Board boosts MCLE provider fees

The Board of Governors has approved a proposal to increase MCLE provider fees April 1, in an effort to make the program more self-sufficient.The bar is responsible for administering the MCLE provider certification program, but estimates it will lose more than $520,000 this year. Last year the program cost $830,000.

The fee increase, the first since 1991, will bring in nearly $147,000 in additional revenue and will affect about 1,100 MCLE providers. Application fees will increase from $50 to $200; renewal fees will double to $100.

Lawyers must take 36 hours of continuing education courses every three years from bar-certified providers. Although the bar told the legislature initially that it would cost about $800,000 a year to certify MCLE providers, it has been reluctant to boost fees and has drawn on the general fund in order to support the program.

Expenses have risen as the number of active attorneys has increased.