About the Course: In 1996, the Supreme Court of Texas mandated that all licensed lawyers in the state of Texas take a four-hour professionalism course entitled the Justice James A. Baker Guide to the Basics of Law Practice not later than twelve (12) months after being licensed. The course is offered as a live program throughout the year, or may be taken online. The course qualifies for 4 hours of ethics/professional responsibility/participatory MCLE credit with the State Bar of Texas MCLE Department.
IMPORTANT! Choose the version of the course you should take carefully! While the content is the same, there are two distinct “versions” of the course, the selection and price of which is dependent on your licensing date. Choosing the wrong course may result in the forfeiture of your credit for taking the mandated “A Guide to the Basics of Law Practice” course. This could ultimately result in having your license suspended.
If you are taking the course prior to the court-mandated deadline the course fee is $195 and you should register for Version A below.
If you have missed the deadline you must register for Version B below and pay an additional $150 administrative late fee to receive credit for the course. Your total course fee will be $345.
Note - If you are a law student, law school graduate waiting for bar exam results or an attorney who has not yet been licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, you should take Version A of the course. Your total course fee will be $195.
Once you view the videos and affirm your completion of all four parts of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion and information which will allow you to then register your completion with the Texas State Bar, thus fulfilling your obligations.
IMPORTANT! Once you register for the online course you have ninety days to complete it. If you fail to finalize all four segments of the course within ninety days, you will be required to re-register and pay the full registration fee again. PLEASE NOTE, however, the ninety-day period DOES NOT change your deadline to complete the course as required by the Supreme Court of Texas. If that deadline is prior to the end of the ninety-day period, YOU MUST complete all four segments of the course prior to that deadline or you will be assessed an additional late fee of $150.00 for failure to comply with the Court's order on time.
