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NSW Law Society urges action on CPD compliance
As the 31 March deadline looms, the Law Society of NSW is encouraging lawyers to meet their CPD requirements.
Reporter
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly as part of the CPD focus fortnight, Law Society of NSW president Richard Harvey said there tends to be a mixed bag when it comes to the lawyers who like to get ahead of their CPD requirements versus those who leave it to the last minute.
“It’s fair to say that the March rush for CPD is well established – we’re certainly in the middle of it right now.”
For those yet to obtain their points, Mr Harvey said: “A lot of our sessions are selling out, so I’d encourage people to register now!”
Alternatively, registers can jump online and choose from the CPD library available on the LawInform web address.
"The Law Society of NSW is aware that COVID-19 has affected some solicitors’ ability to satisfy their continuing professional development (CPD) obligations for the CPD year ending 31 March 2020. This may be due to cancellation of face-to-face CPD delivery or concern about attending CPD events," the Law Society said in a statement.
"In these special circumstances, the Law Society understands that solicitors may need to complete more than 5 of their CPD units through private study of audio/visual material. This means that for the 2019-20 CPD year only, the Law Society will not be enforcing the 5-unit cap on private study of audio/visual material as set out in the Legal Profession Uniform Continuing Professional Development (Solicitors) Rules 2015."
Mr Harvey also spoke to Lawyers Weekly about how upskilling is essential for lawyers moving forward.
“I think a lot of lawyers appreciate the benefits of hands-on learning and want to use CPD to build their expertise on a specific topic or skill,” he mused.
“As a result, we have developed a number of practical and engaging masterclasses for our program, such as ‘Whistleblower protection laws in practice’, ‘Advocating at NCAT’ and ‘Migration law practice and procedure’, which provide lawyers with the opportunity to workshop ideas and build specific skills and knowledge.”
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