The SLA has received notice from the Law Society of Ireland as follows;
“In November 2022, the Council of the Law Society of Ireland approved a new CPD regime for 2023. New CPD regulations were prepared and submitted to the Department of Justice for approval. These remain extant.
While the Law Society expected to have the new regulations approved by now, this has regrettably not yet occurred. The Education Committee, on behalf of the Society, is aware that practitioners need and deserve certainty for 2023. Therefore, pending approval from the Department of Justice of the proposed CPD regulations, the Education Committee has directed that: –
- 2023 shall proceed on the basis of the Solicitors (Continuing Professional Development) Regulations 2017 (minimum of 20 hours CPD comprising a minimum of three hours of management and professional development skills and a minimum of two hours of regulatory matters (if a practitioner fulfils the role of sole practitioner, compliance partner and/or anti-money laundering compliance partner however, the regulatory matters requirement is 3 hours, to include 2 hours accounting and anti-money laundering compliance));
- A minimum of five hours must be undertaken in-person, with the balance permitted to be undertaken online;
- Anyone who can demonstrate to the CPD Scheme Unit that by the date of the update (25 April 2023) on which the CPD Regime for 2023 is announced, they had completed 25 hours on the basis of the expected regime for 2023, shall be permitted to carry forward five hours toward their 2024 CPD requirement; and
- All dispensations (including newly admitted, senior practitioners, maternity leave and carers leave) to continue as in preceding years. “
CPD for 2023 therefore remains at 20 hours as per the previous year and a minimum of five hours of this must be undertaken in person.
