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1 Who is required to undertake the New Practitioners' Programme (NPP) and what are the requirements? 2 When does the New Practitioners Programme three-year period begin? 3 What courses qualify for the New Practitioners Programme? 4 Who is required to undertake the Established Practitioners' Programme (EPP) and what are the requirements? 5 What qualifies for the Established Practitioners' Programme? 6 How do practitioners find out about accredited courses? 7 How are records of course attendance kept? 8 What courses are available for barristers who are on low incomes? 9 What courses are available for barristers outside London? 10 What happens if a barrister is out of practice for a time? 11 What should barristers do if they are having difficulty in complying with the requirements? 12 What happens if a barrister fails to complete the CPD requirements?
1 Who is required to undertake the New Practitioners' Programme (NPP) and what are the requirements?
All practising barristers in the first three years of practice are required to undertake the New Practitioners Programme. Within this three-year period, you are required to undertake a minimum of 45 hours of continuing professional development, including at least 9 hours advocacy training, 3 hours of ethics training and 33 CPD hours. If the Accounting Course was not completed during pupillage, this will be added to your NPP requirement.
2 When does the New Practitioners Programme three-year period begin?
The three-year period begins from the 1 January following commencement of practice (either a 3rd six, squatting, tenancy or if in employed practice from the day that you start with a firm, as long as you have a practising certificate.) However, barristers are able to accrue CPD hours from the date they commenced practice.
3 What courses qualify for the New Practitioners Programme?
Any event that you attend and wish to claim CPD hours for must be accredited by the Bar Standards Board in advance. It is up to the course provider to organise this. At the end of an event, to register attendance, you must sign the registration form that is produced by the event provider. Accredited courses are offered by Chambers, Inns, Circuits, specialist Bar Associations and by authorised external providers. Courses include lectures, seminars, workshops, residential courses, group discussions, conferences and online tutorials. Please ensure you keep a record of any CPD undertaken.
4 Who is required to undertake the Established Practitioners' Programme (EPP) and what are the requirements?
All practising barristers who have completed the first three years of practice are required to undertake the Established Practitioners Programme. You are required to complete 12 CPD hours each calendar year, at least 4 hours must have been accredited by the Bar Standards Board. If you hold a practising certificate for less than 12 months in any year, you must complete 1 CPD hour for each month or part month of practice. Established practitioners are required to complete the annual CPD requirement by the 31 December of each year, and return a record card to our offices by the 31 January of the following year.
5 What qualifies for the Established Practitioners' Programme?
All accredited activities as per the New Practitioners' Programme can be counted towards the Established Practitioners Programme. The following activities can also be claimed for: Attending or contributing to unaccredited courses directly relevant to practice as a barrister, including any compulsory training courses; Teaching law on undergraduate law, BPTC or CPE courses; Writing law books, articles or practice notes for publication (up to a maximum of 4 unaccredited CPD hours per calendar year) and other activities approved in advance by the CPD Office. Please refer to 'A General Guide to CPD' for a more detailed explanation of what can and cannot count towards the Established Practitioners Programme.
6 How do practitioners find out about accredited courses?
We maintain aCPD Courses database on our website, which lists courses which have been accredited for CPD purposes. (Please note that this is not a complete list of all accredited course, only a list of courses approved providers have chosen to advertise)
The Bar Standards Board recognises that not all worthwhile courses will have been submitted to the BSB for accreditation, there could be a number of reasons for this, not least because the organisation providing the course is not a recognised approved CPD provider for the Bar. As such, you may apply to the Bar Standards Board for 'one-off CPD accreditation'. There is an application fee of £45 per event for consideration. Applications may also include individual lectures delivered by practitioners. To apply for one-off accreditation or for more information, please contact, Liz Prats, Continuing Education Officer.
7 How are records of course attendance kept?
Barristers are required to keep their own record of their attendance at courses, lectures/events or any other CPD activity they undertake, which must also be detailed on their Record Card and sent back to the Bar Standards Board by the 31 January following each calendar year of CPD. It is also important that all barristers sign the registration document that should be provided by approved course providers at the end of each course, lecture or event.
8 What courses are available for barristers who are on low incomes?
The Bar Standards Board is aware that you may be on a restricted income in the first few years of practice and we make every effort to ensure that there are sufficient courses available at reasonable rates. Many of the specialist bar associations and Circuits offer discounted fees for new practitioners and some external providers may also give discounts on request. All Chambers are automatically approved to provide CPD courses, subject to compliance with the guidelines and many now offer in-house training to their members.
9 What courses are available for barristers outside London?
All of the Circuits run advocacy and ethics courses for new practitioners, and a number of CPD courses. There are over 850 approved providers of CPD courses. These providers are based all over England and Wales and a number are based overseas. Many provincial universities have received accreditation and are running relevant courses. There is also a vast number of CPD courses that can be completed online, details of these can be obtained from the Bar Standards Board.
10 What happens if a barrister is out of practice for a time?
If you are unable to complete hours due to illness, bereavement or other reasons, you may apply to the Bar Standards Board for an extension of time in which to complete the requirements.
If you take a break from practice, whether this is for maternity leave or any other reason, you are advised to retain your practising certificate and to complete your CPD. If you instead decide to suspend your practising certificate for this period, this will automatically result in a pro rata reduction in the CPD hours.
If you retain your practising certificate but are unable to undertake the full CPD requirement, it is possible to apply to the Qualifications Committee of the Bar Standards Board for a waiver from CPD on the basis of absence from practice. To obtain a form for an extension or waiver please contact Pauline Smith at the Bar Standards Board.
11 What should barristers do if they are having difficulty in complying with the requirements?
They should contact the CPD Compliance Team, immediately for advice and assistance. It may be appropriate to apply to the Qualifications Committee for an extension of time. To obtain an extension form, please contact: Pauline Smith, Training Regulations Officer.
12 What happens if a barrister fails to complete the CPD requirements?
If you do not complete the minimum number of hours of continuing professional development, you may be referred to the Complaints Committee for breach of the Code of Conduct. Under para 901.1 of the Code of Conduct, the Complaints Committee may impose certain penalties for failure to comply with the CPD requirements, on a strict liability basis and without any further warning.
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