*/
Dr Vanessa Davies explains how and why the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme for established barristers is changing in January
A constant commitment to update knowledge and skills is a hallmark of being a professional. In the words of Alistair Hodge, advocacy trainer at Inner Temple:
‘As with any other profession, the Bar must deliver, and be seen to be delivering, the best service to its clients and only the continual refreshing of skills and knowledge can achieve this.’
We at the Bar Standards Board (BSB) believe that CPD is not just about keeping up-to-date with changes in the law – although that is obviously vital. As your career or practice develops, so do your other developmental needs. Under the old CPD scheme, some types of valid training needs were not recognised. For example, all barristers have a responsibility and a regulatory requirement to make sure that their practice is efficiently managed. This could and does give rise to a range of development needs such as management training or increased knowledge of financial management.
However, under the outgoing CPD scheme, you would not have been permitted to count this type of training towards your CPD. We think that was wrong. This is just one reason why…
We believe our new scheme will be better for barristers and better for the public, whose interests we must have at the heart of everything that we do. Key improvements within the new CPD scheme include the following:
We intend to work closely with the profession. We want to support you and to help you comply. And importantly, we intend to use disciplinary sanctions only as a last resort.
There are four stages of the new CPD scheme. These are explained briefly below and shown within the graphic (see right):
Please refer to the BSB website for more detail on how the scheme will operate.
I acknowledge that the new scheme may take barristers, and indeed the BSB, a little while to get used to. But I am confident that, with time, we will all see its advantages.
We have been developing the new scheme for over two years. There has been extensive consultation with the Bar, and a trial of the new scheme took place in 2015 involving 76 barristers. The model that we are adopting is also similar to those used in other professions.
My team and I have been travelling the country over the past few months to explain the new CPD scheme to as many of you as possible. Your feedback has enabled us to refine our guidance. The finalised guidance will be available on our website from December, together with some model plans and worked examples of the sort of records we are asking you to keep.
Our emphasis will always be on helping you to comply with the new scheme and not to issue immediate sanctions for failure. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice and assistance: email cpdrecords@barstandardsboard.org.uk.
Contributor Dr Vanessa Davies, Director General of the Bar Standards Board
‘As with any other profession, the Bar must deliver, and be seen to be delivering, the best service to its clients and only the continual refreshing of skills and knowledge can achieve this.’
We at the Bar Standards Board (BSB) believe that CPD is not just about keeping up-to-date with changes in the law – although that is obviously vital. As your career or practice develops, so do your other developmental needs. Under the old CPD scheme, some types of valid training needs were not recognised. For example, all barristers have a responsibility and a regulatory requirement to make sure that their practice is efficiently managed. This could and does give rise to a range of development needs such as management training or increased knowledge of financial management.
However, under the outgoing CPD scheme, you would not have been permitted to count this type of training towards your CPD. We think that was wrong. This is just one reason why…
We believe our new scheme will be better for barristers and better for the public, whose interests we must have at the heart of everything that we do. Key improvements within the new CPD scheme include the following:
We intend to work closely with the profession. We want to support you and to help you comply. And importantly, we intend to use disciplinary sanctions only as a last resort.
There are four stages of the new CPD scheme. These are explained briefly below and shown within the graphic (see right):
Please refer to the BSB website for more detail on how the scheme will operate.
I acknowledge that the new scheme may take barristers, and indeed the BSB, a little while to get used to. But I am confident that, with time, we will all see its advantages.
We have been developing the new scheme for over two years. There has been extensive consultation with the Bar, and a trial of the new scheme took place in 2015 involving 76 barristers. The model that we are adopting is also similar to those used in other professions.
My team and I have been travelling the country over the past few months to explain the new CPD scheme to as many of you as possible. Your feedback has enabled us to refine our guidance. The finalised guidance will be available on our website from December, together with some model plans and worked examples of the sort of records we are asking you to keep.
Our emphasis will always be on helping you to comply with the new scheme and not to issue immediate sanctions for failure. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice and assistance: email cpdrecords@barstandardsboard.org.uk.
Contributor Dr Vanessa Davies, Director General of the Bar Standards Board
Dr Vanessa Davies explains how and why the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme for established barristers is changing in January
A constant commitment to update knowledge and skills is a hallmark of being a professional. In the words of Alistair Hodge, advocacy trainer at Inner Temple:
The new Bar Council earnings report presents a collective challenge for the self-employed Bar, remote hearings are changing and Bar Conference is back next month
Launch of the Institute of Neurotechnology and Law
Paul Magrath of ICLR recalls the chequered history of law reporting prior to the 1865 establishment of a Council of Law Reporting
Leading drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory, AlphaBiolabs, has made a £500 donation to North West charity Child Concern as part of its Giving Back campaign
Gail Evans, Technical Trainer at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest trends in illicit drug use as seen in the laboratory, from designer drugs to ‘unexpected’ substances in a donor’s sample
Louise Crush explores the value you can measure in monetary terms alongside the many non-tangible benefits to working with a financial adviser
By Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Kate Brunner KC and Dr Ann Olivarius KC (Hon) OBE
The ‘non-party political’ employment silk advising Labour talks to Stephanie Hayward about employer failure to tackle workplace sexual harassment and the urgent need to reinvent whistleblowing culture
From Parliamentary standards to barrister standards – Kathryn Stone OBE, Chair of the Bar’s regulator, talks to Anthony Inglese CB about roots, respect and reviews
Jessica Foster reviews State Trials and Error – fundraising and showcasing the musical and theatrical talent within the legal profession
Alex Goodman KC on why our electoral laws need an urgent upgrade – they were not designed to address the corruption of popular opinion by AI and deepfakes