Navigating Mississippi Continuing Legal Education Requirements for Attorneys
Maintaining an active law license in Mississippi requires attorneys to stay current with the latest legal developments and ethical standards. This is achieved through Continuing Legal Education (CLE), a mandatory program designed to ensure that attorneys remain competent and provide high-quality legal services. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Mississippi CLE requirements, covering everything from the basic requirements to special provisions for newly admitted attorneys and available resources.
Core CLE Requirements in Mississippi
Mississippi mandates that all active status attorneys complete 12.00 CLE credits annually to remain in good standing with The Mississippi Bar. A crucial component of these credits is the requirement to complete at least 1.00 CLE credit in ethics or professionalism. The deadline for completing these requirements is July 31st each year.
Self-Reporting and Verification
Mississippi attorneys are responsible for self-reporting their CLE attendance to the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The Annual Report will list all the CLE hours that have been reported. Any additional CLE courses completed may also be added to this form. Completed courses are not reported to the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education by Attorney Credits.
Attorneys can check their Mississippi CLE records on the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education home page.
Carry-Over Credits
Mississippi allows attorneys to carry over up to 12.00 CLE credits to the next reporting period. Carry-over hours must be reported in the year they are completed and must be designated as carry-forward hours when you report your CLE compliance.
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Special Requirements for Newly Admitted Attorneys
Newly admitted attorneys in Mississippi have specific CLE obligations to fulfill. They must complete a new-lawyer program approved by the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education. This program satisfies the attorney's CLE requirement for the year of admission and the subsequent CLE year.
The new-lawyer program must be completed by the end of the second CLE year occurring after their date of admission. The first reporting period ends on July 31 of the second CLE year after admission to The Mississippi Bar. Attorneys with 5 or more years of prior practice in another state may request an exemption (with an affidavit) from the 6.00-hour basic skills requirement.
Resources for Finding CLE Programs
The Mississippi Bar and other organizations offer a variety of CLE programs to help attorneys meet their requirements. Here are some resources:
- The Mississippi Bar: The Mississippi Bar provides information on CLE programs in Mississippi and the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory CLE.
- YLD and Sections Offer Webcasts: The Young Lawyers Division and certain Sections of the Bar offer on-demand streaming CLE webcasts which you can login to view anytime, day or night, from your computer to earn CLE credit. Recent topics include: Zooming through Mediation, Advice from the Bench, Business Entities, E-Discovery, From Trial to Appeal, A Few Tips Along the Way, Law Practice Management and Reasons Lawyers Get Sued (Ethics Hour).
- Upcoming YLD Sponsored CLE TELESEMINARS: The Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division sponsors a series of new and timely CLE Teleseminars, which you can easily access from the convenience of your office or home phone. Register and review available courses online for these teleconference CLE seminars at ms.webcredenza.com. CT and are presented by National speakers with written material and live Q&A. These CLE Teleseminars cover a broad range of legal topics, including Business and Commercial law, Real Estate Planning and Services, Estate and Trust Planning and Administration, Tax Planning, Civil Litigation, Ethics and much more!
- Six Hours of Free On-Demand CLE Now Available: The Mississippi Bar has released a package of six free, on-demand CLE sessions, including 1 hour of ethics/professionalism.
Examples of CLE Programs
The Mississippi Bar offers a diverse range of CLE programs, catering to various practice areas and interests. Here are some examples of past and upcoming events:
- Supreme Court Update and First Judicial District Veterans Court: Presented by Associate Justice David M. Ishee and Judge Kelly L.
- Learning from the Mistakes of Others and Crossroads of Ethics and Wellness in the Legal Field - Protecting Clients and Attorneys: Presented by Missye Scott and Dr. at the Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson.
- Workers Compensation Section CLE: Judge Nick Saucier will present. One hour of CLE credit will be offered for $25 to Workers Compensation Section members and for $50 to non-Section members.
- ADR Section CLE: This 6-hour course, including 1 hour of ethics/professionalism, will provide the necessary training to stay current in the practice of mediation. The cost is $150 for ADR Section members and $300 for non-section members.
- Health Law Section CLE: Presenters are Bob Anderson, Dr. Katherine Pannel, Richard Roberson, and Bar General Counsel Missye Scott. Four hours of CLE credit, including 1 hour of ethics/professionalism, will be offered for $100 to Health Law Section members and $200 to non-Section members.
- Deposition CLE: Simon Bailey (Bradley), Brennan Ducote (Morgan & Morgan), Robbie Greenlee (Butler Snow), Will Manuel (Bradley), Jessica McNeel (Bryan Nelson), Hayley Oldham (Butler Snow), and Crymes Pittman (Pittman, Roberts & Welsh) will lead this 6-hour CLE focused on everything having to do with depositions. Six hours of CLE credit will be offered for $150 to Litigation Section members and $300 to non-section members.
- Trust Accounting Errors CLE: Attorneys will learn how to prevent trust accounting errors in this 4-hour course. The seminar will be a combination of lecture and hands-on training in recordkeeping and reconciliation.
- Journey to Germany With The Mississippi Bar and CLE Abroad: Five to 8 CLE credits are anticipated. We'll explore Berlin, Nuremberg, and Munich, Germany, while engaging with local attorneys, scholars and artists at places where laws are made and justice is rendered.
- Summer School for Lawyers and Annual Meeting: The Summer School for Lawyers and Annual Meeting will be held at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Attendance Verification for Online Courses
For online streaming video courses, you must click on randomly inserted pop ups during the video to confirm that you are viewing the course. For downloadable CLE courses we have embedded numeric codes in the courses. The provider is not required to verify your attendance in our CLE courses, but the course does need to be approved by the Commission prior to attendance.
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