The first MCLE reporting period for Illinois lawyers will conclude June 30, 2008. Here is a quick summary of procedures to assist lawyers in reporting compliance.

Reporting period: Lawyers whose last names begin with letters A through M must report their compliance with MCLE rules during the period July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2008, (including up to 10 hours of credits carried forward from January to June 2006, except professional responsibility credits. (Lawyers whose last names begin with N to Z must report their compliance after June 2009.)

Method of reporting: Attorneys must report compliance with MCLE requirements on a certification form that will be mailed to the attorney by the MCLE Board in the next few weeks.

NOTE: Lawyers should not send their CLE Certificates of Attendance for individual courses to the MCLE Board, but should retain the certificates in their files for three years after the end of the reporting period in case they are audited.

Deadlines: Lawyers with last names beginning with the letters A to M who are subject to the June 30, 2008, reporting deadline must complete the MCLE certification form they receive in the mail and submit it to the MCLE Board no later than July 31, 2008 (except new admittees who are subject to other deadlines).

Requirements: Lawyers in the first MCLE reporting period must earn 20 total hours of MCLE credit, which must include a minimum of 4.0 Professional Responsibility hours in the area of Professionalism, Diversity, Mental Illness and Addiction, Civility or Legal Ethics (PMCLE).

New rules: For credit earned through traditional courses or activities, no additional fee is required. However, attorneys must pay a $20 flat fee each reporting period when claiming credit for participating in any of the following nontraditional activities:

1. Attending a law school course; 2. Attending bar association meetings of 1.0 hour or less; 3. Teaching an accredited CLE course; 4. Teaching a law course at a law school, university, college or community college (which includes serving as a judge at a law school moot court argument); and 5. Writing published legal scholarly books or articles.

This fee is due and payable to the MCLE Board upon completion and mailing of the attorney’s compliance certification form. Compliance certification forms and any fees due for reporting these non-traditional credits are due by July 31 following the applicable reporting period.

For more information about MCLE requirements, access http://www.mcleboard.org.