Continuing professional development is the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of relevant knowledge and skills to enable a professional to successfully carry out his professional duties and responsibilities throughout his career.

Whilst the Continuing Professional Development Scheme (CPD Scheme) may be seen by some as a burdensome requirement, our profession is self regulatory and the Council is obliged to ensure the establishment and promotion of high standards of work within the profession. This includes the encouragement of the continued study and acquisition of legal knowledge and skills by legal practitioners.

Moreover, in a changing legal environment with the profession subject to many external pressures, CPD provides a convenient framework for the profession to meet the changing demands of clients and society to continuously update knowledge and skills, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the profession and to enable some practitioners to redefine their careers by learning new professional skills and areas of practice.

The CPD Scheme has been designed to be as flexible as possible so that the relevant number of CPD points may be acquired in a time conscious and cost effective manner. The Law Society has taken into consideration the need for busy practitioners to have a variety of means by which they can comply with CPD requirements by permitting and encouraging methods of learning other than simply attendance at traditional lecture-based courses.

In addition to attending face to face courses, there are a lot of other activities which are accredited CPD activities. They include conducting legal research, writing articles in approved journals, attending online or long distance learning courses, preparing and presenting accredited courses, participating in the work of approved committees that deal with issues of substantial significance in the practice of law, assisting in the work related to approved areas in legal education, and participating in structured one-on-one coaching activities in a law firm.

The lists of approved journals, distance learning courses and committees is included in the CPD Information Package posted on the Law Society website at www.hklawsoc.org.hk, and is regularly updated. There are currently over 100 approved journals and over 25 approved distance learning courses.

Applications for accreditation of CPD activities are considered by the Law Society’s CPD Accreditation Sub-Committee in accordance with the accreditation criteria that the activities under consideration should:

‧ be relevant to the immediate or long term needs of trainee solicitors and/or solicitors;
‧ be of significant intellectual or practical content; and
‧ deal with matters or skills related to the practice of law.

If members are interested in undertaking certain activities which are not already included in the lists and which they consider suitable for accreditation based on the criteria, they are welcome to make an application to the CPD Accreditation Sub-Committee.

From the launch of the Continuing Legal Education Scheme in 1991, the expansion into the Continuing Professional Development Scheme in 1998 until the present, the profession has built up a tradition of professional development training over more than 16 years. Throughout this period, the CPD framework has constantly evolved and the CPD Scheme is regularly reviewed and updated to meet the changing training needs of the profession and demands of society on legal services.