Frequently Asked Questions

Those subject to the requirements of SC Rule 53 must earn and report 720 minutes (12 hours) of continuing legal education (to be reported in minutes of actual instruction time) that meet the Rule criteria and requirements during the reporting period.

120 minutes (2 hours) of the required 720 minutes (12 hours) must qualify for “Ethics/Professionalism” credit.

Course providers vary in interpretations of “1 hour” or “1 credit” thus members must report their actual attendance time in minutes for actual instruction time (exclude breaks, introductions, lunch).

If you are in ANY “Active Attorney” Practice Status...

  • Active
  • Limited Active
  • Military Active
  • Honorary Active

...in New Hampshire for an aggregated total of more than six (6) months in the NHMCLE reporting period, you must comply with the requirements of SC Rule 53, UNLESS you qualify as EXEMPT or have specifically been granted an exemption by the NHMCLE Board.

Unless EXEMPT, anyone holding any of the NHBA active statuses for an aggregated total of more than six months during the reporting period must comply with both parts of the Rule:

  • 53.1(B)(1) - meet or exceed the minimum requirements of 720/120
  • 53.2(A)(1) - e-file the Affidavit of Compliance

Unless EXEMPT, anyone holding any of the NHBA active statuses for one day and/or up to six months, must comply only with 53.2(A)(1) - file the Affidavit of Compliance

Return to Active status after 2 years or more - Reactivation Requirement

  • Lawyers who are suspended or have selected inactive membership status with the New Hampshire Bar for more than two (2) consecutive reporting years are required to complete 360 minutes (six hours) additional CLE credits upon returning to active status.
  • Lawyers may complete the additional 360 minutes of reactivation credits during the reporting year in which they return to active status or in the reporting year immediately preceding.

Effective 7/1/16, Rule 53 was revised to address many requirements. As of 7/1/2014 the NHMCLE Board no longer pre-approves courses nor course providers for NHMCLE credit. Each attorney is responsible for determining whether a program is eligible for NHMCLE credit, based on the requirements in Supreme Court Rule 53.

Members should review Rule 53.1 for the stated Rule requirements.

Go to the NHMCLE webpage and use the link to the NHMCLE Member Guide which is based on past regulations and precedent decisions. If in doubt, leave it out. The NHMCLE office cannot advise you on making an interpretation as to whether a program is eligible or qualified, you must use your best judgement. Attorneys’ NHMCLE compliance reports will be subject to audits. If you decide to include a program, keep enough information about it to be able to justify its inclusion and substantiate your attendance. Proof of purchase is not proof of attendance.

  • Courses, or portions of courses, dealing with the Rules of Professional Conduct; legal ethics; attorney-client relations; professionalism; and/or prevention of malpractice, substance abuse, and/or attorney-client disputes or attorney-client relations.
  • The minimum length for a qualifying consecutive instruction segment is 15 minutes. ART will not accept entries less than 15 minutes.

As of July 1, 2014, The NHMCLE Board does not pre-approve courses for credit, therefore providers should not advertise “approved for NHMCLE credit or provided attendance certificates stating the course is approved for NHMCLE credit.” See the Course providers notice on the NHMCLE webpage.

As of July 1, 2014, the NHMCLE Board no longer provides pre- or post-approval of courses for members. Members must evaluate any course attended and use their best judgement to determine if the course meets the purpose and qualification provisions of Rule 53. If qualified, the member may enter the course may into his/her ART account on the New Entry page.

Note that Members attending NHBA•CLE courses DO NOT enter the course into ART as the NHBA•CLE Department will make the data entry shortly after the course date. Member’s duplicate entries for NHBA•CLE courses will be deleted.

Each attorney is responsible for determining whether a program meets the requirements of Supreme Court Rule 53. The Rule can be found on the Supreme Court's webpage or on the NHMCLE webpage.

See NHMCLE Rule 53.1. A. Purpose and 53.1.E Qualifying activities, topics that do not meet those provisions may not be qualified. Such topics include client development (e.g., "rainmaking," web site design), marketing or branding a law practice, hiring and compensation of lawyers or staff, general office skills and business planning for profitability.

Also, legal education programs originally produced more than three (3) years from the date of the attorney’s actual exposure, due to a replay, may not qualify for NHMCLE credit.

NH Bar members must use their best judgement to self-determine if a continuing legal education course meets the requirements of SC Rule 53. Course providers are encouraged to meet the following guidelines:

  • Advertise and provide courses consistent with the purpose and qualifying course provisions of Rule 53.1.A and E. Course providers should follow the guidelines found in the Course Provider Notice of the NHMCLE webpage.
  • Provide lawyers who seek credit in New Hampshire with attendance certificates on the date of course attendance. Course providers can find a sample of a suggested course attendance certificate on the NHMCLE webpage.
  • Course providers should make courses reasonably available to all New Hampshire lawyers, with the exception of in-office courses and courses offered by professional organizations primarily or exclusively for the education of their own members, or primarily or exclusively for lawyers employed by state, federal or local governments.

Course providers are asked to give the following information to NH Bar members to assist them in self-reporting (non-NHBA•CLE) continuing legal education activities:

  1. Date of participation
  2. Date of original live program – if different from #1
  3. Name of course provider
  4. Course name
  5. Setting Type (live classroom; live webcast; interactive video; live telephone seminar; in-office course; non-interactive video; non-interactive audio)
  6. Number of Minutes of actual instruction time (not including breaks) for Ethics/Professionalism” courses *
  7. Number of Minutes of actual instruction time (not including breaks) for “Non-ethics/General” courses.*


    *Note: Some course sponsors provide the course credit/minute statement as follows:

    “This course provides 360 minutes, including 60 minutes of ethics.” This statement should be read as providing 60 minutes of ethics and 300 minutes of nonethics/general, all totaling 360.

    NOTE: Any qualifying CLE programs provided by the NH Bar Association will be entered in the Attorney Reporting Tool or ‘ART’ for you shortly after the NHBA•CLE program. Monitor your ART account within a week or two to verify the NHBA•CLE entry.

    Course providers are asked to give the following information to NH Bar members to assist them in self-reporting (non-NHBA•CLE) continuing legal education activities:

    • As soon as possible, take a course (NHBA•CLE or Non-NHBA•CLE) that you determine qualifies for credit 
    • IF you attend a NHBA•CLE, the CLE Department will enter the course shortly after course attendance. Monitor your ART account to confirm the course entry is made.
    • IF you attend a Non-NHBA•CLE, you must evaluate the course and enter it into your ART Account on the New Entry page. To learn about the New Entry page, view the video “How to make a New Entry” 
    • The Attorney Reporting Tool or ART will total the new course entry in Section C of your My Record page. When all key categories meet or exceed the minimums shown, you have met the required minutes for the reporting year.
    • ART will automatically apply courses attended into the reporting year that coincides with the date the course was taken. (note the dates in the Section B heading)
    • ART will apply excess credit, if any, into Section A of the reporting period immediately following
    • Meet all minimum minute requirements and e-file the Affidavit of Compliance by the licensure renewal deadline to avoid late fees and sanctions assessed for late compliance.
    • NHMCLE credit minutes earned in excess of the minimum requirements for the current reporting year will automatically be carried over and applied to the following reporting year (up to a maximum of 720 Minutes (12 hours) and will show in Section A of the My Record page.
    • Excess minutes may only be applied to the reporting year immediately following the year of the instruction
    • The NHMCLE Board and Office of the Supreme Court administers Rule 53 and assists members in the use of their ART account. The NHMCLE Office does not offer CLEs.
    • Information about the New Hampshire Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (NHBA•CLE) programs can be accessed on the Association website.
    • Numerous Non-NHBA•CLE providers, local, regional and national providers of continuing legal education exist with online information
    • As of July 1, 2014, the NHMCLE Board no longer recognizes or approves “Annual Sponsors”

    If a lawyer cannot complete NHMCLE requirements for a reporting year, the lawyer may request a Petition for Waiver from the NHMCLE Office. Upon submission of the completed Petition for Waiver form, the NHMCLE Board will review the petition and will determine whether or not compelling reasons warrant a full or partial waiver.

    Review the provisions of Rule 53.2 B. 6 concerning compelling reasons of physical or other disability which prevents compliance with Rule 53 during the period of such disability.

    In dealing with petitions for exemptions, the NHMCLE Board may require alternative methods of compliance.

    Until a waiver petition is granted, a lawyer remains subject to all requirements, deadlines and late fee assessments.

    Programs sponsored by and offered for continuing legal education credit by the NH Bar Association: If you have attended a program offered by or in conjunction with the NH Bar Association for NHMCLE credit, it will be entered for you into your on-line ART account (Attorney Reporting Tool) after the CLE program. Do not enter NHBA•CLE programs yourself.

    Periodically monitor your ART account My Record page to verify entry on My Record page.

    Members who depart from a NH Bar CLE before the end of the instruction time, will need to contact the CLE Registrar of the NH Bar to decrease the actual minutes attended in their ART account.

    Programs sponsored by and offered for continuing legal education by all other sponsors (i.e. non-NHBA course providers):

    Lawyers must first determine if the course qualifies for NHMCLE credit, based on the requirements in Supreme Court Rule 53.

    If in doubt, leave it out. The NHMCLE Board and Office no longer approve course sponsors or courses and are not able to advise you on making an interpretation as to whether a program is eligible. Attorneys’ NHMCLE compliance reports will be subject to spot audits. If you decide to include a program, keep enough information about it to be able to justify its inclusion in your ART record as a qualified course.

    Report your participation in your ART account on the New Entry page. View a short video, ‘How to add a non-NHBA CLE course to your record,’ on the NHMCLE webpage.

    A sponsor’s advertising format and attendance certificate should provide lawyers with the following information to assist in course evaluation:

    1. Date of course and the attorney’s actual participation
    2. Date of original live program – if different from #1
    3. Name of course provider/sponsor/producer
    4. Course name
    5. Setting Type (live classroom; live webcast; interactive video; live telephone seminar; in-office course; non-interactive video; non-interactive audio)
    6. Number of Minutes of “Ethics/Professionalism” instruction time (e.g. not including breaks, lunch)
    7. Number of Minutes of “General /non-Ethics/Professionalism” instruction time (e.g. not including breaks, lunch)


      Caution when making a course entry: A course may advertise that it offers “360 minutes, including 60 minutes of ethics/professionalism.” This phrasing means that 300 minutes were offered as non-ethics/general minutes and 60 minutes of ethics. The total is 360.

      If a course was offered for 360 minutes and the lawyer left the program early, assess the number of minutes actually attended for ethics or nonethics. This might mean for example that the member attended all of the 300 general minutes, but the member left before the 60 minutes of ethics program. In this scenario, enter 300 general and 0 ethics.

      The status of your compliance is found in Section C of the ART My Record page for the current reporting period.

      Login into your ART account at any time, 24/7, from the MyNHBar portal on the NHBA website. The My Record page contains 3 sections of important information:

      • Your carryover minutes, if any, from a prior year are shown in Section A: Beginning Balance.
      • Your course entries for the current reporting year are shown in Section B.
      • Your minute totals, to date, for each Rule 53 reporting category are shown in Section C. If your minute totals do not yet meet the required minimums for each required category, you need to attend additional qualified courses for entry into your ART Account.

      View the video, ‘How to read My Record page” on the NHMCLE webpage for detailed information to aid in understanding the minutes shown.

      If a correction is needed for a NH Bar CLE course, (ie: you left early) you need to contact the CLE Registrar at the NH Bar Association.

      A member may correct a non-NHBA CLE on their own My Record page for the current reporting period only and prior to the filing of the Affidavit of compliance for that year:

      • On the ART My Record page, Section B, Courses: Double click on the course name, await the popup screen and make the required changes.
      • Click the ‘update’ button on the bottom right hand side and the change should immediately show in your My Record page.

      If you need to delete a non-NH Bar course that has been entered into your ART program:

      • On the ART My Record page, Section B, Courses: Double click on the course name, await the popup screen.
      • Click on the ‘delete’ button on the bottom right hand side and the change should immediately show in your My Record page.
      • Many providers advertise ‘credits’ or ‘hours.’
      • Only claim attendance minutes of actual instruction time. Exclude introductions, breaks, lunch, closing remarks, etc.
      • If a course was offered for 2 credits, based upon a 50 minute hour, and the entire course was instruction time, you can claim 2 times 50 or 100 minutes of actual instruction time.
      • If a course was offered for 2 credits, based upon a 60 minute hour, and the entire course was instruction time, you can claim 2 times 60 or 120 minutes of actual instruction time.
      • The minimum ART entry is 15 minutes. Only courses attended for 15 minutes or more may be entered into ART.
      • Multiple days of courses may be entered as one course entry using the total actual instruction time, in minutes, for all the qualified courses. Exclude introductions, breaks, lunch, closing remarks, etc.
      • Alternative: Multiple days of courses may be entered for each qualified course using the actual instruction time in minutes.
      • Calculate and report only the actual instruction time, in minutes, for qualified courses attended. Exclude introductions, breaks, lunch, closing remarks, etc.
      • The minimum ART entry for actual attendance time for any qualifying course or aggregated courses is 15 minutes.
      • Attorneys are responsible to be familiar with the provisions of NH Supreme Court Rule 53, and to self-determine according to those provisions if a course qualifies for NHMCLE credit.
      • The NHMCLE Board will select a number of records for audit each year (see NHMCLE Rule 53.3.E). The NHMCLE Board may spot-check selected on-line records from time to time
      • Members are required to maintain such records; certificates of attendance as may be required to substantiate his or her compliance or exemption for a period of two (2) years following the close of a reporting period, per Rule 53.3(B).
      • Attorneys are responsible for the accuracy of their NHMCLE ART Account (See 53.4.C False Statements) and responsible to complete all Rule 53 requirements by the end of each reporting period.

      SC Rule 53.3.B requires attorneys to maintain “such records or certificates of attendance as may be required to substantiate his or her compliance or exemption for a period of two (2) years following the close of a reporting” period.

      • Continuing legal education program agenda
      • Access to reference or written materials provided with the program
      • Your program attendance certificate or record as provided by the course provider

      Go to the NHMCLE webpage, the central hub for information concerning Rule 53 and the Attorney Reporting Tool.

      The ART website contains information about annual reporting period requirements and deadlines, resource information, including short videos on ‘How to’ use ART. 

      ART can be accessed from the MyNHBar portal on the NHBA website. The current My Record page will appear with your status for the current reporting year. Your ART record is available for you 24/7 so that you can monitor your progress towards meeting the end of reporting requirements.

      You may also contact the NHMCLE Office.

      • Teaching credits may be claimed for the actual teaching time of a qualified course.
      • A member will receive additional Non-Live time for the research and preparation of the teaching materials.
      • When teaching credit is claimed, attorneys may not also claim publication credit for material preparation.
      • Lawyers who teach the same course more than once in a reporting period may only claim teaching credit for the first presentation. Subsequent presentations should be recorded as student attendance time.
      • Teaching credit may not be claimed if the teaching audience is primarily composed of non-lawyers.
      • Teaching credit is not available for teaching undergraduate college or law school courses.
      • Teaching credit may be claimed for the minutes of actual teaching of a graduate-level law school course that otherwise satisfies the requirements of Rule 53.

      You may claim teaching credit for actual teaching time for teaching a qualified course during the reporting year.

      Lawyers who teach the same course more than once in a reporting period may only claim teaching credit for the first presentation.

      To enter actual teaching time, log in to your ART Account and select the ‘New Entry’ tab on the toolbar. Follow the prompts for the course date, name, course provider etc.

      1. When prompted at ‘Course Setting Type,’ select a “Live” course setting; The “Check this box if you served as faculty for any part of this course” will turn from grey to black. Click on the little box to the right of that statement and additional boxes regarding teaching minutes will appear in the Time Attended section.
      2. Enter the actual teaching minutes in the applicable box for teaching minutes of ethics/professionalism or the applicable box for teaching minutes of general/nonethics.
      3. ART will calculate the additional teaching credits based on your actual teaching time and they will show in the grey box titled “Additional Non-Live Time”.
      4. Teaching participation of 15 minutes or less shall be entered as 15 minutes of teaching ethics/professionalism or general/nonethics.
      5. Where teaching is done by a panel of attorneys, the total teaching time should be divided equally or in proportion to each teachers speaking time, whichever is appropriate.

      NOTE: If you did not teach the entire qualified course and also attended some minutes as a student only (when not teaching), enter your actual attendance minutes in the applicable box for student attendance time for “Ethics/Professionalism” minutes ATTENDED AS A STUDENT or your actual attendance time for “General/non-Ethics” minutes ATTENDED AS A STUDENT. Then enter your actual teaching time as noted in steps 1-5, as applicable.

      • “Publication Credits” may be claimed for principal authors of books, law review and journal articles and similar publications treating legal or law-related topics in a scholarly or practical manner and directed primarily to an audience of lawyers, judges and legal assistants.
      • A Publication credit application may be submitted after the publication date in the reporting year in which publication first occurs. The NHMCLE Board will review the publication and the application and, if approved, grant a credit at the rate of sixty (60) minutes of NHMCLE credit for each one thousand five hundred (1,500) words published. The minimum number of words that may be claimed is 1,500.
      • A “Publication Credit Application” is found on the NHMCLE webpage. Lawyers seeking NHMCLE publication credit shall submit a copy of the application by email to nhmcle@nhbar.org along with a copy of the publication in MS Word format. If approved, the attorney shall retain a copy of the application, publication and publication approval for a minimum of two (2) years after the close of the reporting year in question.
      • Authorship of articles for general circulation, newspapers or magazines directed to a non-lawyer audience does not qualify for NHMCLE publication credit, nor does the authorship of CLE course materials qualify for credit.

        In the case of jointly authored publications, the time/credit should be divided between or among the joint authors to reflect the proportional authorship of the publication.

        In the case of a legal publication, that was originally written, published and approved for publication credit by the author, and updated during the current reporting year, the author may only submit a publication application for those portions/words revised in the update (minimum of 1,500).
      • Presentation of a work, minimum 1,500 words, of an appropriately scholarly character at a professional conference, symposium or similar activity may qualify for publication credit provided that the author may not also claim teaching or attendance credit for such a presentation, even if the activity would otherwise ordinarily qualify for such credit.


      1. Once the publication is published, download the Publication Credit Application from the NHMCLE webpage
      2. Email the completed and signed Publication Credit Application along with a copy of the publication in MS Word format (the final Word document sent to the publisher is acceptable) to nhmcle@nhbar.org.
      3. The NHMCLE Board will review the application and, if approved, the NHMCLE Board will enter your approved publication credit minutes into your ART account.

      Yes. Supreme Court Rule 42 XI (b) and (c) require applicants to “have completed at least fifteen (15) hours of continuing legal education in the subject matter of New Hampshire Practice and Procedure in courses attended within one year immediately preceding the date upon which the motion is filed and be certified by the NHMCLE Board as satisfying this requirement…”

      The Supreme Court should be contacted for the current application form. Once NH Practice and Procedure courses are completed, send the signed form to

      SC NHMCLE Board
      2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300
      Concord, NH 03301-3502

      (This requirement is in addition to and separate from the Practical Skills Course requirement (SC Rule 42 XIII (a)) that must be completed within the two years immediately following admission.)

      You can find programs that meet this requirement in the New Hampshire Bar Association's CLE Program Online Catalog under the Subject Area called "New Hampshire Practice."

      A number of non-NH Bar course providers of continuing legal education offer programs that may focus on NH practice and procedure. If non-NHBA programs are taken for the purpose of SC Rule 42 XI (b) and (c), a copy of the course materials must be submitted with the “Admission on Motion Certificate of Completion of Continuing Legal Education Prior to Motion” (see last FAQ on the application form supplied by the Supreme Court as part of the admission on motion process) demonstrating that the programs specifically pertained to NH practice and procedure.

      The short answer is that NHMCLE is the rule and the compliance function for the annual minimum continuing legal education requirement set forth by NH Supreme Court Rule 53, and the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education Program is one provider of CLE. Both are housed at the NH Bar Center, and there is some staff and data overlap, but they have separate functions.

      • Rule 53 – NHMCLE is a NH Supreme Court rule requiring all NH attorneys to obtain a minimum number of qualifying continuing education minutes (credits) each reporting period.
      • The NH Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education (NHBA-CLE) Program is a service of the NH Bar Association, and is one of a number of continuing legal education providers in New Hampshire
      • As a unified bar association and to assist the Supreme Court with effective and efficient application of Supreme Court Rule 53, administration of the NHMCLE program is based at the Bar Center and overseen by the court-appointed New Hampshire Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board
      • The NH Bar Association and the NHMCLE Administrative Office have developed the on-line Attorney Reporting Tool or ART for the use by Association members for reporting and tracking continuing legal education activity; the software interfaces with the Association database and therefore NH Bar Association’s continuing legal education offerings are automatically entered in the CLE Activity Reporting Tool within a short time after course attendance.
      • The NHMCLE program of the New Hampshire Supreme Court should not be confused with the New Hampshire Bar Association's Continuing Legal Education (NHBA•CLE) program. If a question arises concerning Rule 53, the NHMCLE requirements or the ART tool, contact the NHMCLE Office at nhmcle@nhbar.org.

      If a question arises regarding a NHBA•CLE course, course attendance, signup or cancellation of a course, contact the NHBA•CLE Department.

      Supreme Court Rule 42 XIII (a) requires that, within two years of admission to practice law in NH, a practical skills course presented by the New Hampshire Bar Association must be attended.

      Practical Skills credits earned may also be applied to the Supreme Court Rule 53 NHMCLE requirement of the reporting year in which the Practical skills course is attended.