Last month the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSB +C) released the findings of their independent review into Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Victoria. ACC Australia was one of over 170 organisations that provided feedback about how the CPD system in Victoria could be improved to enable the legal profession to have meaningful, relevant and accessible learning opportunities.
The Terms of Reference for the review were to investigate and report on:
- The effectiveness of the current CPD scheme as a learning and development tool and the extent to which it benefits Victorian lawyers and consumers of legal services
- Opportunities for greater efficiency and improved outcomes and their potential risks and challenges
- The effectiveness and alignment of VLSB+C policy on CPD and the auditing function
- Any improvements to the Uniform Law Scheme
The ACC Australia submission to the review was informed by a member survey. ACC Australia members also participated in focus groups for corporate and government lawyers. The attached table summarises the main issues raised by ACC Australia and the recommendations made by the report.
The main finding of the review is that the CPD system in Victoria is not broken but needing ‘…improvement to reflect more contemporary approaches to adult learning and professional development.’ While the minimum 10 point CPD will not change (Rec 22) the review recommends the development of a competency framework to counteract the negative impact of the 10 point CPD requirement on the way lawyers think about their learning needs and opportunities. Related recommendations also seek to shift the locus of activity from compliance to genuine learning and give greater weight to the varied skills that are needed for contemporary legal practice. Ethics is the subject of recommendations 13 to 16 with the establishment of an Ethics CPD Reference Group to work with the CPD Steering Committee. Ethics is also recommended to be a strong focus for increased CPD requirements for newly admitted lawyers. The Report also recommends that the VLSB+C actively promote and support programs for increasing understanding of commonly used technologies, training in diversity, inclusion, family violence and health and wellbeing.
The Report also recommends that the VLSB+C establish a CPD Steering Committee to implement the recommendations of the review with a three year plan. ACC Australia looks forward to playing its part to improve the CPD opportunities available for all lawyers in Victoria and enhance the quality of legal services provided to the community.
ACC Australia sincerely thanks those members who participated in this important review. For further information please contact ACC Australia at ausmembership@acc.com.