Supreme Court issues orders affecting attorney registration and continuing legal education requirements

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court issued three administrative orders today that change deadlines and other requirements for annual attorney registration and continuing legal education reporting.
 
“The social distancing needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 created unexpected challenges for attorneys who were nearing the deadline to complete their annual continuing education,” said Justice Carol Beier, the Supreme Court liaison for continuing education. “With these orders, the Supreme Court is extending the deadline to complete and report the required education and to relax limits in place for education provided by prerecorded content.”
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-033: Order Modifying Continuing Legal Education Attendance and Reporting Deadlines and Waiving Limitation on Prerecorded Programming
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-033 extends until September 30, 2020, the reporting deadline for continuing legal education that is required by Supreme Court rule to be completed between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. An attorney unable to complete the education within the compliance period is automatically granted an extension until September 30.
 
The order also waives a limit on continuing education hours delivered by prerecorded programs. Kansas Continuing Legal Education will consider provider applications received after the date of the order through September 30 that seek accreditation for prerecorded programming of more than six hours. Provider applications submitted before the date of the order will not be reconsidered for additional credit hours.  
 
The annual report of continuing education typically sent to active attorneys in August will instead be sent in October 2020.
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-034: Order Modifying Deadline for Continuing Legal Education Annual Fee and Late Fee
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-034 extends until September 30 the deadline for attorneys to pay the annual continuing legal education registration fee. Payments must be received or postmarked by September 30. If payment is made after the deadline, the attorney must pay a $50 late fee.
 
Attorneys who fail to meet the minimum requirements set out in Supreme Court rules for continuing legal education, or who fail to pay the annual fee and any applicable late fee, may be suspended from practicing law.
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-035: Order Modifying Deadlines for Annual Attorney Registration and Fee and Related Late Fee
 
Administrative Order 2020-RL-035 extends until September 30 the deadline for annual attorney registration for the 2020-2021 licensing period. The annual registration fee must also be paid by September 30.
 
Attorneys who fail to register and pay the annual registration fee and any applicable late fee may be suspended from practicing law.
 
“The Supreme Court extended the annual registration deadline to September 30 as a courtesy to attorneys who are used to registering on the same timeline that they report their continuing legal education,” Beier said. “It’s also to acknowledge the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on livelihoods, including for some attorneys.”
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Kansas Courts Response to COVID-19