The D.C. Bar administers the Mandatory Course on the D.C. Rules of Professional
Conduct and District of Columbia Practice for new admittees to the District
of Columbia Bar and certain other individuals. For questions or for
more information, call 202-626-1315 or 1-877-33-DCBAR, ext. 3315.
Special Accommodations
The District of Columbia Bar will provide reasonable accommodations to
persons with disabilities as required by individual circumstances. Requests
for accommodations shall be made in writing to D.C. Bar, ATTN: Mandatory
Course Accommodations, 1101 K Street NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC
20005-4210. Deadline for receipt of request is at least one week before
the course date.
Note: This course is a post admission requirement. New members
must be sworn in to the Bar before they take the Mandatory Course.
MCLE Credit
The D.C. Bar is an accredited or approved sponsor in Alabama, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana,
Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Texas Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
All Mandatory Course sessions qualify for credit in New York.
The D.C. Bar will apply for credit for individual courses in other
states, including Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon,
Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The D.C. Bar will assist with
applications to Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, and Montana, but attorneys
must apply individually for credit for courses and submit payment directly
to these states, if required.
This course has been approved for 5.0 total CLE credit hours, including
3.0 legal ethics credits. These hours are calculated on a 60-minute hour.
Breaks have already been deducted from the time. However, some states (such
as Pennsylvania) round down to the nearest half hour.
If you are seeking MCLE credit in another jurisdiction, please bring
your state(s) attorney registration number(s)/bar number(s) to the Mandatory
Course.
Alternative Compliance
Attorneys in good standing may, in cases of extreme hardship only, request
that the requirement that they complete the mandatory course on the
D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and D.C. Practice be met by use
of a media presentation provided by the D.C. Bar, instead of attending
one of the regularly scheduled sessions of the course. However, the
Bar's procedures contemplate that in-person attendance of the course
is the preferred method of compliance.
An attorney seeking alternative compliance to the course must submit
an original, signed request and must provide evidence that substantiates
his or her claim of extreme hardship. Extreme hardship may include
a severe, prolonged illness that makes physical attendance inordinately
difficult, or such other cause as may be determined. Although travel
requirements and work and personal schedules may pose an inconvenience
for attorneys who do not reside in close proximity to the District
of Columbia, extreme hardship shall not include absence from the District
of Columbia except under extraordinary circumstances.
An individual requesting alternative compliance shall attest to and furnish
such substantiation of his or her extreme hardship as the D.C. Bar
may require. The determination of the D.C. Bar shall be final.
A request for alternative compliance shall be made in writing to D.C.
Bar, ATTN: Mandatory Course Alternative Compliance, 1101 K Street, NW,
Second Floor, Washington, DC 20005-4210.
For more information on alternative compliance, call 202-737-4700, extension 3234; for registration and other general information, call 202-626-1315.
