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Newly Admitted Attorneys

Newly Admitted Attorneys are subject to the mandatory 24 CLE credit requirement. The CLE requirement for a Newly Admitted Attorney begins on January 1st of the year after admission to the Delaware bar. Newly Admitted Attorneys may not receive CLE credit for any program attended prior to admission to the Delaware Bar. Newly Admitted Attorneys MUST also complete the Fundamentals Courses (Fundamentals”) within their first two compliance periods. Credits earned from attending Fundamentals go towards your 24-credit requirement

The Fundamentals is a series of seven courses in basic legal skills: (1) Fundamentals of Lawyer-Client Relations; (2) Fundamentals of Family Law; (3) Fundamentals of Real Estate; (4) Fundamentals of Civil Litigation; (5) Fundamentals of Will Drafting and Estate Administration; (6) Fundamentals of Law Practice Management and Technology; and (7) Fundamentals of Criminal Law and Procedure. At this time, the Delaware State Bar Association is the only provider of the Fundamentals. The courses are offered to Newly Admitted Attorneys at $75 per course if taken within four years of admission.

At the top of your CLE transcript you will see the deadline for you to complete the Fundamentals. At the bottom you will see a list of the Fundamentals you have taken and which ones you have not.

Courses taken in another jurisdiction will not count towards the Fundamentals. There is no extension or exemption allowed by the Rules. If completion of the Fundamentals is not reported by the end of the second reporting period, the attorney will receive a notice from the Commission. If you do not rectify the situation by completing the courses via monitored video replay at the DSBA's offices by that final deadline, the matter of noncompliance will be referred to Disciplinary Counsel for review.

An Attorney who is reinstated to active status and who has not completed the Fundamentals for Newly Admitted Attorneys must do so by the end of the first Compliance Year following the Attorney’s reinstatement to active status.