It's a common perception that only law society approved CPD courses fulfil annual professional development requirements. However, this isn't an exhaustive interpretation of the criteria for valid Continuing Professional Development.
In practice, a broader spectrum of activities can satisfy your CPD obligations, provided they align with the core developmental objectives set forth. The emphasis is often on the substantive nature and relevance of the activity to your professional growth and legal practice, rather than solely on a specific accreditation stamp.
With that said, law society-approved CPD courses tend to offer superior value.
Understanding What Counts
All Australian jurisdictions require legal professionals to complete 10 CPD units per year. Some of these are elective, while others have to cover mandatory key competency areas such as ethics, professional skills, substantive law and practice management, with some variations depending on the territory.
In most cases, CPD is self-assessed. This means that legal professionals can claim CPD points for numerous activities, from attending or presenting live seminars and online webinars to writing articles or serving on committees.
If a provider doesn’t claim law society accreditation, their course can still earn CPD units, so long as it delivers the necessary intellectual content, is relevant to the legal profession and is delivered by suitably qualified presenters.
Why Law Society Certified Courses Stand Out
Although any qualifying activity can earn you those precious CPD points, those CPD courses that are law society-approved often deliver superior value in the following ways:
- They Offer Built-In Trust and Quality
Approved courses are recognised by law society regulators and typically align directly with the required core competencies, which simplifies your CPD claim.
- They Have Audit-Ready Records
If your CPD logs get audited, accredited providers usually supply clear attendance certificates or e-logs that can save you time and hassle.
- They Benefit From Seamless Alignment
Approved CPD content is pre-vetted to ensure it meets territory rules. This reduces guesswork and provides certainty that it covers mandatory learning areas.
In short, if you attend a webinar that hasn’t strictly been accredited by your law society, you still claim points as long as it’s relevant and delivered by credible specialists. However, you’ll need to keep your own evidence in order to make a valid claim.
On the other hand, a law society-approved seminar, like those offered by Legalwise Seminars, comes complete with a certificate that notes the categories covered by the course, along with clear guidance on how many CPD points you can claim.
This reduces your administrative burden, which is particularly helpful when you’re short on time.
Check out our upcoming and on-demand recordings to see our range of law society-approved CPD courses that can streamline your compliance and confidence in every CPD year.
