Reminder to Review the Professional Development Profile for Alberta Lawyers
The first resource related to the new CPD approach was provided to lawyers in June 2022. The new Professional Development Profile for Alberta Lawyers (the Profile) was the first step in the redevelopment of the CPD program as it sets out the competencies the Law Society believes are important to maintain a safe, effective and sustainable legal practice in Alberta today.
We shared the Profile in 2022 so lawyers could familiarize themselves with the competencies and start using the profile to plan CPD activities or to start thinking about how to incorporate it into their CPD plans.
Professional Development Profiles are used by organizations to understand the skills and abilities (competencies) that individuals should have to do their role effectively. Individuals may either already possess some of the competencies or can develop them with training and learning over time.
The Profile is designed to provide guidance to all Alberta lawyers, regardless of experience or practice area. The Profile is not intended to be a checklist and lawyers are not required to demonstrate competency in every area of the Profile each year. It is meant to provide guidance when lawyers are selecting areas for professional development that are meaningful to them and their practice. However, as part of the new approach, lawyers are required to select at least two competencies from the Profile to focus on during the CPD year. Lawyers are then able to tailor their plans to their circumstances and learning goals.
The Profile does not include substantive areas of law, but broad areas of knowledge, skills and abilities that lawyers practising in all areas might look to develop or expand. As always, lawyers are encouraged to pursue CPD specific to their practice areas in addition to the areas in the new Profile.
Read more about the new CPD Tool and CPD requirements on the Law Society website.