End of CPD year – 31 March

The Continuing Professional Development year will end on 31 March. You need to have completed 10 units of CPD by 31 March.

The CPD section of our website has comprehensive information about your CPD obligations and answers to many of your frequently asked questions.

If you didn’t complete ten units

If you held a practising certificate for the full CPD year

If you held a practising certificate for the full CPD year and haven’t completed your ten points by 31 March you can apply for an exemption under certain circumstances.

Some reasons for exemption include:

if you are living with a disability or you have suffered an illness;
if you work in a remote area and do not have access to CPD resources;
if you have been on parental leave or another period of extended leave; and
if you work part time, or reduced hours.

To apply for an exemption, please contact the Victorian Bar (for barristers) or the LIV (for solicitors). If you are not eligible for an exemption you will need to complete a CPD rectification plan. Visit the CPD section for more information.

If you held a practising certificate for part of the CPD year

If you didn’t hold a practising certificate for the whole CPD year you only need to complete CPD units for the time that you held a practising certificate. The pro-rata calculation table in the CPD rules will show you how many units you need to complete. If you have met the pro-rata CPD units, when you renew your practising certificate you can select 'Yes' to the continuing professional development question on the renewal application.

What to look for when choosing CPD

There is still plenty of time to complete your CPD requirements.

Spend time now reflecting on gaps in your knowledge and skills and thinking about current and emerging risks and challenges, such as technological developments or changes to the law.

We recommend you seek out sessions that offer:

interactivity and active participation
scenario-based problem solving, particularly for ethics activities
smaller groups, break-out sessions and longer formats
a level of discussion that is nuanced to your experience, practice area and your role and position
an expert in the field who is an engaging presenter – look at reviews if you are not sure
a range of formats for achieving your CPD such as a discussion group or preparation of a journal article
activities with learning outcomes that align with your development goals and include a topic that is new and presents a challenge to your current knowledge or way of practising.

Cap on private study reinstated

The cap on private study of 5 hours was reinstated for 2021/22. Online interactive study (such as participating in an online seminar with interactive elements) is not counted as ‘private study of audio/visual material’ and there is no cap for this type of professional development. Further guidance about what we consider ‘private study of audio visual material’ and what is ‘online interactive study’ is available on our 'Your CPD obligations' page.

Last updated on 28 February 2022