Accredited Specialisation

CPD requirements:

Accredited specialists must complete a total of 12 hours (12 CPD Scheme units) between 1st April 2011 and 31st March 2012 to maintain their accreditation.

• Eight of the 12 units must be in the Accredited specialist’s area of specialisation.
• The remaining four units can be in any area, which may include the compulsory units:
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility
  • Professional Skills
  • Substantive law
  • Practice Management and Business Skills

Completion of these 12 unit requirements will ensure compliance with the 10 unit requirement under the CPD Scheme Rules 2007/08 (as long as the compulsory units are completed).
If more than one area of specialist Accreditation is held, eight scheme units must be completed in each area of specialisation.
All Accredited Specialists should record their involvement in CPD activities throughout the year. An online recording tool is available to members via your My LIV portal or a spread sheet template can be supplied upon request.

Each year Accredited Specialists confirm they have complied with the CPD requirements to maintain their Accredited Specialisation through the annual Accredited Specialisation CPD reporting process.   The reporting process requires Accredited Specialists to either submit a CPD report or CPD declaration confirming compliance with the requirements of the Rules regarding CPD.

CPD Report format

The CPD report should be set out with the following information:

• Date of each activity
• Title of the activity
• Provider
• Format of the activity (e.g. seminar, workshop, study group)
• Relevance to your practice area and
• Number of CPD Scheme units claimed.

The report can be used for both the Accredited specialisation scheme and the CPD Scheme reporting requirements.  Download the CPD report template.

Who needs to submit a CPD Report?

In the first three full CPD cycles (April 1 – March 30) after obtaining accreditation, each specialist must submit a CPD report to the Board by the prescribed date.

You will also be required to submit a CPD report if:

• you have been selected as part of the random audit
• your area of law has been subject to significant change
• you have returned from a leave of absence within the last twelve months
• you have previously experienced difficulty in complying with the requirements for continuing accreditation

Accredited Specialists will be notified via email in April each year to advise whether they are required to submit a CPD report or CPD declaration.