CPD FOR LAWYERS magazine is devoted to helping lawyers use continuing professional development (CPD) as a means of successfully developing their careers and practices – beyond the compliance regime. Together with this website, we aim to be the legal profession’s premier resource for promoting the benefits of a proactive CPD regime for both individual practitioners and institutions.
Lawyers are accosted with an unreadable volume of material (much of it related to CPD), however CPD FOR LAWYERS is designed to be used as a consolidated resource for planning and implementing a successful career development plan – either as an individual or as an organisation – allowing our readers to focus their attention on CPD in an organised and thoughtful manner and at a time that suits them.
Although we do promote training generally through the magazine and our website, we do not offer CPD training courses ourselves and we are entirely independent of any CPD provider, law firm or regulatory body - this means that our readers will get real variety in the types of courses and providers we feature and the editorial subjects we cover.
CPD FOR LAWYERS is the legal profession’s only publication dedicated entirely to continuing professional development. We believe that the legal profession needs a single point of reference for CPD, and we aim to be that point of reference – whether providing in-depth analysis of a legislative change that impacts the legal profession or a review of training providers and their events, we aim to be the first name you look to when planning your next training programme.
Continuing professional development, or ‘CPD’, has been, as a concept, unfortunately reduced to an acronym synonymous with professional regulation. We believe that continuing professional development, when expressed outside its compliance context, is essentially the methodology by which a practitioners continually strives to make his or her professional practice better (our version of CPD). Thus said CPD is not only for the overachieving lawyer – it is a fundamental part of the lawyer’s job description.
All too many lawyers view ‘CPD’ as a burden imposed by the SRA, BSB or ILEX. This is unfortunate because CPD, in one form or another, is the reason most of us chose to become lawyers. We chose a career that requires us to be an authority on law – and laws and practice change. Our clients rely on our ability to produce the correct answer every time and this is impossible if our professional development is stagnant. Lawyers are in the business of dispensing advice and answers, however what was good advice yesterday may well be tomorrow’s professional negligence claim if the advice is out of date or irrelevant to the needs of the client.
CPD FOR LAWYERS presents the case for our version of CPD as a pillar of the legal profession and a necessity for professional survival. In addition to highlighting topical issues confronting lawyers generally we will also provide case studies of how lawyers are using CPD to achieve their personal and professional goals; we will be casting the spotlight on various CPD providers so readers get to know the institutions and individuals behind the marketing material; and of course we will be inviting our readers to visit our website that provides a course listing that is meant to be used as both a reference guide as well as a menu – a menu to inspire readers to sample some of the excellent CPD opportunities on offer.
The English legal system has long been credited with having high calibre legal practitioners and we believe this well-deserved laurel is a result of superior training, mentoring and a commitment to excellence. Our version of CPD is a modern term for an historic commitment to excellence and pioneering in the various fields of law and CPD FOR LAWYERS is committed to upholding this tradition by giving lawyers a publication and online resource that promotes active participation in training – whether providing it or receiving it.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy CPD FOR LAWYERS magazine and cpdforlawyers.com, and find them useful as a resource in planning and implementing your career development strategy.
If you would like to subscribe to the magazine, or would like your first complimentary copy please email us at subscriptions@cpdforlawyers.com