Mandatory Continuing Professional Development
Legal Profession Regulations 2007, Schedule 2, Continuing professional development scheme
Legal Practitioners are required to complete a minimum of 10 CPD points in a CPD year. The CPD year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March the following year.
Legal practitioners have a continuing professional obligation including to the community to participate in professional development that improves their ability to engage in the practice of law, by extending their knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to their current and future practice needs. CPD allows legal practitioners to meet this obligation.
CPD points can be attained through a variety of methods. However, there are limits to the number of points that can be accrued for certain activities (further information at the bottom of this page).
A range of organisations host regular CPD seminars to allow practitioners to meet this obligation. Notifications received by the Society from organisations regarding upcoming CPDs will be published on the Society’s homepage and in The Practitioner e-newsletter.
CPD FORMS
Annual CPD Certificate - no later than 31 March
- Annual CPD Certificate (MS Word)
Legal practitioners are required to submit an Annual CPD Certificate to the Society no later than 31 March and must certify that they have complied with their mandatory obligations for the CPD year. If insufficient CPD points have been accrued by 31 March, practitioners are required to make up any shortfall by 30 June and also submit a Supplementary CPD Certificate by 30 June confirming the outstanding points have been completed.
All legal practitioners who have held a Practising Certificate for any part of the CPD year must submit an Annual CPD Certificate. See pro rata point accrual table below.
Supplementary CPD Certificate - no later than 30 June
- Supplementary CPD Certificate (MS Word)
Practitioners who have not accrued the required number of CPD points by 31 March must also submit a Supplementary CPD Certificate no later than 30 June to confirm that the outstanding CPD points have been accrued and that mandatory obligations for the CPD year have been complied with.
CPD Exemption Application - up to 31 March
If a legal practitioner cannot comply with their CPD obligations due to illness, leave (including maternity leave and long service leave, but not annual leave), or other circumstances provided for in the Regulations, the practitioner can apply to the Society for an exemption from all or part of their mandatory CPD obligation. Practitioners should complete an Application for Exemption Form and submit it to the Society.
FURTHER INFORMATION
+ CPD points and activities
| ACTIVITY TYPE | ACCRUAL RATE | MAX PER ACTIVITY | MAX PER ANNUM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparing or giving a presentation | 0.5 CPD points per 30 minutes of preparing or giving the presentation | 5 CPD points | No limit |
| Attending a seminar | 0.5 CPD points per 30 minutes of attendance | No limit | No limit |
| Private study using audio or visual material | 0.5 CPD points per 20 minutes | No limit | 5 CPD points |
| Preparing and giving a lecture | 0.5 CPD points per 30 minutes of preparing or giving the lecture | 5 CPD points | No limit |
| Writing an article | 0.5 points per 500 words | No limit | 5 CPD points |
| Refereeing or structural editing of an article | 0.5 points per 500 words | No limit | 5 CPD points |
| Committee participation | 0.5 CPD points per 60 minutes of meeting attendance or other work | No limit | 3 CPD points |
| Attending lectures as part of post-graduate studies | 0.5 CPD points per 30 minutes attendance at lecture | No limit | 5 CPD points |
| Writing assignments or a thesis as part of post-graduate studies | 0.5 points per 500 words | No limit | 5 CPD points |
+ Pro rata CPD point accrual
| MONTH | REQUIRED CPD POINTS |
CORE COMPETENCIES |
|---|---|---|
| April | 10 | 4 |
| May | 9 | 4 |
| June | 8 | 3 |
| July | 7 | 2 |
| August | 6 | 2 |
| September | 5 | 2 |
| October | 4 | 1 |
| November | 3 | 1 |
| December | 2 | 1 |
| January | 1 | 0 |
+ Pro rata CPD point accrual by months engaged in legal practice
| MONTHS ENGAGED IN LEGAL PRACTICE (commencing 1 April) | REQUIRED CPD POINTS |
CORE COMPETENCIES |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 10 | 4 |
| 11 months | 9 | 4 |
| 10 months | 8 | 3 |
| 9 months | 7 | 2 |
| 8 months | 6 | 2 |
| 7 months | 5 | 2 |
| 6 months | 4 | 1 |
| 5 months | 3 | 1 |
| 4 months | 2 | 1 |
| 3 months | 1* | 0 |
| 2 months or less | 0 | 0 |
CONTACTS
For certificate and exemption enquiries:
Licensing Officer
Wednesday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5.00 pm
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