About MY LEGAL EDUCATION LOG

Attorney's BriefCase® courses:

Can I use this list as evidence that I completed these courses?

No. The list is of courses in which you enrolled. If you did not attend the class, did not sign in, or left early, you are not entitled to claim all or full credit.

I lost my certificate of attendance.

You can download a copy from MY LEGAL EDUCATION LOG. There is a link beside the classes for which we show you enrolled. Remember, you still must have signed in and completed the class to claim credit.

I borrowed a colleague's DVD of an ATTORNEY'S BRIEFCASE® Beyond the Basics™ class. How do I claim credit for it?

Sorry, you can't. We have no record of your attending and cannot verify your attendance.

There is an error on my list.

Please contact Patty at patty@atybriefcase.com or call her at (510) 836-2743 and let us know. We'll take it from there.

What happens to my data after the reporting period ends?

When you start a new reporting period, only the courses that count for that period will be visible on the screen. To recall data from previous periods, click on the button labeled "History."

My MCLE and FLS credits don't match.

This is probably because they cover different periods. The MCLE reporting period is three years, whereas the Family Law Specialization reporting period is five years. Thus, courses taken in the previous MCLE reporting period may still count towards your current FLS requirements.

What does it mean if "PP" appears in a column?

It means that the course was taken in the prior reporting period. If a 3-hour course was taken before your MCLE date but after the beginning of your FLS recertification period, the number of hours will be shown as PP for MCLE (as they predate your MCLE period) but 3 for FLS.

Any courses taken before the commencement of either reporting period will be shown as PP and not count towards either requirements.

The one exception is for "carry-over credits." See the FAQ  "How can I "carry-over" a course to the next reporting period"   for more information.

If I purchase a DVD or a CD but do not watch immediately, how does My Legal Education Log track the day I actually watch the DVD or listen to the CD?

For DVDs and CDs, My Legal Education will automatically track the date the product was purchased. To change this to the date the product is actually viewed or listened to, the customer can click on the calendar icon that appears next to the title of the program and change the date.

Other Legal Education Providers

How does MY LEGAL EDUCATION LOG know how many credits I have completed from other education providers?

Because you can enter them. We recommend that you do so from the actual Certificate of Attendance that you were given by the provider. That way you can be certain that you are entering the proper credits for each course.

How do I know how many credits I received from a program?

It will be on your certificate of attendance. If you have misplaced it, call the provider and request another copy. If you took a course from Attorney's Briefcase, it is available online.

Can I edit my entries in this section?

Of course. Click on the EDIT button and follow the prompts. Remember, you are responsible for the accuracy of the information you enter in this section.

Can judicial officers utilize this service?

Of course - as a record keeping device. MyLegalEducationLog.com is not programmed to apply to the unique educational requirements of judicial officers. Thus, you cannot rely on the fields listing your requirements remaining. It is , however, a convenient place to keep track of your educational activities.

Can I enter courses I have taken in years before the current reporting periods?

Yes. Simply enter the course information as usual. It will not be visible on the screen. To view it, click on the box labeled "History" and your old data will be visible.

About Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE):

When did Minimum Continuing Legal Education start in California?

California's MCLE program is the result of a process that began in 1989, when Governor Deukmejian signed into law Senate Bill 905 (Davis), the continuing legal education bill. (SB 905 added Section 6070 to the Business and Professions Code.) The 1989 legislation required the State Bar to request the California Supreme Court to adopt a rule of court authorizing the State Bar to establish and administer an MCLE program. On December 7, 1990, the Court adopted Rule 9.31, the MCLE Rule of Court.

Rule 9.31 provides a skeletal outline of an MCLE program and authorizes the State Bar Board of Governors to adopt more detailed rules and regulations. The MCLE Rules and Regulations (former) were approved by the Board of Governors on December 8, 1990 and the MCLE program officially began on February 1, 1992. Current MCLE Rules became effective Jan. 1, 2008.

What are my reporting dates?

They are determined by the first letter of your last name. Your Compliance Group is listed on your Bar Card. They are:     ♦ Group 1 (A-G)             Period: 2/1/10 - 1/31/13             Deadline: 2/1/2013     ♦ Group 2 (H-M)             Period: 2/1/09 - 1/31/12             Deadline: 2/1/2012     ♦ Group 3 (N-Z)             Period: 2/1/11 - 1/31/14             Deadline: 2/1/2014     ♦ They will roll over every three years thereafter.

How many credits do I need each reporting period?

The "typical" California bar member reports compliance with the regular MCLE education requirement of 25 hours, as he/she:     ♦ is subject to the education requirement for all 36 months of the compliance period     ♦ resides in California     ♦ has no physical impediments to compliance

What is the maximum amount of "self-study hours" permitted in any compliance period?

Maximum "self-study" hours: 12.5 hours

Members must fulfill at least one-half of their MCLE requirements with activities approved for "participatory" MCLE credit.

What are the Special Requirements within the total hours required?

Legal Ethics: 4 hours (required)

Detection/Prevention of Competence Issues or Mental Illness: 1 hour (required)

Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession: 1 hour (required)

These may all be taken as participatory or self-study.

Members completing a proportional requirement are not required to complete one hour of education in the prevention, detection and treatment of competence issues, nor to complete one hour of education in the elimination of bias in the legal profession.

What records do I need to keep?

Each attorney should maintain records sufficient to prove compliance with the minimum educational requirements for at least one year from their reporting date. At a minimum, those records should include completed certificates of attendance.

When am I not subject to these requirements?

Members are not subject to the requirement during months that they are:     ♦ on voluntary Inactive status;     ♦ "Exempt" from the requirement; or     ♦ not yet a member of the bar (new admittees).

What if I am only on active status for a portion of the reporting period?

Members who are subject to the MCLE requirement for only a portion of the compliance period must complete education in proportion to the amount of time they were subject to the requirement.

Members completing a proportional requirement are not required to complete one hour of education in the prevention, detection and treatment of competence issues, nor to complete one hour of education in the elimination of bias in the legal profession.

Members who are on Active status for four months or less of their compliance period do not have to comply.

Members who are exempt for all but four months of the compliance period do not need to complete any education. However, all Exempt members, including these members, must report compliance. Simply mark the box that corresponds to the type of exemption applicable for 32 months or more of the compliance period.

For information on calculating the number of credits you need for proportional periods, see http://mcle.calbar.ca.gov/Attorneys/Requirements.aspx

About Family Law Legal Specialist re-certification:

How do I know my certification date?

Check your last recertification letter or Contact Department of Legal Specialization

Email: LegalSpec@calbar.ca.gov

Phone: (415) 538-2120

How do I enter my certification date in MyLegalEducationLog.com?

Click on Manage My Account

Enter and re-enter your Password

Enter your Legal Specialization certification date in the field provided

Click on Submit

To recertify as a Family Law Specialist, do I have to be practicing exclusively Family Law?

No. An applicant shall, at the time of recertification, be an active member of the State Bar of California and shall have been engaged in the practice of law during the previous five years in the area in which recertification is sought for at least 25% of the time the applicant has spent in occupational endeavors.

What are the educational requirements for recertification?

An applicant for recertification shall complete a minimum of 60 hours of educational activities relevant to the field of law in which recertification is sought that meet the criteria for Family Law specialization, or the alternative methods set forth in the Rules. A maximum of one-half of the requirement may be satisfied by alternative methods.

What records do I need to keep?

Each applicant for recertification shall maintain records sufficient to prove compliance with the educational requirements for recertification for at least one year from the date the Board acts to recertify the applicant. The applicant shall provide such records to the Board as the Board may require.

How can I "carry-over" a course to the next reporting period?

Pursuant to Rule 12.3.3 of the Rules Governing The State Bar Of California Program For Recertifying Legal Specialists, courses taken within the last six months of a certification period may be applied to the next certification period. There is no comparable provision in the MCLE rules. If you have satisfied all of your legal specialization recertification requirements in a given reporting period and you take a course within six months of your recertification date, you can apply it to your next reporting period. To do so, click on the course name and then click the "To Next Period?" box on the Modify Course Data screen.

This course will still appear in the current period, with its MCLE credits visible. Under the Family Law Legal Specialization column, the letters "NP" will appear instead of credits. Meaning that the credits will be counted in the next reporting period.

In the next reporting period, the course will appear with its Legal Specialization credits visible. Since the MCLE credits were counted in the previous period, the letters "PP" will appear in the MCLE column.

Do these requirements apply to me if I am a judicial officer?

Maybe not. The Board may waive the five-year recertification requirement in the event of judicial service during the certification period. The certification period will be tolled for the time during the certification period that the certified specialist is actually engaged in judicial service. The certified specialist must provide confirmation of the fact that he or she continues to engage in judicial service when requested to do so by the State Bar and must notify the State Bar when he or she ceases to be engaged in judicial service.

For purposes of this section, a certified specialist is engaged in judicial service if he or she is serving as a judge of a court of record and therefore is not a member of the State Bar on active status pursuant to Article VI, section 9 of the California Constitution, or has been granted a judicial service waiver of his or her annual State Bar membership fee, or is serving as an administrative law judge.

Judicial officers may their own educational requirements in addition to those required by the Board of Legal Specialization.