Professional development will not be optional
by Caroline Nevin

Once upon a time, in a town not far from here, lived a lawyer who believed that mandatory CLE was only a fairy tale….

Gentle readers, believe it or not, you have already been told (several times) that professional development (PD) requirements are soon to be introduced. The Law Society has taken every opportunity in its Benchers Bulletin, website and local bar meetings to bring this important message to the profession. And yet, I meet very few lawyers who seem to be aware of this impending change.

The Law Society’s message has been clear: B.C.’s lawyers are overdue in joining the rest of the major professions that require lifelong (or at least career-long) learning. Within 15 short months, every lawyer will be required to participate in a mandatory number of hours of PD activity each year.

Are you ready?

The first thing you will want to know is “how many hours?” The likely answer is 12. There is a debate underway about whether two of those hours must be specific to “professional responsibility, ethics, client care and relations, or practice management.” While no-one would argue against these important topics, one or more of them is woven into almost every PD program; it seems artificial to separate them out in order to say a lawyer has “met” a specific requirement. The CBA has asked the Committee to consider this matter further.

The second thing you will want to nail down is “what type of activities will count?” The LSBC Lawyer Education Committee will be releasing its final report soon. I strongly advise you to read it – watch your Benchers Bulletin or check in regularly on www.lawsociety.bc.ca. The good news is that all of your familiar, easy ways of gaining professional development hours will remain, including CLEBC’s award-winning programs, CBABC Sections and PD programs, and CBA National Online CLEs.

CBABC Section activities give you easy-bite chunks of relevant, up-to-date info in your fields of law. You get one free Section with your CBA membership, extras are only $25, and online Section Papers, teleconferences and minutes come free with that enrolment. One or two Sections, a CLE course, and you’re meeting your PD requirement for the year. And it doesn’t matter where you live; many Sections are teleconferencing or holding their meetings by Web seminar and CLEBC has made a big technology investment (with Law Foundation help) to shrink the distance between any B.C. lawyer and CLEBC’s exceptional speakers, resources and courses. The CBA National Conference (Quebec City in 2008 and Dublin in 2009) and our Branch Annual Conference (this November in San Francisco) offer the added bonus of attractive destinations and big networking opportunities to build your contacts and business while learning.

Take a moment to find out more about the Law Society’s mandatory PD requirements and consider how the CBA can help you meet them. This fairy tale can have a happy ending, but only if you prepare. Remember…the smart little piggy built his house of bricks well before the wolf was at the door.

This article was published in the October 2007 issue of BarTalk. © 2007 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.