Course Approval and Accreditation

In order for a course to be approved, a Form 1 application for Course Approval must be completed. In most instances, the sponsor of the course should submit the Form 1 (with a $50 application fee). However, for some out-of-state courses from smaller CLE providers, the member may submit the Form 1.

The Form 1 can be filled out and submitted online at http://pro.wsba.org. (The system requires that you first search to see if your course is already approved in our database.) You may also complete a paper Form 1. A Uniform Application for Course Approval is also acceptable. The turn-around time for processing electronic Form 1 applications is significantly shorter than that for paper submissions.

Please note that a new paper Form 1 went into effect on December 1, 2006.

A detailed time schedule of topics to be covered in the CLE must be included with the Form 1 application (both electronic and paper versions) in order for accreditation to be determined. Do not send course material. To obtain approval for a pre-recorded seminar, you must include both the date and city in which the tape was originally recorded (the activity's sponsor can provide that information), and the dates on which you reviewed the activity.

Credits approved for a course represent the total number of attendance credits that can be claimed for the course. Once the course is approved, any attendee may claim up to the maximum credits based on his or her actual attendance at the course.

How do I know if a certain course has already been approved for credit?

You may look up any course on the WSBA MCLE website at http://pro.wsba.org to see if it has been approved. Click on "Member" or "Sponsor." You will see an Activity Search engine. To search successfully, enter the least amount of information possible. We recommend using the month, year, and city in which the CLE is being held to successfully find approved courses. If it has not been approved, or is incomplete, it will not come up in the search results. You may also call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-9722 or 206-443-9722 or e-mail questions@wsba.org .

Can I get credit for audio/visual (A/V) self-study?

Pre-recorded audio/video seminars (including online pre-recorded seminars with streaming audio or video) that meet the requirements of APR 11 may be approved for self-study credit. Up to one-third of your required credits for each reporting period may be taken using approved audio/visual programs, (i.e., at least 30 of the 45 credits required for each reporting period must be live credits; the rest of the 15 credits can be taken as live or as A/V credits.) Up to five (5) A/V credits may be carried over into your next reporting period. All ethics credits can be acquired using approved audio/visual self-study.

An A/V recording of an approved live seminar is automatically approved for the same amount of credits as the live seminar. To obtain approval for a pre-recorded seminar, include the date and city in which the recording was originally made (sponsors can provide that information) and include the date(s) that you reviewed the activity. Note: No A/V program older than five years may be used for credit, unless it has been approved as a "skills-based" activity.

What is the difference between Live and A/V activities?

Despite references to other types of activities as "A/V," the medium of the course is not the critical characteristic to examine when deciding if your activity is "Live." A "Live" activity takes place in "real time" (i.e., not pre-recorded). Participants attend either in person or through an electronic medium such as a teleconference, videoconference or webcast.

Teleconferences, videoconferences, and webcasts are considered "live" if and only if (a) presenters and expert moderators are available to all course attendees in real-time; and (b) all attendees can hear other attendees' questions and resultant responses, also in real-time.

Group viewings of pre-recorded courses, presented by one or more expert moderators qualified to answer questions and expand on topics may also be considered "live" if (a) the pre-recorded course is viewed by a group of at least five people gathered together, not including moderators; and (b) the moderators are qualified experts in the relevant field and available in real time to the members gathered to watch the course.

Can I receive additional credit for teaching or being a panelist at a CLE?

If you have presented material at a CLE activity as either a speaker or panelist, you can receive CLE credit in two ways. Time spent actually presenting material at the event is treated exactly the same as that for your audience. An hour spent lecturing at the podium earns the same credit as those listening from the auditorium. However, you may also receive CLE credit for the time spent in preparation for that individual or panel presentation.

The first step is to have the sponsor report your attendance at the activity. If the sponsor does not report your attendance within 30 days of the CLE, then you may add it to your roster (if it is already approved in our system) or apply to have it accredited by completing a Form 1 application. After that underlying activity is approved and applied to your MCLE roster, you may apply for Prep Time credit.

Members may receive one hour of "Prep Time" for each hour actually spent in preparation for substantive presentation (not organizational aspects of the activity). Prep Time credit is limited to a maximum of (a) five hours per approved activity for panelists or (b) ten hours per single hour of presentation time for individual speakers. If the presentation is approved for ethics, the preparation time may be claimed as ethics credit. The content of the legal presentation must be directed to attorneys to meet our standards for approval. If the course is not approved, no teaching credits can be claimed.

You may submit a Prep Time Form 1 application online by visiting our website at http://pro.wsba.org and using the Speaker or Panelist Prep Credit Form 1. This is the preferred method, with an expedited approval time.

Can I get credit for writing?

Credit for writing substantial published works (e.g., law textbooks or law review articles) is granted sparingly and only on a case-by-case basis. Applications for writing credit, along with the written product itself, are reviewed by the MCLE Board. The number of credits granted is based on the number of hours spent in preparing the material, but in no case will exceed ten credit hours.

The Board meets approximately every two months and reviews those applications received at least two weeks prior to that particular meeting. You will be informed of the Board's decision regarding your application within two weeks of the review.

There are two ways to apply for Writing Credit:

(a) You may submit a Writing Credit Form 1 application online by visiting our website at http://pro.wsba.org and mail a copy of the written work as instructed below, referencing the Activity ID number.

(b) You can print a Form 1 application, and fax or mail it to the WSBA. When applying for Writing Credit using a paper application, the "sponsor" is the publisher of the work and the "date" of the activity is the publication date. You must both clearly mark the application "WRITING CREDIT" to indicate its type, and indicate the number of hours you spent writing and/or editing the material.

In either case, you must send a copy of the written work to the MCLE Board, Washington State Bar Association, 1325 Fourth Ave., Suite #600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539.

What is nexus credit?

Individuals seeking accreditation of programs that are not strictly continuing legal education courses may claim credit for such a course if the information presented in the seminar is critical to the attorney's practice (e.g., a medical malpractice attorney attending a medical conference on spinal injuries). The attorney must submit a written statement showing the nexus between the seminar and the applicant's legal work on the "Comments about Activity" box on the electronic Form 1. If using a paper Form 1, write the nexus statement within the box provided on the second page. Neither ethics credits nor prep time credits are available for courses awarded nexus credit. Because approval of nexus credit necessarily depends on the nature of each individual attendee's legal practice, sponsors may never receive approval for nexus credit courses.

Can I get credit for bar review courses?

APR 11 Regulation 104(c)(5) does not allow CLE credit for bar review courses pertaining to the Washington State Bar Examination. However, for currently-licensed members who are preparing to take bar exams in other jurisdictions, MCLE credit is available. Members may receive one CLE credit for each classroom hour of live or prerecorded audiovisual instruction.

Can I get credit for law school courses?

Under APR 11 Regulation 103(e), law school courses such as those found in LLM programs are limited to a maximum 15 credits per course. An Active member taking such a course must arrange with the instructor or school registrar for verification of the Active member's actual attendance at the various sessions of the course and for the reporting of such attendance to the MCLE Board.

To receive credit for an academic term of an LLM program or other lengthier program, you will need to (a) have the instructor or registrar for your program send a letter to the MCLE Board verifying your attendance; and (b) fill out a "Form 1" application as with any other CLE activity. The most important portion of the application will be the agenda information for your program. Unlike the high degree of specificity we require with respect to shorter conferences and seminars, we deal with lengthier programs by accepting a more generalized agenda.

I am an attorney residing outside the U.S. Must I continue to earn CLE credits?

If you are an Active member, you must still comply with all MCLE requirements. Because of the unavailability of programs in some geographic areas, the MCLE Board may give approval to programs offered in those areas that would not otherwise fully meet the standards for approval if offered in the U.S.

Can I get credit for pro bono work?

Pursuant to APR 11 Regulation 103(g), you may earn six credits per year for Pro Bono services delivered through a qualified legal services provider (per APR 8(e)(2)). At least two credits of prerequisite training must first be taken in each year for which you seek Pro Bono credit. Once you have completed such prerequisite training, you may apply for four additional hours of Pro Bono credit after completing at least four hours of pro bono service. Four (4) MCLE credits for Pro Bono service may be earned in one calendar year, not including the prerequisite training of at least two hours.

Prerequisite Training: In order to receive Pro Bono credit, you must first engage in not less than two hours of training from a qualified legal services provider. Such training may consist of:

Live presentations;
Audiovisual presentations, pre-approved by the MCLE Board;
Any combination of such live and audiovisual presentations; OR
Serving as mentor to another participating attorney who has completed the foregoing training.

If you would like to contact a qualified legal services provider for the purpose of earning CLE credit through Pro Bono activities, or find out about approved Pro Bono training A/V programs that are available, please contact Sharlene Steele at 206-727-8262 or e mail sharlene@wsba.org.

Applying for Pro Bono MCLE credit: Once you have completed at least two hours of prerequisite Pro Bono training and, subsequent to that, given not less than four hours of Pro Bono service, you may apply for four MCLE credits for time spent in Pro Bono service. Applications may be submitted in two ways:

1. Submit a Pro Bono Form 1 application online by visiting our website at http://pro.wsba.org/. This is the preferred method, with a greatly expedited approval time relative to paper submissions. If the training activity has not been approved, you must complete a Form 1 application for that prerequisite training activity (and wait for it to be approved) before applying for Pro Bono credit.

2. Print out a paper Form 1 application and fax or mail it to us. The approval process for paper submissions generally takes much longer than online applications. You should use the following guide for adapting the standard Form 1 application to request Pro Bono credit. (1) Clearly write "PRO BONO," preferably in the upper-right-hand corner, to indicate its type. (2) 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. (3) Attach a separate written statement detailing (a) the number of service hours provided; (b) the Qualified Legal Service Provider through which you provided the service; (c) the dates on which such service occurred; and (d) the type of service rendered.

Can I get credit for mock trials or moot court competitions?

According to APR 11 Regulation 103(h), a member may earn a maximum of six (6) credit-hours in any given three-year reporting period for judging and preparing law students for law competitions, mock trials and moot court competitions provided that (a) the member receives accreditable training prior to each competition regarding a pre-determined "feedback process" for each student performance and (b) implements that process appropriately during the competition. Neither Prep Time nor Ethics credit may be earned, nor can credit be earned for reviewing or grading written papers connected with this type of activity, such as briefs. The sponsor of the activity, usually the law school, is responsible for reporting attendance at the event.

Are mealtime activities accreditable?

Educational activities occurring during a meal may be approved if the duration of the substantive portion of the mealtime presentation, itself, is indicated in the time schedule.

How long should I keep materials from a CLE course I attended?

Once the WA MCLE Board has approved the course, it will not request the associated written materials from you, so you should keep them according to your own need. For the purpose of a possible MCLE audit, however, agendas and certificates of completion for a course should be retained for four years after the reporting period in which you took that course.

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.