Check that your CPD includes:

1. A minimum of 5 hours of Professional Development and Solicitor Wellbeing and
2. A minimum of 3 hours of Client Care and Professional Standards.
3. A minimum of 5 of the 25 hours must be completed by Group Study. Group study requires physical attendance at an organised session of CPD undertaken by 3 or more persons, for a period of not less than 30 minutes.
4. If you are a sole practitioner or a compliance partner and/or an anti-money laundering compliance partner, you must also complete at least 1 hour on Accounting and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance as part of your 25 hours CPD.

Modified/reduced CPD requirement

The standard CPD requirement can be modified / reduced in certain circumstances: 

• Newly admitted solicitor
• Senior practitioner
• Maternity/parental/carers/adoptive leave
• Illness/retirement/unemployment
• Part-year practice
• Part-time practice

A maximum of 80% of your annual minimum CPD requirement (modified or otherwise) may be claimed for time spent in relevant eLearning per year. 

A minimum of 20% of your annual CPD requirement (modified or otherwise) must be completed by group study. 

More information is available in the CPD Scheme booklet.

What does Group Study mean?

Group Study involves your physical attendance at a CPD session with three or more people.  The session must be organised and structured, and last at least 30 minutes.

While attending external seminars or conferences is a common way for solicitors to meet the Group Study requirement, you can also attend in-house Group Study sessions. Solicitors from different firms can also arrange Group Study sessions, such as a CPD study group where you could present on CPD topics of interest to the group.  In such circumstances, to ensure compliance and to be prepared for audit, you must have suitable proof of attendance, which is signed by you and at least two other participants from the study group and specifies:

• your name and the name of the other participants,
• that the session was completed by Group Study,
• the CPD category being claimed for the session,
• the topics covered in the session, and
• the date and duration of the session.

Further information

The CPD regulations, Scheme booklet and record card are available to download from the Regulation Answers area of the website.

If you have a query about the CPD Scheme, contact our CPD Scheme Unit at cpdscheme@lawsociety.ie.