuing Education Calendar

LPO: Teaching or Participating Credit

Can I receive credit for teaching or participating in a seminar?
Yes, you may receive credit for teaching or participating in a seminar. You may receive credit for actual presentation time and for preparation time. In order to receive credit, you must report the time by January 31 of the following year on the LPO Form 3, Affidavit of Teaching. Please see CEU Regulation 103 E for more information.

Sponsor: Seminar Approval

How do I get approval of LPO hours for a seminar?
In order for a seminar to be approved for LPO credit, a sponsoring organization must complete an LPO Form 1, Application for Approval of Continuing Education Units. The application with a non-refundable $25 application fee must be submitted to the WSBA at least 30 days prior to the date of the seminar. If there is not enough room on the application, additional sheets detailing the agenda, schedule and staff backgrounds, etc., may be attached to the application. Please do not send actual course materials.

What is Distance Learning and how do I apply?
Distance Learning is a non-live course that includes a method for tracking completion. To apply for approval, complete the Distance Learning Supplemental Application and include it with the Application for Approval (above).

What qualifies as a liability credit?
To qualify for "liability credit," a course or subject must deal with the legal rights, duties, or responsibilities of LPOs.

Sponsor: Seminar Duties

What do I need to do on the day of the seminar for LPOs to receive credit?
Sponsors must provide each LPO that attends a copy of the first page of the course approval application showing that the seminar was approved. In addition, sponsors should be sure LPOs sign in and report their LPO number.

Sponsor: Reporting Attendance

How do I report attendance?
Sponsors must provide the attendance list to the WSBA for LPOs to receive credit for attending a seminar. Sponsors should provide an attendance list with the LPO name and number. The list should note any LPOs who did not attend the entire seminar. It is preferable to receive an electronic list, either in Word or Excel.