Help/Frequently Asked Questions How do I access the online videos? What does "MCLE" mean? What is my "MCLE Compliance Year"? Can I earn MCLE credit by watching these videos? How do I claim MCLE credit for watching online videos if I'm not yet licensed? How do I access the online videos? Return to Top Many of the videos are online classes that are streamed video replays of topics from live continuing legal education webcasts and seminars. You must be a registered user of TexasBarCLE.com to enter an online class. (You need not be an attorney to become a registered user.) To register with TexasBarCLE.com, go to the registration page and look for the red link for non-attorney registration found below the blue "Go" box. To gain complimentary admission to an online class, on the registration page choose: "I affirm I am awaiting notification of whether I passed the Texas bar exam." Online videos that are part of the Ten Minute Mentor collection do not require you to go through a registration process - you can view those videos directly by simply clicking on a title. What does "MCLE" mean? Return to Top "MCLE" stands for Minimum Continuing Legal Education. Every active member of the State Bar must complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) during each MCLE compliance year. At least 12 of the total 15 CLE hours need to be completed through attendance at Accredited CLE activities. Accredited CLE includes any program that has been accredited by MCLE and may include live CLE programs, live and on-demand online CLE, and downloadable versions of live Accredited CLE programs. Three of the 15 hours can be in the form of self-study activities, which would include reading legal periodicals, or attending non-accredited CLE activities. At least three hours of the minimum 15-hour requirement must be in the area of legal ethics/professional responsibility; one hour of this minimum 3-hour requirement may be completed in the form of self-study credit. What is my "MCLE Compliance Year"? Return to Top For most attorneys, the MCLE compliance year is a one-year period that begins on the first day of the attorney's birth month and ends one year later on the last day of the month that immediately precedes the birth month. However, for newly licensed attorneys, the initial MCLE compliance year is a 24-month period that begins on the first day of the attorney's first birth month to occur after the licensing date and ends two years later, on the last day of the month that immediately precedes the attorney's birth month. For example: Assume an attorney has an admission date in May 2011, and March is the attorney's birth month. Since March 1, 2012 would be the first day of the next birth month to occur after admission, then the first compliance year would begin on March 1, 2012, and end 24 months later on the last day of the month that immediately precedes the attorneys birth month, or in this case, February 28, 2014. Credits taken between these two dates will be applied toward the attorney's initial compliance year. In addition, credits completed one year prior to the start of the initial MCLE compliance year will be allowed. In the example given above, the attorney may use CLE credits accumulated on or after March 1, 2011 toward the 15-hour minimum requirement of the initial compliance year. The purpose of the MCLE requirement is to ensure that every active member of the State Bar of Texas pursues a plan of continuing legal education throughout his or her career to stay current on the law. For more information, visit MCLE. Can I earn MCLE credit by watching these videos? Return to Top Yes. Accredited continuing legal education and self-study completed within a 12-month period immediately preceding an attorney's initial compliance year may be used to meet the MCLE requirement for the initial compliance year. However, it is not possible for you to report MCLE hours until after you have received your Texas law license and have been assigned a bar card number. If you complete a course that falls outside the initial MCLE compliance year, the credits will not count for MCLE credit. The online classes available at TexasBarCLE.com may be used to fulfill an attorney's MCLE requirements. The Ten Minute Mentor video segments qualify for self-study credit only. How do I claim MCLE credit for watching online videos if I'm not yet licensed? Return to Top Once you become a member of the State Bar of Texas and have been assigned a bar card number, then you may claim credit by returning to each online class you previously viewed at TexasBarCLE.com. Log in to the site and you will find the classes listed on the home page under "Your current online classes." Click on any class title listed, then choose "Enter Class." Once you're in the class, choose "Claim Credit" at the top of the viewing page, edit any information necessary, and select "Submit Hours" at the bottom of the page. TexasBarCLE.com submits attendance electronically to the MCLE department the following Monday or first workday of that following week. Courses or self-study credits may be added online anytime via My Bar Page. To view your MCLE record, choose the View/Report Hours link.	Contact Us