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CLE Requirements by State · NY

New York CLE Requirements for attorneys

24 credit hours every 2 years, reported every 2 years. Verified against the NY bar or court authority.

New York at a glance

Total CLE required24 credit hours every 2 years
Ethics requirement4 hrs ethics & professionalism
Reporting cycleEvery 2 years
Bias / EDI credit1 hr diversity, inclusion & elimination of bias
Online CLE acceptedYes for experienced attorneys; newly admitted must complete transitional CLE live/interactive
Accreditation routeApproved (NY CLE Board); reciprocity available

Note: Also 1 hr cybersecurity. New admittees must complete 32 transitional hrs live/interactive.

Verify current NY requirements at the source ↗

How New York compares

New York's 24 hours over two years works out to 12 hours a year. That is the most common requirement in the country: 20 of the 46 jurisdictions that mandate CLE set the same figure.

New York mandates specialized credit in bias, equity, or inclusion. 1 hr diversity, inclusion & elimination of bias New York 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 behavior, testimony, and courtroom conduct is directly relevant to serving diverse populations. Confirm the fit with the accrediting body before enrolling.

Why wellness credit is worth the hours in New York

New York requires 24 hours every 2 years, of which 4 are earmarked for ethics. That leaves roughly 20 hours every 2 years that you choose the content for. Those are the hours in question.

The evidence: it arrives early, not late

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.

Where it concentrates in New York

Exposure is not evenly distributed across a bar. It follows the material. Family and domestic relations practice concentrates exposure: custody disputes involving abuse allegations, protective orders, and termination proceedings put practitioners in sustained contact with the worst days of clients' lives. Firms and offices in New York doing family law 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 New York is going to require the time anyway, it can be spent on the thing that is measurably breaking.

See what burnout actually costs a legal organization →

New York CLE questions

How many CLE hours does New York require?

New York requires 24 credit hours every 2 years. Of that, the ethics requirement is 4 hrs ethics & professionalism. The reporting cycle runs every 2 years.

Does New York accept online CLE?

Yes for experienced attorneys; newly admitted must complete transitional CLE live/interactive. 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.

Can wellness or secondary trauma CLE count in New York?

New York 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.

Who accredits CLE in New York?

Approved (NY CLE Board); reciprocity available. Requirements change, so verify directly with the issuing authority before relying on any summary, including this one.

Other jurisdictions

North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · New Mexico · New Jersey · New Hampshire

Search and filter all 51 jurisdictions →

New York requires the hours. We teach what matters.

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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