• continuing legal education programmes such as conferences, seminars, training programmes and skills workshops
• completion of or study towards relevant degrees, diplomas or certificates
• receiving structured and planned one- to-one coaching, instruction, training or mentoring, providing it is not file-specific and has identified aims and learning outcomes relating to your learning needs
• taking part in a study group or a similar activity

Programmes and courses could be arranged by:

• CPD providers such as NZLS CLE, ADLS, LegalWise or similar
• NZLS branches and sections
• the New Zealand Bar Association and other legal associations
• other professional associations and organisations
• universities and other teaching institutions
• law firms
• barristers or barristers’ chambers
• in-house organisers
• government legal services training
• external providers of education and training, both commercial and non-commercial
• individuals or small groups of lawyers and/or other professionals united by geography and/or professional interests 

They could be delivered in person, online, via video or audio conferencing, webinars or other real-time communications technology as long as there is an opportunity for interaction and feedback, e.g. the ability to ask questions. They could be sourced and/or delivered either in New Zealand or overseas. 

You should count only the actual time you attend activities towards your CPD requirements. This does not mean time spent in breaks or reading materials and handbooks or other forms of preparation and follow-up activities. 

You may verify your attendance at programmes, courses or related activities in a number of ways, for instance: 

• asking another participant to countersign your registration form / receipt / 
• admission ticket or similar 
• attendance record 
• university record 
• completion certificate 
• degree and dates 
• in-house records 
• list of topics discussed and the duration signed by a study group facilitator or workshop instructor, or by another named participant 
• a letter or email from an activity organizer confirming participation and duration 
• assessment results 

You may count distance learning programmes you complete online or through a variety of media, including written material, providing they include an interactive/feedback component, for instance through:

• completing quizzes or an assessment component at the end of the course or at intervals throughout
• the ability to email and/or telephone a designated person to ask questions and to receive a timely response.

You may verify you undertook a distance learning programme through a certificate of completion or an equivalent which may be issued automatically online or sent by the organiser.

These could include, but are not confined to

• lecturing and teaching law courses at a university or any other tertiary institution
  instructing/demonstrating in legal skills workshops
• speaking at and chairing conferences
• giving seminars, running training programmes etc for external providers of education and training
• giving seminars in-house and/or for an invited audience
• facilitating discussions in study groups and other similar activities
• undertaking structured and planned one-to-one coaching, instructing, training or mentoring, providing it is not client file-specific and has identified aims and learning outcomes which are relevant to both participants
• teaching, training and lecturing for other professional associations and organisations or other relevant groups or organisations
• preparing for any of the above

In order to lead to relevant outcomes teaching related activities should be at tertiary level or the equivalent. Teachers learn from the research they do, from the insights they gain from reflecting on the topics they teach, and from engaging with their students, participants or target audience and seeking to satisfy their learning requirements. You will need to use your professional judgement when deciding what teaching activities you may include.

You should usually only count activities when you undertake them for the first time during a yearly period. You should not count repeats of substantially the same activities you undertake in either the same or a subsequent yearly period unless you carry out a thorough review of the content and a “renewal” of the approach to the subject leading to further self-learning.

One-to-one coaching, instructing and training should involve new insights and you should thus be able to repeat them annually. If you are a faculty member for the Litigation Skills programme, for instance, you should be able to count this activity towards your CPD requirements each year, if you choose. It may be, however, that you would want to diversify your activities from time to time.

You may count the time you spend in both preparation and teaching. While there is no limit on the number of hours you can count towards any activity, the Law Society expects you to be fair and honest when deciding the number of hours you should record for preparation.

You may verify teaching-related activities in a number of ways, for instance by:

• timetables/brochures showing participants, chairs and speakers
• list of topics discussed and person facilitating
• letter or email from organiser/administrator
• record of a coaching/mentoring session signed by you and the participant(s)
• copies of background materials

The following activities would not meet the requirements set out in the CPD Rules and you should not count them towards your minimum hours:

• teaching which is part of your regular employment as a lawyer
  marking
• giving career talks
• day to day supervision of legal staff.

This could include (but is not confined to) writing law books, articles or papers intended for publication or to be included in course materials for:

• students at tertiary level, both law students and others
• lawyers and legal executives
• other professions

As with teachers, writers learn from the research they do and from the insights and ideas they develop as they reflect on their subject matter. If a writing activity does not require this sort of engagement it would not qualify. You will need to use your professional judgement about this.

Writing offers an opportunity for interaction and evaluation in many ways, for instance through comments from editors, colleagues, reviewers and your targeted readers, either orally or in writing.

You might verify your writing activities through:

• published tables of content and date of publication
• copies of published articles and date of publication
• letters or emails from publishers, editors, course organisers

These should be accompanied by a record of the time you spent.

You should not count writing which is part of your regular employment as a lawyer.

You may count preparing as a lead or major drafter and presenting submissions on proposed reforms of the law or of legal processes and procedures on behalf of the Law Society, a legal association or similar in an objective manner. You could verify law reform activities by:

• a copy of your individual written contribution to the formal law reform submissions and an acknowledgement of receipt
• a notice/memo relating to oral submissions

The above records should be accompanied by a record of the time you spent.

You should not count preparing and presenting formal submissions

• as part of your regular employment
• on behalf of a client or a firm or employer or an interested party whether or not it is part of your paid employment or a pro bono activity.

In any given year, the Law Society may require that you complete a mandatory CPD component. You will be notified if there is to be a mandatory component.

You can count any topic which you can relate to your learning needs as set out in your CPD plan and which would assist you to carry out your work as a lawyer, including:

• knowledge of the law
• knowledge of other relevant disciplines
• knowledge of the law and procedures in other countries
• legal skills
• personal skills including, but not confined to:
• stress management
• time management
• leadership skills
• communication including voice production
• practice management skills including, but not confined to:
• financial and accounting skills
• marketing skills
• supervision skills
• planning skills
• risk management skills
• operation management skills
• IT management skills
• ethics, professionalism and client care

The following do not fall within the definition of activities:

• private study, eg
• reading textbooks, journals, articles, course materials, LawTalk, digests and law reports
• listening to non-interactive audio broadcasts or recordings in whatever format
• viewing non-interactive audio visual materials in whatever format
• attending meetings
• being a member of a committee, including standards committees
• assisting at community law centres and taking part in pro-bono activities

Private study is, however, an essential means of keeping up to date. All lawyers are encouraged to complete a minimum of 50 hours of self-study each CPD year. You could choose to record your self-study in your CPD plan but you are not required to.

Read the study group guidelines

Read the CPD Facilitators Guide