One of Geeklawyer’s pet peeves is the CPD. It is a measure of the regulating bodies trust in its profession that it isn’t prepared to believe that practitioners will keep themselves up to date with their skills by themselves. Any lawyer who wanders into court and quotes the 1837 Theft Act is probably going to get a memorable reception from everyone but his mother. Most of us don’t need it, simply as a matter of frigging self-preservation, never mind bloody professionalism.
But no, we have to be whipped, like donkeys through the gates of expensive course providers to get our 12 points a year. Geeklawyer notes, for example, that he’d have been relieved of £300 to go to the Bar Conference this year. Of course he’d have got seminars on “Multiculturalism” and “Transgender Issue Sensitivity Training”: so that’s 6 useful fucking hours well spent.
For £300 he’d have been able to get 10 blow-jobs from underage crack whores at Kings Cross; provided a genuine social benefit and instilling the spirit of free enterprise & capitalism into wayward youth.
Equally, it is, apparently, the case that writing crap like this in blog posts counts as writing on legal matters for the consumption of the profession and public: CPD hours. Whoo hoo what a valuable benefit for everyone. In past years Geeklawyer has just lied about his activities & invented stuff he never really did.
So, while Geeklawyer would not wish to break another mans rice bowl what the flying fuck is the point of CPD? Mostly crap courses that are expensive and irrelevant.
Is there a solution? Yes in the long term let’s bin the fucking rubbish.
In the short term, do what Geeklawyer did and use a cheap online CPD provider. Charon recently pointed Geeklawyer at CPD Channel. There you can buy the minimum number of hours for a smallish fess £40 for one hour, £80 for two and so on. Cheap. The courses themselves are relevant and interesting. Best of all you can do them at home: Geeklawyer did his while quaffing cider & mead: it’s much more difficult to do with courses run by the BPP at their offices (though perhaps he’ll give that a go one day).
Geeklawyer did courses on writing skeleton arguments which were very useful indeed. The website layout is a bit crude, to be honest, and could be better organised but that’s a minor niggle. CharonQC can get you a discount. Recommended.
The time is fast drawing nigh when the CPD hours must be done: the end of this month. If you have not done them yet then get cracking.
On a word of warning: the Bar Council are cracking down on CPD defaulters: there have been disciplinary cases (Geeklawyer has read them on the Inn notice boards) where people have actually been disbarred for God’s sake; even in minor cases they are suggesting fines of circa £500.
update:
John Bolch at family law is starting online CPDs
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