2023 CPD Requirements

On 25 April 2023, the Education Committee of the Law Society published an update on the CPD regime for 2023: –

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 3 hours of management and professional development skills and a minimum of 2 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 5 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 was 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.

2023 CPD Requirements

As of today 8/3/2023 the Law Society advise the following:

New CPD regulations were adopted by the Law Society Council in late 2022 and are in the process of being implemented.

Key provisions

Following a comprehensive review of Continuing Professional Development, at its November 2022 meeting, the Council of the Law Society of Ireland approved a new CPD regime for 2023.

The adjustments must also be approved by the Department of Justice, and the Society has been interacting with the Department in that respect for the past few months. Presupposing the new CPD regime for 2023 is approved, the following are the key provisions:

  • Solicitors must complete 25 hours of CPD;
  • Up to 80% (twenty hours) may be undertaken online;
  • At least 20% (five hours) must be undertaken in-person;
  • At least 3 hours shall be in the category of Client Care and Professional Standards;
  • At least 5 hours shall be in the category of Professional Development and Solicitor Wellbeing;
  • Senior practitioners must complete a minimum of eight hours, being the eight designated minimum hours in the categories of Client Care and Professional Standards /Professional Development and Solicitor Wellbeing.

When the process with the Department is concluded a further update will issue. In the interim, those who wish to attend to their CPD early in the year should consider proceeding on the basis of the anticipated CPD regime for 2023.As