Continuing professional development (CPD) is a mandatory requirement for all barristers. Barrister CPD ensures that barristers maintain the skills and knowledge needed to practice law effectively.
With so many CPD courses available, it can be difficult to know which ones to choose. In this article, we will give you some tips on how to select the right CPD courses for you.
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Understand the Objectives Of CPD:
CPD can have many different purposes. To ensure that your CPD courses are relevant to your needs, it is important to understand what you hope to achieve from them. This will help you choose the right course provider and determine which courses to book.
Some barristers may want to improve their skills or knowledge in a particular area of law, while others may wish to gain additional qualifications or certifications. Some barristers may be looking for a way to develop their networking skills, while others may simply want to make sure they stay up-to-date with recent developments in the legal world.
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Check Your CPD Requirements:
All barristers must complete at least 50 hours of CPD every year. The amount of time spent depends on how long you have been practicing as a barrister.
If you are relatively new to the profession, a 50-hour course may be sufficient but if you have been practicing for several years then 100+ hours may be required depending on your specialization or area of law practice.
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Choose a Course Provider that Is Right for You:
There are many different providers of online CPD courses. Some have years of experience in providing this type of CPD training; others have less experience or are new to the market. You should take time to investigate these providers before enrolling in any courses with them. If you have heard about them from colleagues or friends, ask them about their experiences with the provider first, as this will give you an idea of whether they are worth using or not.
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Set Your Goals for The Year:
It is important that you set goals for yourself before choosing a Barrister CPD course. You should list all of the areas of law that interest you and then rank them according to how important they are to you and your career development. This will help when choosing a course provider as they will usually offer different types of courses depending on their specialty area (e.g., commercial law). It can also help when selecting a venue since some providers prefer smaller groups and others larger ones.