On April 3, 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court amended Rule 794(d) of its Continuing Legal Education Requirements to bolster diversity, substance use and mental health training in the profession. Starting July 1, 2017, lawyers in Illinois will be required to complete at least one hour of continuing legal education in the area of diversity and inclusion and at least one hour in the area of mental health and substance abuse to satisfy their Professional Responsibility CLE obligations.
The changes do not increase the total number of hours needed to fulfill the professional responsibility requirement, and attorneys will still be permitted take the year-long Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program as an alternative.
This comes not long after the ABA House of Delegates approved changes to its CLE Model Rule, adding diversity and substance use or mental health requirements.
