The current CPD regime will be replaced from 1st November, 2016 with a new Continuing Competence regime. This will place responsibility on the individual solicitor to identify his or her learning and development needs, and to plan how to address those needs – amongst other things.
Solicitors will also be expected to customise the SRA Competence Statement to what they do, and then use the customised Competence Statement to identify their learning and development needs.
As simple as this new approach may sound, it raises a whole range of logistical and administrative issues for firms, not to mention behavioural and cultural ones as well, depending on the approach the firm already takes to training and CPD, and the processes and systems it already has in place. How do you move to the new regime with a minimum of disruption while still meeting the SRA’s requirements? Who in fact should take responsibility for ensuring that everything happens as it should?
These – and many more – are questions the mini-consultation is intended to address, to help a firm understand what it needs to consider – and do – in preparing for the Continuing Competence regime.
If you are interested in finding out more about a mini-consultation on the new Continuing Competence regime, then please click here to get in touch.