Do I have to do 16 hours CPD?
No! It is no longer mandatory to do 16 hours CPD.
However
In November 2016 the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) changed the regulations to move from what was a mandatory 16 hours to a a mandatory scheme that all solicitors that want to renew their practicing certificate must comply with as of 01/11/16. This mandatory scheme is called the continuing competence scheme. Under the new scheme solicitors are required to follow 4-step process pre-defined by the SRA as:
Step 1. Reflect on their learning needs
Step 2. Create an action plan to tackle their learning needs
Step 3. Carry out the actions in the action plan
Step 4. Evaluate the outcome of their learning
Step 5. Repeat on a regular basis the SRA recommend 3, 6, 12 months within the CPD year. The CPD year is 01/11 to 31/10.
The learning needs that must be assessed by a solicitor fall under 4 categories - described by the SRA as the 4 principles of the continuing competence scheme. These 4 principles are:
Ethics, Professionalism & Judgement
Managing Yourself and Your Work
Working with Others
Technical Legal Knowledge (legal knowledge)
At the end of the CPD year 31/10/18 all solicitors will renew their practising certificate, the certificate they need to be a solicitor in the UK. This process can be done by themselves or by the practice manager of their firm on their behalf. Either way the during this process they are asked to sign what the SRA have called an Annual declaration. This declaration simply states that they are compliant with the new scheme and give them a description box of how they have become complaint.
However
In November 2016 the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) changed the regulations to move from what was a mandatory 16 hours to a a mandatory scheme that all solicitors that want to renew their practicing certificate must comply with as of 01/11/16. This mandatory scheme is called the continuing competence scheme. Under the new scheme solicitors are required to follow 4-step process pre-defined by the SRA as:
Step 1. Reflect on their learning needs
Step 2. Create an action plan to tackle their learning needs
Step 3. Carry out the actions in the action plan
Step 4. Evaluate the outcome of their learning
Step 5. Repeat on a regular basis the SRA recommend 3, 6, 12 months within the CPD year. The CPD year is 01/11 to 31/10.
The learning needs that must be assessed by a solicitor fall under 4 categories - described by the SRA as the 4 principles of the continuing competence scheme. These 4 principles are:
Ethics, Professionalism & Judgement
Managing Yourself and Your Work
Working with Others
Technical Legal Knowledge (legal knowledge)
At the end of the CPD year 31/10/18 all solicitors will renew their practising certificate, the certificate they need to be a solicitor in the UK. This process can be done by themselves or by the practice manager of their firm on their behalf. Either way the during this process they are asked to sign what the SRA have called an Annual declaration. This declaration simply states that they are compliant with the new scheme and give them a description box of how they have become complaint.
Updated on: 30/09/2020
Thank you!