For Lawyers:

It is not necessary to have your CPD activities accredited by the Law Society of Alberta.

For Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Providers:

While CLE providers can develop and market the courses they offer to Alberta lawyers as being activities that may be included in an Alberta lawyer’s annual CPD Plan, the Law Society does not accredit courses offered by CLE providers. Below is the suggested wording to place in your CLE brochure:

For Alberta lawyers, consider including this course as a CPD learning activity in your annual Continuing Professional Development Plan.

Unlike other jurisdictions, the Law Society of Alberta’s CPD Program does not have a mandatory minimum number of accredited hours to be counted towards CPD.

Rule 67. 1 defines continuing professional development as any learning activity that is:

1. relevant to the professional needs of a lawyer;
2. pertinent to long-term career interests as a lawyer;
3. in the interests of the employer of a lawyer or
4. related to the professional ethics and responsibilities of lawyers.

Continuing professional development must contain significant substantive, technical, practical or intellectual content. It is each lawyer’s responsibility to determine whether a learning activity meets these criteria and therefore qualifies as continuing professional development.

Please note that the annual CPD filing requirement is suspended until September 2023, and no formal plans are required until that time.