August 9, 2023Back to Latest

The Law Society’s new CPD program gives lawyers the freedom to choose the CPD areas and activities that interest them.

All lawyers who had an active status when the CPD planning period opened (July 4) are required to submit an annual plan by Oct. 1. The only exception is lawyers who have the status of active – non-practising.

Thank you to those who have already completed their plans. We have received positive feedback so far about the new Tool and the planning process. If you have not yet completed your plan, we have provided helpful tips for getting started below.

How to Get Started 

The CPD tool is accessed through the Lawyer Portal, by selecting CPD in the dropdown menu located beside your name. While the CPD Tool is designed to be intuitive for lawyers, the Law Society has developed a short User Guide to assist with navigating the tool, along with FAQs and more information, including a recording of the CPD Tool Webinar, on the CPD website.

The CPD tool will automatically log users out after 20 minutes of inactivity. You will be alerted when you are at risk of being logged out. The Tool saves your work each time you move to a new step, so to avoid losing your work, ensure you have moved onto the next page. You will be able to go back and finish your plan or edit this information once you return.

Lawyers who qualify for an exemption are strongly encouraged to apply well in advance of the Oct. 1 deadline, as exemptions are assessed by the Law Society and processing times can vary. Exemption requests can be submitted through the CPD section of the Lawyer Portal. Please see FAQs 8-10 for more information on exemptions.

Additional Supports

The new CPD Tool aligns with the Professional Development Profile (the Profile), which sets out the competencies the Law Society believes are important to maintain a safe, effective and sustainable legal practice in Alberta today. The Key Resources section of the Law Society’s website is also aligned with the Profile and can be a good starting point for resources associated with each competency set out in the Tool.

The Law Society also has several new resources if you need some ideas for your CPD plan. These include:

• New Courses in the Learning Centre. The Learning Centre is and interactive resource that houses courses including; the Law Practice Essentials Course, which is a course designed to assist lawyers through the review of key practice management areas and; the Reflective Practice Course, which helps lawyers understand what reflective practice is, the different kinds of reflection, why it is important to lawyers, how it applies to professional development and what it takes to become a reflective practitioner.
• The Practice Management Assessment Tool. This online Assessment Tool helps lawyers, firms and other legal professionals examine their practice management systems and evaluate their policies and processes.
• Business Continuity and Succession Planning resources. These resources include a guide that provides background information about business continuity and succession planning; identifies items to consider when developing your plan; and resources where you can find additional information and templates to assist with developing and customizing a plan that meets your unique circumstances.

If you have additional questions about completing your annual CPD plan, the CPD Tool or the Profile, please contact the Law Society’s Customer Service team for support.