The State Bar of California deems that every attorney must earn 25 credit hours of continuing legal education. California continuing education courses are designed to further your understanding of different legal topics to integrate into your practice. You must have these CLEs completed by the time you renew your license every three years.

There are so many California CLE classes that it may be hard to pick just 25 credits worth of classes. Not only can you take classes in person, you can take them online at any time, so scheduling is no excuse.

Before you start looking for classes, remind yourself of the point of taking CA continuing legal education courses:

1. Use CA CLE seminars to keep up with changes in the law. You'll need to stay informed about the current issues and language of your legal specialty.

2. Expand upon your knowledge base. If there's something you've always wanted to learn, go ahead and take CA CLE classes you're curious about.

3. Think about the networking opportunities live California CLE seminars can give you. You'll meet other professionals as well as industry experts.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of online bundles of California CLE seminars

Instead of buying each seminar individually, you can save some money and time by selecting a few seminars that appeal to you and purchasing them all at once. This option is great if you're ever in a time crunch, and these bundles usually include your required ethics courses.

I recommend: Select from bundled packages designed especially for California attorneys at Lawline. You can also choose a California-appropriate CLE bundle from the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education.

Choose from individual Internet-based California continuing legal education seminars

Since you have three years to get your CLEs completed, you can take your time and pick whatever individual courses you want. It may cost you a bit more this way, but it'll allow you to manage your time the way you want and to complete courses at your leisure.

I recommend: Find a California seminar that interests you at Law.com. Check out the huge selection of courses that will meet your California CLE requirements at SmartPros Legal & Ethics.

Find live California continuing legal education classes

Some people learn better when they attend interactive lectures, as opposed to just staring at a computer screen. If you know that your learning style requires you to take classes in-person, you still have a wide variety of options to choose from.

I recommend: Browse through the calendar of California seminars approved by the American Bar Association. Select from the live seminars posted on the California CLE blog.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It's a good idea to take courses that are of special interest to you. CA CLE classes are not just to keep your license, but for you to explore the wide scope of the field of law. Take courses that appeal to you so you can expand upon your knowledge base and become an even better attorney.