Many states set year-end deadlines for attorneys to complete their NY CLE requirement. In an earlier post I listed a number of states that have a December 31 MCLE compliance date – 23 states in all.[1] New York is not one of these states.
In New York, attorneys get an extra birthday present – MCLE compliance. That’s because in New York, the MCLE compliance deadline is determined by your birth month. New York attorneys must report MCLE compliance when their registration card is mailed – which is determined by month of birth.
A biennial registration must be filed within 30 days of the attorney’s birthday, in alternating years. Each biennial period runs for the 24 month period from birth month to birth month. See §118.1 (a) – (d)
If you are an attorney licensed in New York, when you file your registration form you must also certify your CLE compliance for the prior two-year period. If you were admitted to the New York Bar before January 1, 1982 OR in an even-numbered year, then you register in even-numbered years. If you were admitted in an odd-numbered year after 1982, then you register in odd-numbered years.[2]
If you are a New York attorney completing your NY CLE, please keep in mind that New York is a self-reporting state. While CLE sponsors are required to retain attendance records, CLE sponsors may NOT file compliance information on behalf of an individual attorney. New York (NY) attorneys do not have to send any Certificates of Completion unless audited by the New York State Bar. If you are audited by the New York State Bar, then you must produce evidence of your MCLE compliance.
One added feature of our online CLE at Attorney Credits is the technology that we provide you. As long as you maintain an active account with Attorney Credits we maintain all of your Certificates of Completion under the ‘My Certificates’ page.
That way you don’t have to worry about filing and maintaining multiple certificates. We do it for you – and it’s all online under your Attorney Credits account so you don’t have to worry about digging through file cabinets trying to find your certificates.
[2] For example, if you were admitted to the New York Bar in 1986 (you registered in an even-numbered year) and your birthday is in December, then in December 2012 you will file your “2012-2013″ registration form, and you must certify your CLE compliance for your June 2010 – June 2012 biennial reporting cycle.