CPD Points Requirements for Victorian Lawyers
Victoria Solicitors
Victorian solicitors can earn 1 CPD point per hour and all 10 CPD points each year by completing LawCPD’s online CPD courses.
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CPD Rules for Victorian Solicitors
The Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) mandatory CPD scheme is set out in full in the Legal Profession Continuing Professional Development (Solicitors) Rules 2015 (LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules). Failure to comply with the requirements of the legal CPD scheme may amount to unsatisfactory professional conduct and/or professional misconduct under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
Recognised CPD Activities
Under the LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules, a legal CPD activity must be an activity:
- of significant intellectual or practical content and must deal primarily with matters related to the solicitor's practice of law;
- conducted by persons who are qualified by practical or academic experience in the subject covered; and
- that extends the solicitor’s knowledge and skills in the areas that are relevant to the solicitor’s practice needs or professional development.
A legal CPD activity must consist of one of the activities set out in Rule 8.1 to comply with the LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules.
LawCPD’s online legal CPD courses are classified as an interactive web-based program under Rule 8.1. This means that Victorian solicitors can earn 1 legal CPD unit per hour and all 10 legal CPD units annually by completing LawCPD’s online legal CPD courses.
Annual CPD Requirements
According to the LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules, solicitors must earn a minimum of 10 legal CPD units every CPD year (1 April – 31 March annually).
LawCPD has allocated fields (or competency areas) to all of the online CPD courses on the LawCPD site to assist solicitors with the task of identifying which online CPD courses fall within the different compulsory fields.
Victorian solicitors must earn a minimum of 1 legal CPD unit in each of the following four compulsory fields:
Record Keeping and Auditing
What records should I keep?
Under the LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules, solicitors must maintain a record of their legal CPD activities. Solicitors must also retain some supporting documentation to support their legal CPD record for at least 3 years.
Solicitors will be required to certify whether they have met their obligations under the legal CPD Rules when they renew their practising certificates.
For full details of the LIV CPD Solicitors' Rules and the CPD requirements for Victorian practitioners, visit the Law Institute of Victoria’s website.
Will I get audited?
The Law Institute of Victoria conducts annual random audits of solicitors’ CPD records to monitor compliance with the legal CPD Rules. If a solicitor is selected for audit, they will need to provide supporting documentation to the Law Institute of Victoria to verify that they have complied with the legal CPD scheme.
How does LawCPD help me with my compliance?
LawCPD provides solicitors with a personalised page (MyCPD) which tracks all their learning in real time and provides a record of all legal CPD units earned through LawCPD. Solicitors can print a copy of this page and provide it to the Law Institute of Victoria in the event that they are audited for compliance with the legal CPD scheme.
LawCPD also provides printable certificates for each online CPD course completed which can be downloaded from the MyCPD page. These certificates may also be provided to prove compliance with the legal CPD scheme if the solicitor is audited by the Law Institute of Victoria.
Victorian Barristers
Victorian barristers can earn 1 CPD point per hour and all 10 CPD point each year by completing LawCPD’s online CPD courses.
CPD Rules for Victorian Barristers
Victorian barristers are required to complete at least 10 legal CPD points annually under the Legal Profession Uniform Continuing Professional Development (Barristers) Rules 2015 (Victorian Barristers' CPD Rules).
Recognised CPD Activities
Under the Victorian Barristers' CPD Rules, a legal CPD activity must be:
- of significant intellectual or practical content dealing primarily with matters related to the practice of law as a barrister;
- conducted by persons who are qualified by practical or academic experience in the subject covered; and
- relevant to a practitioner’s immediate or long term needs in relation to the practitioner’s professional development as a barrister and practice of the law.
Barristers earn 1 legal CPD point for each hour of engagement in a CPD activity. The Victorian Bar Association accredits LawCPD’s online CPD seminars on a post-course completion basis. This means that barristers will need to contact the Victorian Bar Association directly to obtain accreditation for this CPD activity.
Annual CPD Requirements
According to the Victorian Barristers' CPD Rules, barristers must earn a minimum of 10 legal CPD points every CPD year (1 April – 31 March annually).
LawCPD has allocated fields (or competency areas) to each online CPD seminar on the LawCPD site to assist barristers with the task of identifying which online CPD seminars fall within the different mandatory fields.
Victorian barristers must earn a minimum of 1 legal CPD point in each of the following four mandatory fields:
Record Keeping and Auditing
What records should I keep?
Under the Victorian Barristers' CPD Rules, barristers must maintain a written record of their legal CPD activities. LawCPD provides barristers with a personalised page (MyCPD) which tracks all their learning in real time and provides a record of all legal CPD points earned through LawCPD. Barristers can print a copy of this page and provide it to the Victorian Bar Association in the event that they are audited for compliance with the legal CPD scheme.
For full details of the Victorian Barristers' CPD Rules and the legal CPD requirements for Victorian barristers, visit the Victorian Bar Association website.
How does LawCPD help me with my compliance?
LawCPD also provides printable certificates for each online CPD seminar completed which can be downloaded from the MyCPD page. These certificates may also be provided to prove compliance with the legal CPD scheme if the barrister is audited by the Victorian Bar Association.