Continuing Professional Development

In order to maintain and enhance the quality of legal services that they offer, barristers need to update and develop specialist areas of knowledge and improve their skills. Furthermore, in the face of increasing competition in the market for legal services, barristers must have sufficient flexibility to adapt to the changing demands of clients, the profession and their own careers.

The Bar Standards Board is committed to ensuring that the profession continues to offer legal services of the very highest quality, therefore all practising barristers are required to complete continuing professional development (CPD). Whilst attending courses alone will not guarantee that appropriate standards are maintained, the Bar Standards Board considers that mandatory compliance with a planned programme of CPD is essential if barristers are to maintain and improve their skills.

In the first three years’ of practice, newly qualified practitioners are required to complete 45 hours of CPD, including at least 9 hours of Advocacy Training and 3 hours of Ethics (the “New Practitioners’ Programme”). After the first three years of practice, barristers are required to undertake 12 hours of CPD each year (the “Established Practitioners’ Programme”).

Details of accredited courses can be found under the heading Courses Database.

There is the facility to download a list of accredited course providers and apply to become an accredited course provider.

Practitioners are able to download a CPD Information Pack, Record Cards, Accounting Booking Form and Waiver and Extension Application Forms, from the file downloads page.

Please contact:

Dawn Elvy, Training Compliance Officer, who can assist with queries relating to individuals CPD requirements.

Liz Prats, Continuing Education Officer, who can assist with queries relating to courses and accreditation.