In each calendar year, lawyers who are practising law must complete at least 12 CPD Hours in Eligible Educational Activities consisting of a minimum of 3 Professionalism Hours on topics related to professionalism concepts and principles and up to 9 Substantive Hours per year. Substantive Hours may address substantive or procedural law topics and/or related skills. Non-legal subjects may also be eligible for Substantive Hours if they are relevant to the lawyer’s practice.
Effective January 1, 2018, lawyers and paralegals subject to the CPD Requirement must complete the CPD Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Requirement. Lawyers and paralegals must complete a total of 3 Professionalism Hours that focus on advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in the lawyer and paralegal professions between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020. Each year thereafter, lawyers and paralegals must complete 1 Professionalism Hour that addresses issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. These hours count towards the 3 Professionalism Hours required each year.
Lawyers and paralegals should visit the CPD Requirement webpage to determine if they are required to fulfill the above CPD Requirements.
Eligible Educational Activities include the following:
- participating in person, online, or by telephone at live CPD programs and courses that provide an opportunity to interact with colleagues and/or instructors
- viewing or listening to recorded or archived CPD programs or courses with at least one colleague
- viewing or listening to archived or recorded CPD or courses without a colleague or participation in asynchronous, online CPD that prompt responses throughout the learning process, such as requiring participants to respond to questions before they can move to the next module or section (maximum 6 hours per year)
- participating as a registrant in a college, university, or other designated educational institution program
- teaching (maximum of 6 hours per year)
- acting as a judge or coach in a mooting competition
- acting as an articling principal, mentoring or being mentored, providing coach or advisor support, participating in a coach or advisor program, or supervising a Law Practice Program (LPP) work placement or paralegal field placement (maximum 6 hours per year)
- writing and editing law-related books and articles (maximum of 6 hours per year)
- participating in study group sessions of two or more colleagues
- attending educational components of bar and law association meetings
Lawyers must complete their CPD Hours each year by December 31 and report using the online Law Society Portal by March 31 of the following year. Lawyers and paralegals are required to keep written confirmation of registration at CPD programs as proof of attendance. Program materials such as agendas, papers, attendee lists and discussion notes should be retained on file until the end of the year following the year in which the CPD program or activity was completed.
Lawyers should review By-Law 6.1 and the Law Society’s website for more detailed information about the CPD Requirement.