Continuing Professional Development

Member-to-member advice on CPD

CILEx members share details on their ongoing CPD journey and give tips and advice to engage with you from a member’s perspective.

Logging my CPD hours throughout the year has enabled me to keep track of my target

From time to time, CILEx provide helpful tips in relation to CPD. In this article, CILEx members share valuable insight about how they complete CPD. From one busy professional to another, contributors describe how they have been able to meet their CPD requirements and gain life-long learning skills.

CILEx President, Matt Foster FCILEx, data protection officer/lawyer at Wrexham County Borough Council

I achieve my required outcomes while doing my day-to-day job. The key for me is e-mail subscriptions. I receive several weekly updates. They are invaluable for keeping me updated, and as a result I share that information with my client departments. Of course, these updates are unplanned, but I tend to record them all.

My planned outcomes are achieved usually by attending branch events, or were achieved by oÿce-holder training in my lead up to becoming President. My professional outcomes are also usually tied in with preparation for CILEx Board meetings. Courses can be useful, but I note they do not always hit the mark.

Rebecca Cresswell FCILEx, litigation lawyer at Sweeney Miller Law

I find it useful to reflect on what I want to achieve at the start of the CPD year, and then see whether I have fulfilled my goals. The CPD cycle is a useful tool in completing my CPD. 'Reflect’ is used to set out my learning outcome. I then ‘plan’ the activity that would best meet my outcome. I ‘act’ by undertaking the activity, and ‘evaluate’ to explain how I have carried out the activity.

I check local courses on my chosen topics and book them in advance. I always complete the myCILEx logbook the following day, save my certificates to my personal CILEx folder and look out for CPD-compliant articles in the CILEx Journal to save on course costs.

Gemma Spratt ACILEx, claims handler at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC)

I am very fortunate as my employer, RPC, provides multiple opportunities to learn and develop. I have also attended an event at my local Law Society branch, which offers various CPD opportunities. HM Courts and Tribunals Service offers a variety of webinars too!

Logging my CPD hours throughout the year has enabled me to keep track of my target. The live chat on Facebook by CILEx, alongside the helpful information on the CILEx website, made achieving my CPD target simple.

Amunah Anthony FCILEx, senior immigration case worker at Ashwood Solicitors Ltd

As a member of the Greater Manchester CILEx Branch, I attend the various CPD events held by the branch. I find these CPD events very interesting and beneficial. Apart from this, there is a wealth of information, short courses and articles offered by myCareer and the CILEx Compendium, which I receive via the CILEx Newsletter. There are also interesting articles in the CILEx Journal. Furthermore, I do read articles from the Counsel magazine as I am also a member of the Bar Council.

I start my yearly CPD journey from October and attend as many events and training courses as possible, and gather articles.

My advice to those who must do CPD is to become a member of your CILEx branch and attend the events and activities. If you are not a member of any legal organisation, you can attend talks and conferences, or read articles from reputable sources. To me, CPD has helped me in my career progression.

Member-to-member advice: a summary

Be creative in using the opportunities around you. For example, resources and webinars provided by your employer. Even better, if you are part of a legal network group you can count any workshops towards your CPD.
The CILEx Member Newsletter, CILEx Journal, Compendium and access to myCareer are all member benefits that you can use towards compliance with your CPD requirements.
Always keep a log of your CPD. You never know when you can be called as part of the sampling process. Log as you go, and this will help you prepare before the CPD deadline on 30 September.
The transition from CPD hours to outcomes can be tricky. However, the CPD cycle above is a tool to help you understand the outcome-based scheme.
Remember even if you did not achieve your intended outcome but carried out the activity, you can still record this as CPD, and just form it as part of your evaluation.

Keep in touch

If you require support or clarification on your CPD requirement, visit: https://www.cilex.org.uk/membership/cpd/cpd_resources; e-mail: membership@cilex.org.uk; or telephone: +44 (0)1234 845777

To help you identify when you meet an unplanned outcome by reading a CILEx Journal article that updates your knowledge in a particular area, we have developed the CPD symbol. This will appear with Journal articles you could use as meeting a CPD outcome or to make up the hours if you are the Associate grade.