Parental leave and CPD

The CPD rules still apply if you are going on parental leave and hold a practising certificate, but the requirements may differ depending on your circumstances. If you have further questions about CPD, read our frequently asked questions.

If you are away on parental leave

If you hold a practising certificate but do not provide regulated services for the full year, you must still complete the CPD hours specified in schedule 1 of the CPD Rules. These will be rounded up or down to the nearest full month. In your CPD plan, you should note the dates you are away on parental leave and not providing regulated services.

Months providing regulated services during a yearly period	Required hours of activities
12 months	10
11 months	10
10 months	10
9 months	9
8 months	8
7 months	7
6 months	6
5 months	5
4 months	4
3 months	3
2 months	2
1 month	1

Alternatively, you may wish to cancel your practising certificate while you are on leave. While you will need to comply with your CPD requirements for the time you provided regulated services, this means that the requirements will not apply until you obtain a new practising certificate. The typical timeframe for a reissue of your certificate is 1-2 business days.

If you are working part time

If you are providing regulated services for a full CPD year, you will need to complete 10 hours of CPD annually. Because the aim of CPD is high professional standards and development, this requirement applies to lawyers working both full and part-time.