MCLE Board

Licensed legal professionals in the state of Washington are required to continue their legal education throughout their careers in order to remain eligible to practice law. The Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Board plays a critical role in defining and determining compliance with the minimum education requirements. The Board meets five times a year to consider MCLE policy issues and review requests from legal professionals, including requests for waiver and extension of time to meet their minimum education requirements, and holds hearings on denied requests.

Board Members

Ayanna Colman, Chair  │  Todd Alberstone  │  M. Christopher Bueter  │  Merri Hartse  │  Robert Malae  │  Melissa Skelton  │ Asia N. Wright

BOG Liaisons: Sunitha Anjilvel  │  Russell Knight

Contact the MCLE Board and Staff Liaison at MCLE@wsba.org

Notification

Pursuant to Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 11 (d)(2)(ii) the MCLE Board notified the WA Supreme Court and the WSBA Board of Governors of two policies adopted at its Aug. 6, 2021 meeting. The attached policies are intended to provide guidance in the administration of the newly adopted APR 11 amendment and will become effective on Oct. 12, 2021.

MCLE Board Policy - Implementation of New Ethics Credit

MCLE Board Policy - Credit Carryover

Amendment to APR 11

The Washington Supreme Court has entered order NO. 25700-A-1349 adopting the MCLE Board’s suggested amendment to Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 11, effective Sept. 1, 2022.

The amendment to APR 11 requires, per each three-year reporting period, that each licensed legal professional complete at least one (1) ethics credit in the topic of equity, inclusion, and the mitigation of both implicit and explicit bias in the legal profession and the practice of law.

WSBA is working to develop tracking mechanisms in the MCLE database, and will notify licensed legal professionals and CLE sponsors with more information—including how to apply for and report the new ethics requirement—as soon as it becomes available. The amendment does not increase the total number of ethics credits required, nor does it prevent legal professionals from earning additional ethics credits on other topics, which also count toward the 45 total required credits. Please see the GR 9 Coversheet for more detailed information about the history of the MCLE Board's suggested amendment.

Amendment Timeline:

• On July 24, 2020, a public comment survey requesting feedback regarding the suggested amendment to APR 11 was posted to the WSBA website. The MCLE Board page informed WSBA licensed legal professionals that they may make a public comment at the Aug. 7, 2020, MCLE Board Meeting. The survey closed on Aug. 22, 2020.
• On Sept. 18, 2020, the MCLE Board presented their suggested amendment, report and recommendation, and all public comments collected to the WSBA Board of Governors for their review. The Board of Governors voted to support the MCLE Board’s suggested amendment.
• On Oct. 15, 2020, the MCLE Board submitted the suggested amendment to the Washington Supreme Court.
• On Jan. 8, 2021, the Washington Supreme Court ordered that the suggested amendment be published on the Washington Reports, Washington Register, Washington State Bar Association, and the Administrative Office of the Court's websites in January 2021.
• On July 1, 2021, the Washington Supreme Court entered order 25700-A-1349 approving the MCLE Board's suggested amendment, effective Sept. 1, 2022.

Note: The amendment to APR 11 originates from a proposal presented by the WSBA Diversity Committee—along with Washington Women Lawyers—to the MCLE Board on October 5, 2018. For more information, please see the summary of the previously rejected suggested amendment.

Quick Links:

• Washington Supreme Court Order NO. 25700-A-1349
• GR 9 Coversheet (Includes Suggested Amendment and Previously Collected Comments)
• MCLE Board Report and Recommendation
• Letter of Support from WSBA Board of Governors

Meeting Dates and Minutes

Contact Us

Please direct all correspondence, petitions, notices, and other written communications to:

Washington State Bar Association
MCLE Board
1325 Fourth Ave., Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539

Please submit all requests and notices to the MCLE Board in writing. Requests and petitions must be received two weeks prior to a board meeting in order to be placed on that meeting's agenda.

To request a MCLE Petition of Undue Hardship, please contact our MCLE Team at 206-733-5987, or email us at mcle@wsba.org.