Prorating New York CLE Requirements

Newly admitted attorneys who are exempt from the CLE requirement at the beginning of their biennial reporting cycle must complete 1.5 CLE credits for each month of the reporting cycle during any part of which the attorney practices law in New York. These proration credits may be in any category.

Similarly, if a newly admitted attorney becomes exempt from CLE requirements in New York during the biennial reporting cycle and remains exempt through the cycle, that attorney must complete 1.5 CLE credits, in any category, for each month of the reporting cycle the attorney practices law in New York. These credits must be completed by the second anniversary of admission to the New York Bar.

Example: If a newly admitted attorney practices in New York for the first two months of their reporting cycle and then ceases, the attorney will have a prorated requirement of 3 CLE credit hours. The attorney may then certify on the biennial attorney registration form that they have completed 3 CLE credits and are in full compliance with their CLE requirement.

In short: Overriding the default requirements for the NY Newly admitted period due to a period of attorney inactivity allows their Compliance Report to accurately reflect the state’s pro-rated credit requirements.

To Override Requirements:

1. In InstructorSite or CLESite, search for a User under the New York CLE Plan (or add a User to the NY CLE Plan), and click Practitioner Details > Edit Practitioner Details.

2. Click the toggle labelled Enable Exemption for the Newly Admitted Period and enter a number between 1 and 24 in the field labeled Number of Months Exempted. Newly admitted requirements will be reduced by 1.5 credits for every month the attorney is exempted.

3. The User’s Compliance Report will now show a combined 24-month newly admitted period, along with the adjusted credit requirement, based on the number of months exempted. Additionally, all individual credit requirements have been removed for the newly admitted period, and any type of credit will now count towards fulfilling the period’s requirement.