2024 California Rules of Court
Rule 10.472. Minimum education requirements for Supreme Court and Court of Appeal managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel
(a) Applicability
All California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel must complete these minimum education requirements. All managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel should participate in more education than is required related to each individual's responsibilities and in accordance with the education recommendations set forth in rule 10.479.
(b) Content-based requirements
(1) Each new managing attorney or supervisor must complete orientation courses within one year of becoming a managing attorney or supervisor, unless the individual's supervisor determines that the new managing attorney or supervisor has already completed these orientation courses or courses covering equivalent content. The courses must include orientation about:
(A) The judicial branch of California;
(B) The local court; and
(C) Basic management and supervision.
(2) Each new court employee who is not a managing attorney or supervisor must complete orientation courses within one year of becoming a court employee, unless the employee's supervisor determines that the new court employee has already completed these orientation courses or courses covering equivalent content. The courses must include orientation about:
(A) The judicial branch of California;
(B) The local court;
(C) Basic employee issues, such as sexual harassment and safety; and
(D) The employee's specific job.
(3) The clerk/executive officer, the managing attorney, or the employee's supervisor may determine the appropriate content, delivery mechanism, and length of orientation based on the needs and role of each individual employee.
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended effective January 1, 2018.)
(c) Hours-based requirements
(1) Each managing attorney, supervisor, or appellate judicial attorney must complete 12 hours of continuing education every two years.
(2) Each court employee who is not a managing attorney, supervisor, or appellate judicial attorney must complete 8 hours of continuing education every two years, with the exception of employees who do not provide court administrative or operational services. Those employees are not subject to the continuing education hours-based requirement but must complete any education or training required by law and any other education required by the clerk/executive officer.
(3) The two-year education cycle for all managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel begins on January 1 of each even-numbered year. The orientation education required for new managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel under (b) applies toward the required hours of continuing education. New managing attorneys, supervisors, or employees enters the two-year continuing education cycle on their first day of employment and must complete a prorated number of continuing education hours for that two-year period education cycle.
(4) Any education offered by an approved provider (under rule 10.481(a)) and any other education that is approved by the clerk/executive officer, the managing attorney, or the employee's supervisor as meeting the criteria listed in rule 10.481(b) applies toward the orientation education required under (b) and the continuing education required under (c)(1) and (2).
(5) Each hour of participation in education by an approved provider under rule 10.481, including education that is instructor-led (live remote or in-person), asynchronous (such as videos and e-learning), and self-directed study approved in advance by the supervisor of the managing attorney, supervisor, appellate judicial attorney, or other employee, counts toward the continuing education requirement on an hour-for-hour basis. The administrative presiding justice or the clerk/executive officer has discretion to determine the number of hours, if any, of instructor-led (live remote or in-person) education required to meet the continuing education requirement.
(6) A managing attorney, supervisor, appellate judicial attorney, or other employee who serves as faculty by teaching legal or judicial education for a legal or judicial audience may apply education hours for the faculty service. There is no restriction on the number or percentage of hours that a managing attorney, supervisor, appellate judicial attorney, or other employee may claim as faculty service. Credit for faculty service counts toward the continuing education requirement on an hour-for-hour basis in the same manner as all other types of education.
(7) The administrative presiding justice or the clerk/executive officer may require supervisors and other court personnel to participate in specific courses or to participate in education in a specific subject matter area as part of their continuing education.
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended effective January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2018.)
(d) Extension of time
(1) Upon request and for good cause, the administrative presiding justice or the clerk/executive officer may grant an extension, up to one year, to complete the education requirements in this rule.
(2) If the administrative presiding justice, or the clerk/executive officer grants a request for an extension of time, the administrative presiding justice or the clerk/executive officer and the managing attorney, supervisor, or employee who made the request must pursue interim means of obtaining relevant educational content.
(3) An extension of time to complete the hours-based requirement does not affect the timing of the next two-year education cycle.
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended effective January 1, 2018.)
(e) Records of participation
(1) Each court is responsible for tracking participation in education and for tracking completion of minimum education requirements for its managing attorneys, supervisors, and other personnel.
(2) Managing attorneys, supervisors, and employees must keep records of their own participation for two years after each course or activity that is applied toward the requirements.
Rule 10.472 amended effective January 1, 2023; adopted effective January 1, 2008; previously amended effective January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2018.