Illinois continuing legal education is a requirement for lawyers in Illinois. They must take at least 30 hours of legal continuing education in Illinois over a two-year period.

If you fail to meet your hours for Illinois continuing legal education classes, the board will send you a reminder. If you still fail to follow through, then you cannot practice law in Illinois

While the law requires you to complete legal seminars in Illinois, you can also benefit by:

1. Keeping current with any law changes. Laws change often and some Illinois legal seminars can teach you about recent changes to law that can help you in court.

2. Learning new skills. It's not all about law when you take an Illinois continuing legal education seminar. Some classes teach about ethics and professionalism.

3. Meeting other lawyers. When you attend Illinois continuing legal education courses, you'll be able to meet and network with other lawyers in your area. This is a great way to get referrals.

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

Take IL legal seminars to meet your continuing education requirements

Whether you choose to take several courses all at once, or spread your courses out over two years, it's important that you complete the requirements. Stay on top of things to make sure that you finish by the deadline.

I recommend: The Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education offers a number of courses that may appeal to you. They have both live and online classes. You can save money when you purchase a class bundle at Lawline.com.

Attend online legal seminars in Illinois to gain your CLE credits

If you don't have much time to attend seminars in person, an online seminar can be a great way for you to fulfill your requirements. Search for an online CLE course that matches with your interests.

I recommend: Apex CLE has a number of affordable Illinois CLE classes that you can take online. The National Academy of Continuing Legal Education also has courses that may interest you.

Find Illinois legal seminars that deal with ethics

Illinois lawyers must also take classes in ethics. These courses will count towards your full CLE requirement, but it's important that you take the classes to meet the requirements.

I recommend: At Mentor CLE, you can watch the classes for free and only pay if you want the credit. This allows you to preview a course to see if it's right for you. Alternatively, select a class through the Law.com CLE center, which also has several courses to choose from.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most lawyers find that it's more convenient to spread their Illinois CLE classes out over the two years. This ensures that you have enough time to meet the requirements and you are able to take the courses that most interest you.