All solicitors under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) must reflect on their practice and undertake regular learning and development so their skills and knowledge remain up to date. All solicitors will need to make an annual declaration to the SRA that they have done this. Solicitors can decide which activities will help them to deliver a proper standard of service. The SRA does not require solicitors to undertake accredited training, and there is no minimum requirement for the amount of hours that must be spent devoted to continuing competence.

Maintaining and upholding standards of practice is a key part of being a member of a profession.

For solicitors, the regulatory requirement for this is set out through continuing competence.

This is the way in which solicitors are expected to review their practice and identify areas for improvement or updating, to ensure they maintain the highest standards of practice.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sets and manages continuing competence requirements including setting the minimum regulatory standard expected of them.

The Law Society does not impose any additional standards or requirements pertaining to continuing competence over and above that which is set by the SRA.

Any activity that helps you meet your learning needs counts towards continuing competence, and there is no target for the number of hours you have to spend learning.

Under the 'New Practitioner Programme' (NPP), you must complete at least 45 hours of CPD during the three-year period. This must include at least nine hours on advocacy and at least three hours on ethics (rQ132 and rQ137 of the BSB Handbook), starting on 1 January in the calendar year after you first started practising as a barrister (rQ130.1 of the BSB Handbook). This applies whether you are a member of chambers, an employed barrister, a ‘squatter’, or on a probationary period. Under the 'Established Practitioners Programme' (EPP), you must undertake CPD in each calendar year in which you hold a practising certificate once you have completed the NPP (rQ130.4 and rQ133 of the BSB Handbook). Except for the advocacy and ethics requirements of the NPP, the BSB does not prescribe specific CPD activities.

Based on the definition of “CPD” (rQ130.2 of the BSB Handbook), the following questions can help you identify whether an activity counts as CPD. If the answer to either question is ‘no’, then the activity doesn’t count as CPD.

(1) Is the activity undertaken over and above the normal commitments of your role? (2) Does the activity help you maintain and develop your skills, knowledge, and professional standards in areas relevant to your present or proposed area(s) of practice to keep you up to date and maintain the highest standards of professional practice?

Please refer to the following link for further information: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-barristers/cpd.html

A full-time practising solicitor must complete the following minimum CPD hours (subject to any exemption): • A total of 15 hours (of which a maximum of 5 hours can be Private Study). The remaining 10 hours Group Study, which includes webinars and online learning, must include: • A minimum of 2 hours Compulsory Risk Management CPD (only if the solicitor is in Private Practice); • A minimum of 3 hours Compulsory Conveyancing CPD (only if the solicitor undertakes or is involved in any conveyancing transactions).

The Law Society of Northern Ireland does not currently award accreditation to any course or course providers.

All solicitors are required to undertake a minimum of 20 hours Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in each practice year.

Of those minimum 20 hours, a minimum of 15 must be verifiable CPD. Up to 5 hours may be by private study and as of the CPD year commencing 1 November 2022, one hour of risk management CPD must be included.

Solicitor Advocates must complete 10 hours of mandatory Solicitor Advocate CPD as part of the minimum 15 hours of verifiable CPD.

A minimum of 15 hours of CPD per annum must meet the criteria for verifiable CPD. By verifiable, the Society means that the CPD activity should meet the following criteria:

(i) Have clear aims and outcomes relevant to the solicitor’s professional development; (ii) Provide interaction and/or the opportunity for feedback; (iii) Be able to be evidenced; and (iv) Is not part of a solicitor’s daily work

The following topics are eligible for risk management CPD: a. Anti-money laundering b. Complaints handling and complaints avoidance c. Client communication d. Business Continuity Planning e. Cybersecurity f. Equality and diversity g. Organisational culture including the prevention of bullying and harassment and the promotion of well-being h. Prioritisation, time management, workflow and processes i. Terms of business.