Credit Compliance Certification

Credit/Compliance Certification

Attorney MCLE Reporting and Certification Requirements and Information

Due Date for MCLE Credit Completion and Certification
Newly Admitted Members
Credit Requirements (Live, A/V, and Ethics Credits)
Carry-over Credits
MCLE Compliance Certification Requirement
Online Certification
Paper Certification
Deadlines
Grace Period Elimination
Credits Not Complete – No automatic extension until May 1
MCLE Late Fees
MCLE Comity
Course Approval
Pro Bono Credits
New MCLE Rules and Regulations
MCLE System
In-House CLEs
Copy of Paper C2 Form
Questions

Due Date for MCLE Credit Completion and Certification

WSBA members are divided into three MCLE reporting groups based upon year of admission. (Newly admitted members are exempt. See "Newly Admitted Members" below.)

Group 1: Admitted through 1975, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009

Group 2: Admitted in 1976 through 1983, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010

Group 3: Admitted in 1984 through 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011

Group	Report	Complete Credits	Certify Compliance
Group 1	2011-2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Feb. 1, 2014
Group 2	2009-2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 1, 2012
Group 3	2010-2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 1, 2013

Newly Admitted Members

Newly admitted members are exempt from reporting CLE credits for the year of their admission and the following calendar year. For example, if you were admitted in 2010, you would not report for this reporting period (2009-2011) even though you are in Group 2. You would first report at the end of the 2012–2014 reporting period. Members admitted in 2011 will first report at the end of the 2013–2015 reporting period. Members admitted in 2012 will first report at the end of the 2014–2016 reporting period. When new members report at the end of their first reporting period, they may claim all CLE credits earned on or after their date of admission to the WSBA.

Credit Requirements

At least 45 total credits of MCLE Board-approved CLE activities must be taken, including a minimum of 22.5 live credits and a minimum of 6 ethics credits.
Credits required for compliance must be completed by December 31 of the last year of your reporting period.
Courses must meet the requirements of APR 11 to be accredited, but they do not need to be taken in Washington State. Many courses are offered around the world which meet the requirements of APR 11.
"Live" courses are held at a specific time; they are not pre-recorded. During the course, attendees have the opportunity to ask questions of the instructor(s) and hear the questions of others in real-time. Live courses include teleconferences, webinars and webcasts, as well as traditional in-person events.
"A/V" courses are pre-recorded CLE courses. These courses are the only type that can be used for earning "self study" credits. A/V courses include audio and video tapes, compact discs, DVDs, archived web casts, and other media that include the soundtrack of an MCLE Board-approved course presentation. These programs cannot be more than five years old from the date of recording, except MCLE Board-approved "skills-based" courses. Written materials must be included with the A/V program and reviewed by the applicant to earn credit. Written materials must be purchased by each member, when required by the sponsor, to claim CLE credit for listening to or viewing an A/V program borrowed from another party.
"Ethics" courses, and sessions of larger courses devoted exclusively to ethics, must meet the specific requirements of APR 11 Regulation 101(g) to be considered for ethics credit.
"Read-only" and "read-and-test" courses are not accreditable in Washington.

Carry-over Credits

Carry-over credits from the previous reporting period may be used to meet the requirements of the current reporting period. If the total of your current reporting period credits exceeds 45, you may carry-over a maximum of 15 credits towards your next reporting period. Of these 15 credits, up to 2 can be ethics credits and up to 5 can be A/V credits. No credits will be carried over if a Certificate of Compliance from a comity state is used for compliance certification. (See "MCLE Comity" below.)

MCLE Compliance Certification Requirement

All active members due to certify MCLE compliance are required to:

Complete the credit requirements; and
Certify the credits taken for MCLE compliance.

Your online roster showing credit compliance is not a substitute for certifying MCLE compliance [APR 11.6(b)]. You must complete the Online Certification or submit a completed CLE Certification (C2) Form.

MCLE Online Certification

If this is your Reporting Period, and if you have met the reporting credit requirements, online MCLE certification is available:

Go to the "mywsba" website at www.mywsba.org. (You must have a valid email address on file with the WSBA to be able use the online system).
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the screen. Login using your Bar Number and Password.
Click on the “Licensing” link on the left side on your My Profile page.
Click on “Start Licensing Renewal,” if you haven’t started. (You must update your Membership Status).
Click on “MCLE Certification (C2)” link to certify your MCLE credits.
Follow the instructions in the form.

Note:

If you have met your credit requirements, "MCLE Credit Requirements" will be listed as "Completed."
If you have not met your credit requirements, "MCLE Credit Requirements" will be listed as "Not Completed."
Click the "MCLE Credits Requirements" link to add more courses to your roster or to submit Form 1 applications for course approval.
If you have not submitted your C2, "MCLE Certification (C2)" will be listed as "Not Completed."
If you have submitted your C2, "MCLE Certification (C2)" will be listed as "Completed/Pending review by WSBA."
Once your C2 is submitted, check back for compliance determination (allow at least 3–4 weeks). The status will be noted in your MCLE online records. If anything else is required, an email will be sent to the email address on file.
If your C2 is approved, "MCLE Certification (C2)" will be listed as "Completed." Your new 2012-2014 reporting period will show on your MCLE records.
If you are certifying via comity you cannot certify online. Submit your Comity Certificate of MCLE Compliance form with a paper C2 form.

Paper Certification

If you do not want to certify online or are not credit compliant, you can file a Continuing Legal Education Certification (C2) Form listing all CLE courses taken for credit compliance.

C2 Forms are included in the license packets mailed in mid-October to all members due to report and certify credits (Group 1 members this year).
The data printed on the C2 Form was taken from your online MCLE roster in mid-September.
If you earn additional credits after the C2 Form was printed, add them to the form.
All courses you list on the form must be approved by the MCLE Board. Approved courses have an Activity ID number. (See the "Course Approval" section.)
You must verify that the credits listed in the C2 Form are accurate. The credits for CLE courses you took should reflect your actual attendance. Credits on your online MCLE roster may be edited by clicking on the "edit" link next to each course. Credits on the C2 Form may be corrected manually.
If you do not want to handwrite the additional credits you earned on the back of the C2 Form, you may print a copy of you online MCLE roster and attach it to your C2 Form. State on your C2 Form that the attached roster printout is a true and correct statement of the CLE courses taken for credit compliance. Alternatively, you may print an updated C2 Form from the link on your mywsba home page. The C2 back side should include all courses that are on your online roster as of the date of printing.
The C2 Form is a declaration and must be signed and dated, and the location where signed must be identified.

Deadlines

All required credits must be completed by December 31 of the last year of your reporting period.
All credits must be certified by February 1 of the year following the end of your reporting period (or the next business day, if February 1 is on a weekend). [APR 11.2(a)]

Grace Period Elimination

There is no grace period for certifying compliance. You must complete the online MCLE certification process (if you are credit compliant) at www.mywsba.org or postmark or deliver your C2 Form by February 1. [APR 11.6(b)]

Credits Not Complete – No Automatic Extension Until May 1

There is no automatic extension. If your credits are not complete by December 31 of the last year of your reporting period, you must complete the requirements listed below by the following February 1:

File a C2 Form listing the credits taken to date even though you have not completed the credit requirements. Then file a Supplemental CLE Certification Form for all subsequent credits earned for compliance. [APR 11.6(b)]
Submit a Petition to the MCLE Board: provide a complete explanation as to the reason that you need an extension. The Board will consider factors of undue hardship, age or disability in determining whether an extension will be granted. [APR 11.6(c)(4) and APR 11 Regulation 107(a)]

MCLE Late Fees

Late fees are assessed when:

Credits are not completed by December 31 of the last year of your reporting period; and/or
Credits are not certified by February 1. Credits may be certified online, or postmark or deliver the C2 certification form to WSBA by the deadline.

The late fee for the first reporting period of non-compliance is $150 and increases by $300 for each consecutive reporting period of non-compliance.

You may pay your late fee online if you will be paying your late fee in full.

Access your online MCLE record page. (For instructions, click Online Certification.)
Click the "Pay Late Fee Online" link at the bottom of your roster page.
Fill in the fields in the "Payment Information" section of the screen.
Click "Make Payment"

To make a partial payment you must either

Send a check to the WSBA – on the memo line write "MCLE late fee" and your bar number, or
Contact the WSBA to make a credit card payment (206-443-9722 or 800-945-9722).

MCLE Comity

If you are an Active member of the WSBA and your primary office for the practice of law is outside of Washington, and if you are a member of the Oregon, Idaho, or Utah state bars ("comity" states), you may meet your Washington mandatory credit requirements via comity [APR 11 Regulation 112]. To do this, you must provide two documents no later than February 1 following the end of your reporting period. You will not be deemed compliant in Washington until both forms are received.

Proof of current MCLE compliance from your comity state bar. You must request "Comity Certificate of MCLE Compliance" from your comity state bar office. This certificate is the only form of proof that will be accepted if you want to meet your credit compliance requirements via comity. (See the note below for the comity state contact information.)
A completed and signed Washington CLE Certification (C2) form. The C2 form will be in the license packet mailed to you in October of the last year of your reporting period.

NOTE:

You must submit the paper C2 form if you choose to meet your compliance requirements via comity. You cannot submit an online C2 form.

A "Certificate of Good Standing" or a list of courses taken to meet your comity state's credit compliance requirements is not acceptable for fulfilling the comity requirements.
Your Washington State and your comity state reporting periods do not need to be identical. To meet compliance requirements in Washington your Certificate of Compliance from the comity state must show that you met the MCLE compliance requirements for your most recent comity state reporting period.

A "Comity Certificate of MCLE Compliance" (proof of MCLE compliance in a comity state) – signed by the state MCLE administrator – may be obtained by contacting the MCLE offices in the states listed below:

Oregon – Denise Cline, MCLE Administrator, at dcline@osbar.org or at 503-620-0222, or toll-free in Oregon 800-452-8260, ext. 315.

Idaho – The Membership Department at 208-334-4500 or astrause@isb.state.id.us.

Utah – The Utah MCLE Department at 801-531-9077 or mcle@utahbar.org.

Course Approval

All courses that you list on your C2 Form must be Washington MCLE-Board approved and have an Activity ID number. This number is listed in your online MCLE roster and is assigned at the time of application. A "Certificate of Attendance" or other sponsor-provided certification is not sufficient for receiving course credit.

If you have taken courses that are not yet approved by the MCLE Board, submit Form 1s for these courses immediately to ensure that they are approved before your certification is due. See here for information about submitting a Form 1.

Each Form 1 application must include a full agenda in order to receive credit. The agenda must include the start and end times for each session and break. Because of high volumes from October through February, Form 1s submitted online could take up to four weeks or more to process. Paper Form 1s may take up to six weeks or more to process. If you submit a paper Form 1, you will be notified by mail of its Activity ID number.

Pro Bono Credits

Six pro bono credits can be earned per year. [APR 11 Regulation 103(f)] Of the six credits, two are for the required annual pro bono training. Four credits may be earned per year for pro bono service credits if at least four hours of pro bono work were provided through a qualified legal services provider and if two credits of approved pro bono training were completed within the same calendar year.

Applying for pro bono Service MCLE Credit for service given on or before 12/31/08: Once you have (1) completed at least two hours of prerequisite pro bono training, and subsequently (2) given not less than four hours of service, you may apply for four pro bono service credits.

Apply for credit for the training following the normal processes for submitting Form 1s for Live and A/V programs.

Apply for pro bono credit in one of two ways:

Submit an online pro bono Form 1 application online. This is the preferred method, with a greatly expedited approval time relative to paper submissions. Currently, our processing time for online applications is approximately four weeks.

Go to the "mywsba" website at www.mywsba.org. You must have a valid email address on file with the WSBA to be able to log in.
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the screen, and log in.
Click on the “MCLE” link on the left side on your My Profile page.

Print out a standard Form 1 application, found here takes much longer than online applications. You should use the following guide for adapting the standard Form 1 application to request pro bono credit.

Clearly write "Pro Bono" in the upper-right-hand corner to indicate its type.
Utilize the form fields to present information about the prerequisite training activity taken from a Qualified Legal Services Provider. For example, the "Sponsor" of the activity will be the Qualified Provider, and the "dates of each presentation" will be the date or dates on which you undertook the training.
Attach a separate written statement detailing
the number of service hours provided;
the Qualified Legal Service Provider through which you provided the service;
the dates on which such service occurred; and
the type of service rendered.

Note: For both paper and online Form 1 applications related to pro bono service, the sponsor listed must be recognized by the WSBA as a Qualified Legal Services Provider.

If your prerequisite training was completed by mentoring another attorney, enter "Pro Bono Training – Mentor" as the activity's Title and include the name of the mentored attorney within the "Agenda and Time Schedule" field (in addition to the actual time schedule and topics covered in the mentoring).

Applying for Pro Bono Service MCLE Credit for service given on or after 1/1/09:
Follow the same procedures shown above for submitting the Pro Bono Form 1. However, you can take the required pro bono training at any time within the same calendar year in which you give the pro bono service.

If you would like to contact a qualified legal services provider for the purpose of earning CLE credit through pro bono activities, or to find out about approved pro bono training A/V programs that are available, please contact Catherine Brown at 206-733-5905 or email catherineb@wsba.org.

New MCLE Rules and Regulations

New MCLE rule and regulation amendments went into effect on January 1, 2009. The amendments include:
The number of live credits required was reduced from 30 to 22.5;
The number of A/V credits allowed (of the 45 required) was increased from 15 to 22.5;
There is no longer an automatic extension, and
A member may earn no more than 8 credits per day taking courses.

In-house CLEs

Beginning with the 2007–2009 reporting period, there are no restrictions on the number of in-house credits that a lawyer may claim for compliance. However, lawyers associated with or employed by a private law firm or corporate legal department that maintains an office within Washington State may not apply to receive credit for a continuing legal education course sponsored by that private law firm or corporate legal department. The sponsor must apply for accreditation. [APR 11 Regulation 104(b)(2)].

MCLE System

You may use the online MCLE system to:

Review and edit courses taken and credits earned;
Apply for course approval;
Apply for prep time, pro bono, moot court, or writing credit; and
Search for upcoming approved courses.

To access the MCLE system:

Go to the "mywsba" website at www.mywsba.org.
You must have a valid email address on file with the WSBA to be able to log in.
If you have a valid email address but do not know your password for mywsba, click the "password reset" button on the mywsba web page.
The password you used for the old MCLE system (http://pro.wsba.org) will no longer work for accessing your online MCLE roster. You must get a password for the www.mywsba.org site if you do not yet have one.
Click “Login” in the top right corner of the screen, and log in.
Click on the “MCLE” link on the left side on your My Profile page.

Copy of Paper C2 Form

C2 Forms for previous reporting periods are only kept for a short time. If your C2 Form is still on-site at the WSBA, the fee for a copy is $10. If it has been sent to off-site storage, the fee for a copy is $25. Please contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-9722, 206-443-9722, or questions@wsba.org and ask to speak with an MCLE Analyst. The Analyst will be able to tell you if we still have your form and, if so, whether it is on-site or at off-site storage.

If the MCLE Analyst confirms that we still have the form, please send a written request for your C2 Form to the WSBA and remit the appropriate fee (payable to WSBA). Mail to MCLE C2 Form Request, Washington State Bar Association, 1325 4th Avenue #600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539.

Questions

If you have any questions about using the MCLE System or about the MCLE Compliance Requirements, see the online FAQs and here, or contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA (9722), 206-443-WSBA (9722), or questions@wsba.org.

Any conflict between information on this web page and the Admission to Practice Rules of the State of Washington or regulations pertaining thereto (the Rules) is resolved in favor of the Rules.

WSBA Washington State Bar Association

Credit Compliance/Certification