Starting on July 4,, 2023, the Law Society of Alberta will officially roll out a new approach to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for lawyers in the province. The decision was made by the Benchers during their April 27th board meeting, where they approved amendments to the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta and supporting documents.
Among the key highlights of the amendments and supporting documents, participation in the CPD program will now be mandatory for all active lawyers.
CPD plans must be prepared and submitted using the CPD Tool accessed through the Lawyer Portal, with the deadline for submitting plans set for October 1st each year in recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Failure to submit a plan by that date will result in an administrative suspension.
The amendments also reduced the requirement to maintain a record of the CPD plan from five to three years, and the participation in the new review process will now be mandatory.
The Law Society will implement the new CPD review process in early 2024. It will include random reviews on some lawyers’ CPD plans to check whether they are on track with their plans and offer coaching to assist with implementation.
More information about the CPD plan review process will be shared in the coming weeks, and the Law Society encourages all Alberta lawyers to prepare and submit their CPD plans using the new tool in a timely manner.
View the Rules for the full amendments.
