Australian Capital Territory CPD rules

As of 01 April, 2015 and updated on 7 February 2017, all practitioners who hold a current practising certificate must, during each CPD year (01 April to 31 March), complete 10 units of continuing professional development (CPD) by completing a course which satisfies the following requirements:

• The course must be relevant to a practitioner’s immediate or long term needs in relation to the practitioner’s professional development and to the practice of law
• In the first period of operation of CPD, from 01 July, 2010 to 31 March, 2011, the minimum number of units should be seven (7). All other years the course must have an aggregate value of ten (10) CPD units
• The course must include at least one (1) CPD unit in each of the core areas:
  • Core Area 1 - Legal ethics and professional responsibility
  • Core Area 2 - Practice management and business skills
  • Core Area 3 - Professional skills
  • Core Area 4 - Substantive law and procedural law
• A practitioner’s engagement in a course of continuing professional development which satisfies the requirements, will entitle the practitioner to one (1) CPD unit for each hour of participation in the course
• ACT practitioners may claim 1 CPD unit per hour for recorded online video or audio material, and this is unlimited
  Attending a live web seminar, live online, entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of units as attending the seminar in person

For full details of ACT Rules please visit the ACT Law Society.

New South Wales CPD rules

The Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW) commenced on 1 July 2015 and replaced the current Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) regulatory regime.

• Each CPD year, a practitioner must, unless exempted in whole or in part, complete at least 10 CPD units.
• The CPD rules state that solicitors who are required to undertake CPD, must complete as part of their CPD obligations at least one (1) CPD unit in each of the core area below every year:
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility
  • Practice Management and Business Skills
  • Professional Skills
  • Substantive law
• NSW practitioners, may claim 1 CPD unit per hour of private study, including seminar audio and video recordings, to a maximum of 5 units in any CPD year
• Attending a live online web seminar entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.

For full details on the New South Wales requirements please visit the Law Society of New South Wales.

Queensland CPD rules

• Each CPD year, a practitioner must, unless exempted in whole or in part, complete at least 10 CPD units
• Each CPD year, a practitioner must complete as part of his or her CPD obligations at least 1 CPD unit in each of the following core areas:
  • Practical Legal Ethics
  • Practice Management and Business Skills
  • Professional Skills
• QLD practitioners, may claim 1 unit per hour of listening to on-demand audio/ taped resources such as our seminar video and audio recordings, entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.
• Attending a live online web seminar entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.

For full details on the Queensland CPD rules please visit the Queensland Law Society.

South Australia CPD rules

• It is a requirement that an individual legal practitioner must complete 10 CPD units of CPD activity in each year beginning on 1 April to the following 31 March.
• A CPD activity
  • Must be of significant intellectual or practical content primarily related to the practice of law; and
  • Be relevant to the immediate or long-term professional development needs of the legal practitioner undertaking it; and
• The 10 CPD units must include at least 1 unit each of the following Required CPD activity relating to:
  • Practical legal ethics
  • Practice management of business skills
  • Professional skills
• One hour of attendance at a seminar workshop lecture, conference, educational program or course or discussion group will attract 1 CPD unit.
• One hour of viewing or listening to, or preparing material for seminar audio and video recorded material will attract 1 CPD unit. In calculating the minimum of 10 CPD units of CPD activity in respect of a CPD year, the total units must not include more than 5 CPD units of this type of CPD activity.
• CPD units completed in January, February or March of a CPD year, may be assigned to either that CPD year or to the next CPD year.
• An individual legal practitioner must maintain and retain for 3 years a written record of CPD activities undertaken, material indicating the nature of each CPD activity undertaken and a record that the practitioner undertook each activity.
• Attending a live web seminar entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.

For full details on the South Australian CPD rules please visit The Law Society of South Australia.

Victoria CPD rules

As of 1 July 2015 the Legal Profession Uniform Law legislation will commence. This will regulate the legal profession across the two jurisdictions, governing matters such as practising certificate types and conditions, maintaining and auditing of trust accounts, continuing professional development requirements, complaints handling processes, billing arrangements and professional discipline issues.

• Each CPD year, a practitioner must, unless exempted in whole or in part, complete at least 10 CPD units.
• The CPD rules state that solicitors who are required to undertake CPD, must complete as part of their CPD obligations at least one (1) CPD unit in each of the core area below every year:
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility
  • Professional Skills
  • Substantive law
  • Practice Management and Business Skills
• VIC practitioners, may claim 1 CPD unit per hour of private study, including seminar audio and video recordings, to a maximum of 5 units in any CPD year
• Attending a live online web seminar entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.

For full details on the Victorian CPD rules please visit the Law Institute of Victoria.

Western Australia CPD rules

• Each certificated practitioner and each government lawyer must earn a minimum of 10 CPD points in each CPD period, across the four competency areas:
  • Competency Area 1: Practice Management
  • Competency Area 2: Professional Skills
  • Competency Area 3: Ethics or Professional Responsibility
  • Competency Area 4: Substantive Law
• The minimum number of points a practitioner is required to ear each year for interactive activities is 6 points.
• WA practitioners may claim 1 CPD point for each complete 60 minutes of electronic activity, including seminar audio and video recordings, up to a maximum of 4 points per CPD year.
• Attending a live online web seminar entitles a practitioner to claim the same number of points as attending the seminar in person.
• The maximum number of points that a practitioner may earn for attending a conference, course or other event comprising one or more interactive CPD activities is 6 points.
• Interactive and publishing point requirements - The minimum number of points a practitioner is required to earn each year for interactive activities is 6 points and for publishing activities is 5 points.

A practitioner who has attended an event which has not been approved by the Board may wish to apply as an individual practitioner to have this activity considered for approval towards the accumulation of CPD points.

Click here to view CPD Form 3 Application for Approval of a CPD Activity by Practitioner.

For full details of the Western Australian CPD requirements please visit the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.

Northern Territory CPD rules

As of 1 October 2012, 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.

Under the Law Society of the NT legal CPD scheme, a legal CPD activity must:

• be of significant intellectual or practical content
• deal primarily with matters related to the practice of law
• be relevant to the practitioner’s immediate or long term professional development needs

The 10 points must include at least 1 point in the core competency areas;

• Professional ethics and responsibility (including, for example, conflicts of interest and lawyers duties to court); and
• Practice management and business skills (including, for example, risk management and business planning); and
• Professional skills in legal practice (including, for example, plain English drafting and communication and interpersonal skills).

NT practitioners can earn legal CPD points for participating in legal CPD activities relevant to the practitioners’ current and future needs to engage in legal practice.

• For attending a seminar or multimedia or website based program (including our live online web seminars), 0.5 CPD point accrues for each 30 minutes of attendance.
• For private study involving the use of audio or video material (including our audio and video seminar recordings), 0.5 CPD point accrues for each 30 minutes of study. However, no more than 5 CPD points may be claimed for private study in a CPD year.
• A legal practitioner, who accrues CPD points for participating in a CPD activity within 3 months before the start of a CPD year, or within 3 months after the end of that CPD year, may claim the points for that CPD year. However, the legal practitioner may claim CPD points accrued for the activity for only 1 CPD year.

For Full details of the Northern Territory CPD requirements please visit the Law Society of Northern Territory.

Tasmania CPD rules

The Law Society of Tasmania introduced a mandatory continuing legal education scheme for Tasmanian practitioners which commenced on 1 April 2012.

According to the Law Society of Tasmania legal CPD scheme, practitioners must earn 10 CPD units in a CPD year (1 April - 31 March annually).

Practitioners must earn a minimum of 1 legal CPD unit from each of the following four mandatory competency areas:

• Practical Legal Ethics
• Practice Management and Business Skills
• Professional Skills
• Substantive Law

CPD Activities

Under the Law Society of Tasmania’s Continuing Professional Development Scheme (Practice Guideline No. 4), a legal CPD activity is defined in clause 2.4 and includes:

• attendance at, or preparing or presenting material for, a seminar, workshop, lecture, conference, educational program or course or discussion group; or
• completing a non-award course at a tertiary institution relevant to law or legal practice (up to a maximum of 5 units); or
• viewing or listening to, or preparing material for, a multi-media or web-based program or recorded material, including our seminar audio and video recordings (up to a maximum of 5 units); or
• publishing, or substantively editing or refereeing, an article in a legal or non-legal publication (up to a maximum of 3 units); or
• regular attendance at meetings, and participation as a member, of a committee or other body undertaking work of substantial significance to the practice of the law and which is reasonably likely to assist the attendee’s professional development.
• 6 CPD points of CPD activity completed on any one day

For Full details of the Tasmanian CPD requirements please visit the Law Society of Tasmania.