Overview
Accreditation and CPD information for individual programs is available on each individual program's webpage. This page provides general information on different jurisdictions' CPD requirements and how program participants may seek to apply their participation in a particular program towards their own law society's requirements.
Ontario
Lawyers and paralegals who are practising law or providing legal services must complete in each calendar year at least 12 CPD Hours in Eligible Educational Activities, as defined by the Law Society, consisting of a minimum of 3.0 Professionalism Hours on topics related to professional responsibility, ethics and/or practice management and up to 9.0 Substantive Hours per year. Effective January 1, 2018, lawyers and paralegals must complete the CPD Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Requirement. Lawyers and paralegals must complete a total of 3.0 Professionalism Hours that focus on advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in the lawyer and paralegal professions between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020. Each year thereafter, lawyers and paralegals must complete 1.0 Professionalism Hour that addresses issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. These hours count towards the 3.0 CPD Professionalism Hours required each year.
More information is available here.
British Columbia
British Columbia practising lawyers, both full-time and part-time, must complete 12.0 hours of accredited CPD within the calendar year. At least 2.0 of the 12.0 hours must pertain to any combination of professional responsibility and ethics and practice management.
More information is available here.
For programs for which The Advocates' Society has not applied to the Law Society of British Columbia for pre-accreditation, participants may apply individually to the Law Society for accreditation.
More information is available here.
Alberta
The Law Society of Alberta is suspending the mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) filing requirement for the profession for the years 2020 and 2021. The Law Society strongly encourages lawyers to develop a CPD plan for 2020 and 2021. Taking the time out to schedule professional development activities benefits lawyers, law firms or organizations and clients.
More information is available here.
We encourage participants to consider whether a program may be included in your CPD plan.
Quebec
Tous les avocats, à l’exception de ceux inscrits à titre d’avocats à la retraite, doivent compléter au moins 30.0 heures de formation admissibles au cours d’une période de référence de 2 ans, dont 3 doivent être suivies en éthique et déontologie ou en pratique professionnelle à partir d’une liste d’activités offertes par le Barreau du Québec.
De plus amples renseignements sont disponibles ici.
La Société des plaideurs fait demande auprès du Barreau du Québec pour vérifier qu’un programme offert au Québec constitue une activité de formation admissible aux fins de la formation continue obligatoire pour les avocats au Québec. Si vous désirez vérifier l’admissibilité d’un programme offert à l’extérieur du Québec pour lequel la Société n’a pas déjà fait demande au Barreau,
vous pouvez remplir le formulaire prévu à cet effet ici.
Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society requires all practising lawyers to create an annual professional development plan and commit it to writing. All practising lawyers are expected to complete a minimum of 12.0 hours of professional development in each reporting year.
More information is available here.
We encourage participants to consider whether a program may be included in your annual professional development plan.
Other Canadian jurisdictions
Please contact your jurisdiction's law society for information about CPD requirements.