15 credit hours per year, reported every year (june 30). Verified against the MO bar or court authority.
| Total CLE required | 15 credit hours per year |
|---|---|
| Ethics requirement | 3 hrs (ethics / professionalism / malpractice) |
| Reporting cycle | Every year (June 30) |
| Bias / EDI credit | 1 hr explicit/implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency |
| Online CLE accepted | Yes, up to 6 hrs on-demand |
| Accreditation route | Approved (MCLE) |
Note: Live webinar credit is unlimited; on-demand capped at 6.
Annualised, that is 15 hours per year, above the national median of 12 hours per year, placing Missouri 6th of the 46 jurisdictions that mandate CLE.
Missouri mandates specialised credit in bias, equity, or inclusion. 1 hr explicit/implicit bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency Missouri does not currently carry a separate wellness or mental health category, so wellness training here is generally applied as general credit. Trauma-responsive content frequently satisfies bias and inclusion requirements as well, because understanding how trauma shapes client behaviour, testimony, and courtroom conduct is directly relevant to serving diverse populations. Confirm the fit with the accrediting body before enrolling.
Missouri requires 15 hours each year, of which 3 are earmarked for ethics. That leaves roughly 12 hours each year that you choose the content for. Those are the hours in question.
National research found 28 percent of attorneys screening positive for depression, 19 percent for anxiety, and 21 percent for problematic drinking. The finding that surprised the profession was where the risk concentrated: among younger attorneys and those in their first ten years. The prior assumption ran the other way. It is shaping the careers of the people a firm has most recently invested in.
Exposure is not evenly distributed across a bar. It follows the material. Criminal defense carries documented elevated exposure. The research found criminal lawyers scoring significantly higher on secondary trauma measures than non-criminal lawyers, a gap attributed to case material and client contact rather than caseload alone. Firms and offices in Missouri doing criminal defense carry more of this than a general commercial practice does, and their training needs differ accordingly.
These are competence issues, not comfort issues. They surface as missed deadlines, degraded judgment on live matters, ethics complaints, and the departure of lawyers a firm has already paid to train. If Missouri is going to require the time anyway, it can be spent on the thing that is measurably breaking.
Missouri requires 15 credit hours per year. Of that, the ethics requirement is 3 hrs (ethics / professionalism / malpractice). The reporting cycle runs every year (june 30).
Yes, up to 6 hrs on-demand. Rules on self-study versus live or interactive formats vary, and newly admitted attorneys are often held to stricter requirements than experienced ones. Confirm with the accrediting authority before enrolling.
Missouri does not maintain a separate wellness or mental health credit category. Such programming is generally applied toward general credit. Many states permit self-application of general credit using a certificate of attendance; confirm the process with the accrediting authority.
Approved (MCLE). Requirements change, so verify directly with the issuing authority before relying on any summary, including this one.
Accredited, live CLE in secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and professional resilience, delivered by 41 lawyers, judges, physicians, and psychologists. In person and virtual, nationwide.
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