CPD Requirements and Rules
CPD Rules
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Requirements for Victorian (and NSW) Solicitors
If you are a solicitor in New South Wales or Victoria, your legal CPD Requirements and your CPD Rules are prescribed under the Legal Profession Uniform Law 2015. This Act sets out rules regarding many aspects of the legal profession, such as how many CPD points in Victoria and New South Wales are needed each year (referred to as ‘CPD units’).
Whilst Leo Cussen Centre for Law offers CPD programs for lawyers, we cannot assume responsibility for solicitors’ CPD obligations. We have prepared a simple summary of the CPD Requirements in Victoria and NSW below, but we encourage all solicitors to read the CPD Rules in their entirety to determine the CPD requirements for Victoria or your home state which apply to you.
If you require further explanation of the CPD requirements & Rules, you should contact the Victorian Legal Services Board.
CPD Requirements
Continuing Professional Development requirements for solicitors in Victoria and New South Wales are prescribed in the Legal Profession Uniform Continuing Professional Development (Solicitors) Rules 2015 (CPD Rules 2015).
Solicitors, unless exempted, must complete at least 10 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units during a CPD year (1 April – 31 March). As a lawyer, requirements for CPD must be met in order to maintain a practicing certificate.
Applicable CPD legal units are identified at purchase for all Leo Cussen programs and products.
In each CPD year, solicitors must also complete at least one (1) CPD law unit in the following four fields:
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility
- Professional Skills
- Substantive Law
- Practice Management and Business Skills
CPD Activities for Practitioners
Our practice management CPD and professional skills CPD courses are two of the most popular CPD law courses we offer, with CPD in professional skills being an effective way to master difficult areas of legal practice.
For Leo Cussen programs and audio/visual material, a CPD unit typically equals one hour. Therefore, to meet the annual requirements for legal CPD in Victoria and New South Wales, this would likely require around 10 CPD hours. However, please refer to the following table and to the CPD Rules. The table is only indicative of CPD hours and solicitors should refer to the CPD Rules for complete explanation of CPD Requirements and CPD Hours.
| CPD Activity Format | 1 CPD unit equals | Maximum units claimable within CPD year |
|---|---|---|
|
CPD Activity Format Seminars, Workshops, Conferences, Intensives |
1 CPD unit equals 1 hour |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 10 (but an additional 3 can be carried over into the next CPD year) |
|
CPD Activity Format Private study of relevant audio/visual material (private study in itself is not claimable) |
1 CPD unit equals 1 hour |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 5 units only |
|
CPD Activity Format Presentation/preparation of CPD activities |
1 CPD unit equals 1 hour |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 5 units only |
|
CPD Activity Format Research, preparation or editing of legal article |
1 CPD unit equals 1000 words |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 5 units only |
|
CPD Activity Format Membership of law committee, taskforce or practice section |
1 CPD unit equals 2 hours |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 3 units only |
|
CPD Activity Format Legal practice postgraduate study (not applicable to pre-admission study such as Practical Legal Training or Supervised Legal Training) |
1 CPD unit equals 1 hour |
Maximum units claimable within CPD year 10 |
Record-keeping, Evidence and Verification
It is a requirement for a solicitor to maintain records and evidence of their own legal CPD courses and activities for three years. Verification of records and evidence is the responsibility of the solicitor. Refer to the CPD Rules for further explanation.
Further Information
CPD training for lawyers is a requirement. If you would like to discuss ways in which Leo Cussen Centre for Law can assist you with your New South Wales or Victorian Legal CPD requirements or if you’d like more information regarding our CPD courses for lawyers, please contact our Continuing Professional Development Department by email: enquiries@leocussen.edu.au or phone: (03) 9602 3111.
