Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
PMBR stands for “Proactive Management-Based Regulation.” The Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s free, online, on-demand PMBR course will assist solo and small firm attorneys in developing ethical infrastructures to improve the delivery of legal services and client relations and assist in preventing violations of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.
Beginning with the 2025-2027 registration biennium, attorneys who are engaged in the private practice of law (as defined in Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)) must either maintain professional liability insurance or complete the PMBR course.
The Supreme Court’s amendments to Gov.Bar R. V and Gov.Bar R. VI may be found at the following link:
https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/ruleamendments/documents/PMBR%20(As%20Adopted).pdf
The effective date for PMBR is January 1, 2025. Beginning with the 2025-2027 registration biennium, attorneys who are engaged in the private practice of law (as defined in Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)) must either maintain professional liability insurance or complete the PMBR course.
Only attorneys who are engaged in the private practice of law (as defined in Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)) and do not have professional liability insurance are required to complete the PMBR course.
Attorneys who are deemed required to comply with the PMBR requirements and fail to do so will not be able to complete registration for the corresponding biennium and will be summarily suspended from the practice of law.
Attorneys who only perform legal work for family members are “engaged in the private practice of law” for purposes of Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)(5). Accordingly, these attorneys must satisfy the PMBR requirements.
Attorneys registered as active who are “employed by an organizational client or governmental entity” and “[do] not represent clients outside that capacity” are not “engaged in the private practice of law” and, therefore, not subject to the PMBR requirements. See Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)(2).
Full-time judges and magistrates are not “engaged in the private practice of law” and, therefore, are not subject to the PMBR requirements. See Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)(2).
Part-time judges and magistrates who also represent clients in their own practice are “engaged in the private practice of law” for purposes of Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)(5). Accordingly, these attorneys must satisfy the PMBR requirements if they do not have professional liability insurance.
Only active attorneys who are “engaged in the private practice of law” and do not have professional liability insurance must satisfy the PMBR requirements. Under Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)(5), attorneys who are “no longer practicing law in any capacity” are not “engaged in the private practice of law.” Active attorneys who no longer practice law in any capacity are not subject to the PMBR requirements.
No. An attorney who purchases professional liability insurance does not have to complete the PMBR course; however, the attorney must provide proof of insurance to the Attorney Services Section if the insurance is purchased after the registration deadline.
No. If you purchase professional liability insurance prior to the November 2, 2025 registration deadline and update your status in the Attorney Portal to reflect you have professional liability insurance, you do not have to provide proof of insurance.
If you fail to complete the course or purchase professional liability insurance before September 1, 2025, you will be subject to a $100 late fee.
If an attorney purchases professional liability insurance after the November 2, 2025 registration deadline, the attorney must submit proof of insurance, including the name of the insurer, the policy number, and the amount and dates of coverage, to the Attorney Services Section when requesting reinstatement to the practice of law in Ohio.
To update your status in the Attorney Portal, log in to your Attorney Portal and click Attorney Registration in the red ribbon across the top of the screen, and then click Proactive Management-Based Regulation. You will click the acknowledgment button and then click “Yes” for the first question and then answer the following questions to reflect your circumstances.
If you do not complete the PMBR course or purchase professional liability insurance on or before November 2, 2025, you will not be permitted to register and will be summarily suspended from the practice of law under Gov.Bar R. VI(10)(B)(1).
Yes. To update your status in the Attorney Portal, log in to your Attorney Portal and click Attorney Registration in the red ribbon across the top of the screen, and then click Proactive Management Based Regulation. You will click the acknowledgment button and then answer the questions to reflect your circumstances.
As of April 1, 2025, the 2025 PMBR course is available on-demand on the OhioCourtEDU platform. For step-by-step instructions on how to create an account, log in, and complete the course, contact the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at PMBR@odc.ohio.gov.
The PMBR course will take approximately 3.5 hours to complete. The PMBR course is self-paced and interactive, so the duration may vary.
No. Based upon initial user feedback, we recommend taking the PMBR course on a laptop or desktop computer. Phones and tablets may present connectivity issues.
No. The PMBR course is an on-demand, self-paced course. Attorneys can start and stop and return where they left off. To avoid technological issues, stop at the end of a section and exit the course or progress may be lost.
Yes. The PMBR course has been approved for 3.5 CLE hours. To receive credit, users must complete the evaluation at the end of the course.
For every registration biennium beginning with 2025-2027, attorneys who are engaged in the private practice of law (as defined in Gov.Bar R. VI(1)(B)) must either maintain professional liability insurance or complete the PMBR course.
Future biennium PMBR courses will become available in the first half of the first calendar year of each subsequent biennium.
The PMBR course is free for all attorneys admitted to the practice of law in Ohio.
Yes. All attorneys admitted to the practice of law in Ohio will be able to take the PMBR course for CLE credit.
Please direct all PMBR inquiries to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel via email to: PMBR@odc.ohio.gov or via phone at: (614) 387-9700.