Mandatory Course

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Mandatory Course on the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and Practice

About the Course Compliance FAQs Register Now

Mandatory Course Overview

The Mandatory Course on the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and Practice is a requirement of the D.C. Court of Appeals and D.C. Bar Bylaws for all attorneys newly admitted to the D.C. Bar or for certain members who are reinstating their membership or changing status.

The Mandatory Course is offered online, on-demand for $229 and must be completed in full within 12 months from being sworn in. Two in-person presentations of the Course are also held to coincide with the twice-yearly, in-person swearing-in ceremonies at the D.C. Court of Appeals. Due to the global pandemic, however, in-person presentations are not currently being offered.

About The Course

The Mandatory Course is administered by the D.C. Bar’s Continuing Legal Education program in accordance with the D.C. Court of Appeals Rules Governing the Bar (Rule II, Section 2) and the D.C. Bar Bylaws (Article III).

Length: 4 hours

Cost: $229

You may register for the Mandatory Course and pay online here or call the CLE Department at 202-626-3488. We take VISA, Mastercard, Discover, and Amex payments.

Format:

  • Online, on-demand video presentation with the ability to stop and start between sections
  • The Mandatory Course includes closed captions

Curriculum:

  • D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Pro Bono Obligations and How to Fulfill Them
  • D.C. Disciplinary System and Regulation of Employee Conduct
  • D.C. Bar Nondisciplinary Programs for the Regulation of Attorney Conduct
  • D.C. Court Practice and Administrative Practice

MCLE Credits:

  • The Mandatory Course is accredited in all MCLE jurisdictions.
  • On-demand: 4.0 total CLE credit hours, including 3.0 legal ethics credits.
  • To obtain CLE credit, list the jurisdiction(s) in which you are seeking credit along with the corresponding bar numbers in the mandatory evaluation provided at the conclusion of the course.

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Compliance Requirement For New Admittees

To comply with the D.C. Court of Appeals Rules Governing the Bar, recent admittees must complete the Mandatory Course within 12 months from the month of their swearing-in date. For example, if a member’s swearing-in date is September 15, 2021, he/she will be in compliance if the Course is completed by September 30, 2022.

Admittees who do not complete the Course within that 12-month compliance period will be sent a Notice of Noncompliance, after which they will have a 60-day grace period in which to complete the Course or face administrative suspension.

Those admitted as Special Legal Consultants (SLC) are not subject to the Mandatory Course requirement.

New admittees who do not complete the Mandatory Course before the deadline will face the following consequences:

  • Automatic suspension from the practice of law in the District of Columbia
  • Notice of administrative suspension sent to the Courts of the District of Columbia
  • Must notify clients of suspension
  • Must withdraw representation in any cases filed in the D.C. Courts
  • To reinstate, must pay a reinstatement fee
  • Administrative suspensions become a permanent part of the membership record
  • During the period of administrative suspension, engaging in the practice of law in the District of Columbia is prohibited

The D.C. Bar does not have the authority to grant extensions or exceptions.

Certificate of Completion

To track compliance, random codes will be visually displayed in large font and announced out loud during the entirety of the Mandatory Course. Attendees will be required to capture and provide these codes at the conclusion of the course.

To receive a certificate of completion, you must:

  • Listen to the entire presentation
  • Submit correct codes following the presentation

A certificate will be emailed to you and will also be available for download in your D.C. Bar account.

No further action is needed. If you have received your certificate by email or downloaded it from your D.C. Bar account, you are fully compliant. You do not have to submit a copy to the D.C. Bar. Please keep the certificate for your records.

If you have completed the mandatory course and submitted the required codes but did not receive a certificate of completion, please contact the CLE Department at [email protected] or call 202-626-3488 to request a certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must take the Mandatory Course?

There are strict guidelines about who must complete the Mandatory Course.

  1. All new admittees to the D.C. Bar (Active and Inactive)
    • Must be completed within 12 months of admission to be in compliance with the Court Rule
    • Failure to comply within 14 months of admission will result in administrative suspension
  1. Certain Inactive members switching to Active status
    • Holding an Inactive status for five years or more and wishing to switch status to Active
  1. Certain Suspended members
    • Holding a Suspended status for five years or more
  1. Certain Resigned and Retired members
    • Holding a Resigned or Retired status for five years or more and wishing to reinstate to Active status
  1. Judicial members switching to Active status
  1. Any member who has held any combination statuses other than Active (Inactive, Judicial, Inactive/Retired, Suspended) for five years or more

What happens if I do not complete the Mandatory Course before the deadline? (Noncompliance)

  • Suspension from practice of law in the District of Columbia
  • Notice of administrative suspension is sent to the Courts of the District of Columbia
  • You must notify your clients of your suspension
  • You must withdraw your representation in any cases filed in the D.C. Courts
  • If you reinstate, you must pay a reinstatement fee
  • Administrative suspensions become a permanent part of your membership record
  • During the period of administrative suspension, engaging in the practice of law in the District of Columbia is prohibited

What is the curriculum of the Mandatory Course?

While the curriculum may vary slightly for each session, it includes:  

  • D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct 
  • District of Columbia System for Regulation of Attorney Conduct 
  • How to Fulfill Pro Bono Obligations 
  • District of Columbia Court Practice 
  • D.C. Bar Non-Disciplinary Regulatory Programs 
  • District of Columbia Administrative Practice 

You must attend or view the Course in full to receive a Certification of Completion.

Do you have special accommodations for individuals with disabilities?

Pursuant to applicable law, any individual with a disability, or any other individual who requires reasonable accommodations as required by individual circumstances to access the Mandatory Course may request assistance by submitting a written statement to the D.C. Bar, ATTN: Mandatory Course Accommodations, 901 4th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for receipt of request is at least three business days before registration for the Course.

For compliance purposes, there will be random codes visually displayed in large font and announced out loud. Attendees will have to capture and provide these codes at the conclusion of the course. We offer closed captioning for hearing impaired members. For more information, please contact the CLE Program by email at [email protected].

What is the MCLE accreditation of the Mandatory Course?

The on-demand Mandatory Course has been approved for 4.0 total CLE credit hours, including 3.0 legal ethics credits.

The in-person Mandatory Course has been approved for 5.0 total CLE credit hours, including 3.5 legal ethics credits.

Please submit your state’s attorney registration/bar number when you access the on-demand Mandatory Course within your D.C. Bar account.

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