CPD by category

The Legal Council asks each lawyer to keep up continuing professional development (CPD) over the licence year, with a minimum in some categories. Compliance, CPD keeps each lawyer's hours against the firm's requirement.

Record an activity

Record CPD names the lawyer, the activity, its category (ethics and professional conduct, practice management, substantive law, or the firm's own sessions), the provider, the day and the hours. Mark whether the provider is accredited by the General Legal Council and give its reference where there is one. The certificate is attached from the activity's row as evidence; it is scanned before anyone may open it.

The requirement

The requirement is set under Settings, General, People, each with its default and the rule it rests on (to be verified against the Council's current directions):

• CPD hours required a year: the total, 12 by default.
• CPD hours required by category: the minimum within the total for each category.
• Licence year starts in month: January by default; the hours count over the twelve months from it.
• CPD counts accredited providers only: off by default.
• CPD shortfall stops licence renewal: off by default; on, a lawyer short for a licence year cannot have the next year's practising certificate recorded.

Shortfalls and reminders

Each lawyer's row shows the hours counted against the requirement and how far short they are, by the total or the categories, whichever needs more. Standing narrows the register to the lawyers short or those who have met it. A lawyer still short is reminded on the firm's CPD shortfall reminders (days before) the licence year ends, 90, 60 and 30 by default. A lawyer reads their own hours by category on their Standing page.

The report for renewal

Export gives the firm's CPD for the chosen licence year as a PDF or CSV, every lawyer or only those short, for licence renewal. The export is audited.