Legal CPD Training
Copyright (c) 2010 Sue Richardson
Continuing Professional Development, or Continuous Personal Development (CPD), is both essential and mandatory. Every legal professional is required to undertake a certain amount of CPD points each year to continue their practice. The exact amount varies depending on the number of hours worked each week, with those working 32 hours or more a week being required to complete at least 16 hours of CPD per year. At least a quarter of these CPD points must come from undertaking officially accredited legal training courses.
Furthermore, failure to comply with these minimum requirements can result in disciplinary procedures and suspension.
Continuing Professional Development- why it shouldn't be a chore. Although you are legally required to satisfy these minimum CPD requirements each year, that doesn't mean that they should be undertaken simply because there is no other choice. Each individual is responsible for managing his or her own Continuous Personal Development, and this provides a fantastic opportunity for taking control of your career and steering it in the direction you want it to go. Whether you want to just broaden an existing skill-set or branch into a new area, CPD gives you the opportunity to choose which career path you go down.
Extra training courses enable you to broaden your range of skills, and this can only make your services more attractive to both prospective employers and clients. It can also help you to carve out a niche for yourself in the legal world which will help you to secure your future.
By undertaking a series of courses in personal injury training for example you can begin to focus your work on a particularly lucrative and personally rewarding sector. Each year in the UK, hundreds of thousands of people are injured in accidents that were not their fault, in road traffic accidents, work accidents and trips and falls in public places. By expanding your knowledge and training to cover personal injury law and related issues you can become better able to handle such claims successfully, which is good for both your business and your clients.
CPD and your career prospects. If you're a newly qualified legal professional it can often be hard to stand out from a crowded and evermore competitive job market. The more extra training you have on top of your basic legal training, the higher your chances of landing a good job with a respected law firm. In the event of the prospective employer facing a difficult decision between yourself and a similar candidate, any extra training you have completed will enhance your chances of beating the competition.
If you're a self-employed solicitor or lawyer, extra training will enable you to better act in your clients' interests and is documented evidence of your knowledge and expertise. It will also open up new possibilities for your practice and empower you to tackle a greater range of legal issues with confidence.
Accredited training- the road to a better future. While there is a minimum requirement on how much Continuing Professional Development you can undertake, there is no upper limit and so you are free to pursue as many extra legal training courses as you like. It is also possible to complete all of your annual mandatory CPD points through accredited training courses alone, allowing you to draw on the experience of others, share new ideas and bring your practice up to date with all the latest legal developments.
About the Author
For more information and a training newsletter with course details, visit MASS Training for all of your Legal Training needs http://www.masstraining.org.uk
MASS Training provide cost effective, practical and interactive Personal Injury Courses http://www.masstraining.org.uk/personal-injury-training-courses.html
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