Obtaining Points
CPD Points are not awarded by the organiser or the Institute. Rather, they are claimed by a lawyer who is able to demonstrate that he/she has undertaken a CPD Activity in compliance with the applicable Attendance Policy. By claiming CPD Points, you are effectively representing your compliance with the applicable Attendance Policy.
The CPD Points requirements for a given CPD Year represent the minimum expected of lawyers. As such, you may not:
- carry over excess CPD Points obtained in one CPD Year to another; or
- use the same CPD points to satisfy requirements in more than one CPD year (i.e. no double-counting of CPD points); or
- use some of the CPD Points obtained from undertaking one CPD Activity to fulfil CPD Points requirements for one CPD Year and use the remaining CPD Points obtained to fulfil CPD Points requirements for a subsequent CPD Year (i.e. no splitting of CPD Points).
If attendance at a CPD Activity is being captured using a “sign-in, sign-out” system, please ensure that that you cooperate with those who are taking attendance and sign-in and sign-out as required. The attendance record maintained by the organiser is a prima facie indication of compliance with the Attendance Policy.
If no “sign-in, sign-out” system is being administered, and then your compliance with the Attendance Policy is based on an honour system. You must ensure that you have complied with the Attendance Policy before you claim any CPD Points for undertaking a CPD Activity.
Generally, 1 hour of a CPD Activity amounts to 1 CPD Point. After the initial hour, every half hour amounts to 0.5 CPD Point. In calculating the duration of a CPD Activity, you should exclude any time allocated for breaks and refreshments. The table below summarises how to calculate the number of Public or Private CPD Points which may be obtained from undertaking a CPD Activity:
| Public CPD Points (Accredited CPD Activity) |
| a. |
Attending a conference, lecture, seminar or workshop accredited by the Institute. |
| 1 Public CPD Point per hour (increments of 0.5 Public CPD Point per half hour), unless otherwise specified for the particular Accredited CPD Activity; Minimum activity length of 1 hour. The Institute will specify the number of Public CPD Points the activity has been accredited for. |
| Private CPD Points (Non-accredited CPD Activity) |
| b. |
Attending a conference, lecture, seminar or workshop which is not accredited by the Institute; an in-house seminar conducted by a law practice for its own lawyers; or a small group discussion organised by a group of lawyers or law practices. |
| 1 Private CPD Point per hour (increments of 0.5 Private CPD Point per half hour); Minimum activity length of 1 hour. |
| c. |
Reviewing a multimedia, Internet-based, audio-visual, audio or video programme or material. |
| 1 Private CPD Point per hour (increments of 0.5 Private CPD Point per half hour); Minimum programme/material length of 20 minutes. |
| d. |
Writing an article that is published in an approved publication under the CPD Guidelines 2017. |
| 1 Private CPD Point for the first 1,000 words; 0.5 Private CPD Point for every subsequent block of 500 words; Minimum article length of 1,000 words. |
If you undertake an Accredited CPD Activity and wish to claim Public CPD Points, please comply with the procedures specified by the organiser of the activity. After the conclusion of the activity, the organiser will submit the attendance record to the Institute and your ePortfolio will be updated based on the attendance record submitted.
If you undertake a Non-accredited CPD Activity and wish to claim Private CPD Points, please click here for tips on how.
Please refer to Part IV of the CPD Guidelines 2017 for detailed guidelines on how CPD points are calculated for undertaking a CPD Activity.