The Law Society does not accredit CPD providers. It is the responsibility of the individual solicitor to judge the quality and relevance of each CPD event they attend.

As a CPD provider you play a crucial role in solicitor continuing professional development. You should focus on delivering activities relevant to the practice of solicitors – such as law, professional development and wellbeing, or client care and professional standards – and ensure these offerings helps solicitors develop professional knowledge, skills and compliance awareness.

CPD may be completed within or outside of Ireland, provided the content is relevant to the solicitor’s professional needs and meets the CPD Schemes criteria.

CPD Categories and delivery methods

CPD can be completed in person (group study) or online (e-learning) and falls within one of three categories:

General CPD

General CPD is education/ training which is designed to improve the solicitor’s professional knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to their practice other than client care and professional standards, or professional development and solicitor wellbeing.

Professional Development and Solicitor Wellbeing

Professional development and solicitor wellbeing is education or training that may include (inter alia):

• Financial and business management
• Practice management
• Self-management and solicitor wellbeing
• Irish or English language enhancement as it relates to the practice of law
• Foreign language enhancement as it relates to the practice of law

Client Care and Professional Standards (Including Accounting and Anti-Money Laundering)

Client care and professional standards is education or training that may include (inter alia):

• Client care
• Professional standards for solicitors
• Accounting and anti-money laundering
• Risk management
• Data Protection

When delivering CPD courses, providers should consider the following:

• Group study requires a minimum of three participants, physical attendance, and the session must be for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• eLearning must fit the definitions of the scheme i.e. delivered via electronic means such as live or recorded content, web-based modules etc; and must be for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Excluding breaks and registration times.

The following does not count as CPD:

• Private study
• One-to-one training
• Examinations (or examination preparation)
• Marking papers
• Networking
• AGM’s

Suitable verification of CPD

Solicitors will require written verification/ proof of attendance in the form of a letter or certificate on your letterhead which contains the following details:

• The participants name (pre-printed)
• The providers signature
• The topic of the training
• The date and time of the training
• The duration of the training
• The CPD hours completed and what CPD category they fall into
• The manner of completion i.e. whether the CPD was delivered in-person (group study) or online (e-learning)

Best practice for providers

• It is essential that the solicitors full name is typed (pre-printed) on the CPD proof i.e. letter/ certificate of attendance.
• Structure CPD sessions to clearly meet one of the prescribed categories.
• If the session covers more than one category of CPD it should be noted on the proof together with the breakdown of time allotted to each category.
• Ensure certificates and records are compliant with Law Society standards.
• Be aware of the law’s restrictions and what doesn’t qualify as CPD for solicitors under the current scheme.
• Keep current with CPD Scheme updates and FAQ’s provided by the Law Society to avoid pitfalls or non-compliance.

CPD Scheme Booklet

For more information, please refer to the CPD Scheme Booklet  2024-2025

CPD Proof Template

For an example of the CPD proof required, please refer to the CPD proof template.