Since 2008 Datalaw have provided the legal profession with CPD online. In some ways we have been ahead of the curve in this respect, as it is only recently that the SRA have begun to emphasise the importance of technology and are encouraging its use in the delivery of legal services and have advocated the benefits of CPD online. This is most pronounced in the SRA’s new approach to CPD which revolves around continuing competence and is documented within their Competence Statement.
The Statement emphasises the need for solicitors to take responsibility for their own personal learning and development, including the need for practitioners to maintain an adequate and up to date understanding of relevant law, policy and practice. The Statement suggests that this can be achieved through conventional methods including live courses and recorded webinars, but indicates that this may also incorporate new methods such as blogs, email updates, commentaries/articles, newsletters, social media engagement from speakers etc, all of which form part of Datalaw’s CPD online delivery.
Regardless of the means by which solicitors’ choose to address their training needs, all solicitors will be required to identify and set learning priorities to ensure that they continue to deliver a proper standard of service. In a nut shell, solicitors will need to consider what training they need to do, why, when and how.
Solicitors are required to reflect on their strengths and limitations in relation to the demands of their work. Solicitors must also reflect on both their knowledge, technical and soft skills so that they may accurately reflect on their practice. There are numerous practical ways for solicitors to identify their learning and development needs and include firm appraisals, informal discussions with colleagues, reviewing client feedback and file/case management.
Once solicitors have identified their training needs, they should plan how they intend to address these in a prompt and timely manner. The SRA stipulates that any approach to learning and development is valid, provided that solicitors can demonstrate that it contributes to how they remain competent to deliver a proper standard of service
As a provider of CPD online, Datalaw strongly believe that this is the most effective way for solicitors to ensure their regulatory compliance. Not only do our customers receive on demand access to their CPD online training 24/7, our CPD tracker will also keep a record of what training you have undertaken and when. In addition, to make it easier for customers to determine which courses best suit their training needs, all of our courses now specify the learning outcomes and what viewers should take away from the course on completion, thereby moving away from a focus on the number of hours undertaken as opposed to the value of the training completed.