Solicitors (Continuing Professional Development) Regulations 2007
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: These Regulations shall apply to:
(a) a solicitor in the full-time service of the State; and
(b) a solicitor who is entitled to make application, and makes application, to the Society for a practising certificate for, respectively, all or any part of the second cycle or all or any part of the third cycle or all or any part of the practice year commencing on the first day of January 2011, other than:
(i) in respect of an application for a practising certificate for all or any part of the second cycle, a solicitor—
(I) who did not hold a practising certificate for all or any part of the first cycle, or
(II) a solicitor who was not admitted to the Roll prior to the commencement of the first cycle;
(ii) in respect of an application for a practising certificate for all or any part of the third cycle, a solicitor—
(I) who did not hold a practising certificate for all or any part of the second cycle, or
(II) a solicitor who was not admitted to the Roll prior to the commencement of the second cycle;
(iii) in respect of an application for a practising certificate for all or any part of the practice year commencing on the first day of January 2011, a solicitor—
(I) who did not hold a practising certificate for all or any part of the third cycle, or
(II) a solicitor who was not admitted to the Roll prior to the commencement of the third cycle.
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paragraphs: A solicitor, to the extent to which Regulation 3 applies to him or her, shall undertake continuous professional development during, respectively, the first cycle, the second cycle and the third cycle as provided for in Regulation 5 and the Scheme.
5. (a) The Society shall (either on its own or by arrangement with or in association with a bar association or any other body or institution) provide from time to time for a scheme of continuing professional development (“the Scheme”) to be undertaken by a solicitor through group study or through e-learning or comprising management and professional skills during, respectively, the first cycle, the second cycle and the third cycle for such minimum number of hours within each such cycle as is provided for in clauses (b), (c) and (d) of this Regulation; the Scheme to be approved of from time to time by the Education Committee.
(b) A solicitor shall be required to undertake continuing professional development:
(i) during the first cycle, for a minimum of ten hours;
(ii) during the second cycle, for a minimum of ten hours; and
(ii) during the third cycle, for a minimum of fifteen hours.
(c) In respect of the first cycle and the second cycle:
(i) a minimum of three hours of continuing professional development shall comprise management and professional skills;
(ii) a maximum of two hours of continuing professional development may be undertaken through e-learning; and
(iii) the remaining minimum number of hours of continuing professional development may be undertaken through group study.
(d) In respect of the third cycle:
(i) a minimum of four hours of continuing professional development shall comprise management and professional skills;
(ii) a maximum of three hours of continuing professional development may be undertaken through e-learning; and
(iii) the remaining minimum number of hours of continuing professional development may be undertaken through group study.
(e) A solicitor required to undertake continuing professional development pursuant to these Regulations shall maintain a written record of the hours of continuing professional development undertaken by him or her in order to demonstrate the solictor’s compliance with these Regulations and the Scheme; and the Scheme shall provide for the form and content of such written record to be so maintained by the solicitor.
(f) The written record to be maintained by a solicitor to verify his or her hours of continuing professional development, as provided for in clause (e) of this Regulation, shall be produced by the solicitor on being so requested by the Society.
6. (a) A solicitor who makes application to the Society for a practising certificate for all or any part of the second cycle shall, as part of such application, certify to the Society (and verify such certification, if so requested by the Society, by production of the written record maintained pursuant to Regulation 5(e)) the fact of the solicitor having undertaken continuing professional development during the first cycle for a minimum of ten hours in accordance with Regulation 5 and the Scheme.
(b) A solicitor who makes application to the Society for a practising certificate for all or any part of the third cycle shall, as part of such application, certify to the Society (and verify such certification, if so requested by the Society, by production of the written record maintained pursuant to Regulation 5(e)) the fact of the solicitor having undertaken continuing professional development during the second cycle for a minimum of ten hours in accordance with Regulation 5 and the Scheme.
(c) A solicitor who makes application to the Society for a practising certificate for all or any part of the practice year commencing on the first day of January 2011 shall, as part of such application, certify to the Society (and verify such certification, if so requested by the Society, by production of the written record maintained pursuant to Regulation 5(e)) the fact of the solicitor having undertaken continuing professional development during the third cycle for a minimum of fifteen hours in accordance with Regulation 5 and the Scheme.
(d) A solicitor in the full-time service of the State shall, within six months of the end of, respectively, the first cycle, the second cycle and the third cycle, certify to the Society (and verify such certification, if so requested by the Society, by production of the written record maintained pursuant to Regulation 5(e)) the fact of the solicitor having undertaken continuing professional development during, respectively, the first cycle and the second cycle for a minimum of ten hours in accordance with Regulation 5 and the Scheme and during the third cycle for a minimum of fifteen hours in accordance with Regulation 5 and the Scheme.
7. (a) Any breach of these Regulations may, upon due inquiry by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal pursuant to section 7 (as substituted by section 17 the Act of 1994 and as amended by section 9 of the Act of 2002) of the Act of 1960, be found by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to be misconduct within the meaning of section 3 (as amended by section 24 the Act of 1994 and by section 7 of the Act of 2002) of the Act of 1960.
(b) Without prejudice to the generality of clause (a) of this Regulation and for the purpose of ensuring compliance with these Regulations, the Education Committee may investigate the alleged breach by a solictor of these Regulations and, to that end, may in respect of the solicitor concerned:
(i) seek explanations from the solicitor,
(ii) call the solicitor for interview,
(iii) give directions to the solicitor, and/or
(iv) direct that the Society refer the matter to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for inquiry.
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paragraphs: The Society may, in exceptional circumstances and subject to such conditions as the Society deem appropriate, modify any requirement or provision of these Regulations.