Ohio CLE requirements explained
For all active license attorneys in Ohio, the Supreme Court of Ohio requires 60 hours of continuing legal education every three years. While you may take any course for credit, the Supreme Court recommends that lawyers take courses that increase their knowledge and skills. Some states have particular specialties or proficiency, and if you are looking for a CLE provider that is focused on particular topics, you’re in luck. Oberlin Law is a source of credible professionals who know their field. When in doubt, follow the recommendations of the Supreme Court.
Additional required topics include professional conduct, law office management, and general information on new information in the law . The Supreme Court also mandates that attorneys earn six hours of professional conduct credit. This is to be completed via the "professional conduct" category on the Ohio Supreme Court CLE Portal. The Continuing Education Committee for the Ohio state bar association is responsible for approving the integrity of the courses.
As far as disciplinary actions go, the Ohio state bar association reminds counselors that disciplinary action may result from failure to meet CLE requirements. Additionally, attorneys may face disciplinary action if they fail to register or report an address change, if they mislead the board, or if they engage in unauthorized practice of law. And of course, those who fail to pay dues are subject to suspension of practice.
Leading resource for Ohio free CLE providers
The following are some of the top providers of free CLE in Ohio:
Ohio State Bar Association -Courses in the "Technology" category, offered by outside providers and selected by the Ohio State Bar Association, are available free to Ohio attorneys with a code supplied by the OSBA. These courses are available well into the future. Contact the OSBA for details.
Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation – The OLAF was created in 1974 for the purpose of serving the legally needy in Ohio and since 2008 has been designated as the State of Ohio’s designated Wythe Foundation, eligible to offer certified continuing legal education courses in the state of Ohio.
Butler County Bar Association – Educational programs and seminars are offered under the Butler County Bar Association authority, but are open to all Ohio attorneys.
National Business Institute – NBI is a national provider of CLE with a long record in Ohio of providing free or low-cost CLE seminars to attorneys (and other providers of legal services).
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association – The CMBA has taken the position that the effective limits on CLE as to be offered by Ohio bar associations tend to price many attorneys out of the need for CLE, and so it, like other providers, is increasingly offering CLE through electronic formats which can be viewed by attorneys anywhere and at their convenience. The CMBA offers a few free in-person courses, but is well known for its many free audio courses including webcasts with real live faculty teaching legal topics online.
How to find free CLE online options
While there are CLE sets on sale on the ODC site at the time of this writing, and while those may be a great deal, if you know where to look online you can get your free CLE in Ohio.
The first thing you’ll want to do is go to the website of the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education. (Formerly the Ohio Supreme Court CLE Commission) This is the official site to search for courses that have been approved for CLE.
At this point, it’s important to note that not all courses are CLE approved. So, you’ll need to go through this online CLE database to find your courses.
From the main page, you want to select Case Search on the left hand side.
This will take you to a page with search options. You can select from screen names, ISDN number, docket number or lawyer registration number. For simple course looking, I recommend simply typing the word "CLE" in the screen name box.
You can also search by title of CLE course, course date range, course sponsor and even by provider name, if you know it. You can put the date range in manually, or select a date range from a drop down menu. When done, hit the search button.
The search results will show up immediately on the left hand side. We typed CLE and only received one result, but you may receive several. In most cases, you will see the CLE sponsor, title, location, city, number of CLE hours earned, dates and times of the course, as well as whether it was a classroom course or a webinar.
How to get the most from free CLE programs
Attorneys can be a cynical bunch sometimes. Like many an older dog, we can resist learning a new trick, even when that trick might be beneficial. But with continual legal education (CLE), Ohio attorneys have access to a buffet of resources that are too good to ignore.
There’s usually a reason that a resource is free. In the case of free CLE programs in Ohio, the bad rap is that the quality of the programming doesn’t compare to CLE programs that attendees pay for. And there’s no denying that more often than not, the paid-for seminars are worth the cost . But what if you could get the same value without the billable price tag?
By keeping an open mind and only using free CLE programs from trusted organizations, Ohio attorneys may find that they can stay up to date on the latest and greatest developments in the law, all at no cost. Here are a few things to keep in mind to deal with the issue of quality:
And playing it safe never hurts. The Trusted Provider List on the Supreme Court of Ohio’s website includes programs from the state’s premier legal organizations, including the Ohio State Bar Association and the local bars around the state, along with some non-bar organizations.
Common questions about CLE in Ohio
Q: What exactly qualifies as "continuing legal education"?
Continuing legal education, typically referred to as CLE, is any ongoing education that’s related to the field of law. Some courses are geared toward attorneys with specific areas of practice, but they must all cover the goals of keeping attorneys updated about changes and developments in the law and ethics.
Q: Do CLE requirements differ by state?
They do, and that’s why it’s so important to know your specific state’s requirements. Each state lays out a minimum standard for CLE compliance. The rules for what qualifies may vary from state to state, and some may have sliding scale requirements that account for number of hours worked.
Q: When and how does my CLE deadline come up?
Ohio bar members must obtain 12 hours of accredited CLE every two years. During that period, at least two of those hours must entail professional conduct. Bar members have a substantially long time frame to satisfy their requirements: they can renew between May 1 of even-numbered years and December 31 of odd-numbered years. Since the deadline moves around, you have time to catch up after busy work periods. Even so, it’s a good idea to take advantage of CLE opportunities when your schedule allows.
Legal Education trends and future of CLE
The evolution of legal education is characterized by a predictable paradox: the pace of change is simultaneously frenetic and glacial. While new educational technologies and modes of instruction have developed rapidly, law schools tend to be slow to adapt due to institutional inertia and antiquated accreditation standards. Standards promulgated by the American Bar Association (ABA) often outlive their utility, leading to an inflexible educational environment. Luckily, and unsurprisingly, the slow transformation in legal education has had little effect on the continuing legal education (CLE) market.
However, things are quietly changing in legal education, offering a hint at the future of CLE. New instructional methods, techniques, and technology are being introduced at a ever-increasing pace, as is a re-examination of the ABA’s educational standards for law schools. Much of the change in legal education is driven by the booming popularity of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs use advanced educational technologies to teach hundreds, if not thousands, of (mostly free) students at the same time. Because MOOCs are so inexpensive and easily scalable, many law schools are embracing them as an effective medium for providing legal education to those who may not otherwise have access.
With MOOCs gaining traction among law schools, and entering the legal education market more generally, we may see a cultural shift among lawyers and law students: online education is no longer the realm of the payment-averse or the accidental tourist. Instead, equally good education is available to all. As that shift takes hold , attorneys unwilling to invest in their own development may fall behind those investing in their own education, regardless of whether that development is through distance education rather than in-person classrooms.
As legal education becomes more accessible and widespread, CLE will follow suit. Law schools will continue to offer online courses, which will become increasingly more practical and practice-focused, enabling attorneys to fulfill their CLE requirements through courses implicitly tailored to them. More will follow, as attorneys become desensitized to distance learning and, therefore, increasingly expect that CLE courses will be available online. In order to keep up, CLE providers will need to leverage technology to create the same enjoyable experiences for attendees as they expect law students to experience with MOOCs.
Future CLE may also be more interactive and collaborative. Legal education is being revolutionized by the development of artificial intelligence (AI) software, which generates a real-time case simulation involving realistic characters (including avatars representing opposing counsel, the judge, and the client), documents, and the court docket. As the technology becomes more accessible, it will play a role in the CLE market as well. Similarly, as motivation shifts from extrinsic to intrinsic (for example, avoiding financial penalty to obtain a license), attorneys will be less averse to sharing responsibilities and collaborating with others, and CLE will need to adapt to offer a more collaborative learning environment.