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Some information relating to the accreditation of CPD courses and the obligations of course providers are set out below.  The following documents can be downloaded:

   1.  Application form for accreditation
   2.  Copy of an ideal accreditation application (Doc. A)
   3.  Description of an ideal CPD course (Doc. B)
   4.  Reasons for denial of accreditation of a CPD course (Doc. C)
   5.  Course evaluation form (Doc. D)

Course Accreditation

In order for a course to be awarded with CPD points, a separate application for accreditation of each course must be made to the Accreditation Sub-Committee.  The application must be made on the special form and sent to the Assistant Director, Professional Development for forwarding to the Sub-Committee.  All accreditation applications must be made at least 4 weeks before the scheduled date of the course. If the application is incomplete, accreditation may take 4 weeks from the date of submission of the complete application.

It is not possible to accredit CPD points after any course has taken place and you must be notified in advance of the decision of the Accreditation Sub-Committee in order for an accreditation to have effect.  If you have not heard from us by one or two days before the course is due to take place, you should call to check the status of your application.

Documents and Information Required on Application For Course Accreditation

In order to meet the requirements set out by the Committee the presenters will need to develop:

   a. a detailed outline of what will be covered in the course and by whom;
   b. a programme showing the sequence of speakers, the method of teaching e.g. lecture, participatory case study, role-play, discussion, question and answer etc., and the amount of time which each person will spend on each area. (This information must be given on section 14 of the application form.)
   c. an outline of the course materials which will be provided to participants;
   d. a brief up-to-date resume of each speaker's professional qualifications, legal background and any teaching experience which they each have.

A copy of an ideal accreditation application is found at Doc. A.

CPD Points

The rule of thumb is to give one CPD point for each hour of the session (excluding breaks). Points are awarded for question and answer sessions only if they are structured. More points may be awarded if the course has a high level of audience participation, such as case studies, audience role-plays, brainstorming, group discussions or practical discussion problems.

Ideally, a course should involve a variety of teaching methods and aids, such as whiteboards, flipcharts, overhead projectors, slides, videos.

Materials

The course material should include a paper or papers, a list of relevant precedents and further reading, headnotes of any cases referred to in the seminar, exercises, charts, checklists, diagrams, exercises, excerpts from any relevant ordinances, press cuttings, etc.

Accreditation Criteria

The enclosed accreditation documents B and C will give you an idea of what the Committee looks for when awarding points to a CPD programme.

The criteria for accreditation of CPD activities are set out on pages 1 and 2 of the CPD Information Package. Courses must meet the standards set out in paragraph 4 on pages 10 and 11 of the Information Package.

Administrative Matters

Please note that an honour-based CPD scheme has been introduced with effect from 1 November 2008:

   a. Under such scheme, the scanning system becomes optional. Unless the Society has made a specific request, course providers are no longer required to submit the attendance records of each accredited course to the Society within 7 days of the course.
   b. Course providers are required to keep the attendance record of an accredited CPD course for 4 CPD practice years from the end of the CPD practice year during which the course is held.
   c. The attendance record kept by a course provider may be in any form as decided by the provider on condition that it is sufficiently clear to support the entitlement to the number of CPD points claimed by a participant for his attendance.
   d. It is unnecessary for participants to sign out at the end of courses. The Attendance Record Forms provided by the Law Society to the course providers for use prior to the inception of the honour-based CPD scheme are redundant in that the Attendance Record Forms require participants to sign out and that is no longer required.

Please inform the Society, within 7 days of the course, of the actual start and finish time (and lunch out/in time, if applicable) so that the correct number of CPD points can be awarded to the participants.

Finally, Doc. D is a copy of the course evaluation form which we ask all participants to complete at the end of each CPD course. You may use your own form if you wish, provided that substantially the same questions are asked. A summary of these forms must also be forwarded to the Assistant Director, Professional Development by email within 7 days. The Accreditation Sub-Committee may send one of its members to attend and monitor the course.

Prescribed Fee

A fee will be charged on course-by-course accreditation of CPD courses. The prescribed fee is currently fixed at (depending on the circumstances of each individual application) HK$800 per subject / topic / course for non-commercial providers and HK$2,000 per subject / topic / course for commercial providers. Where a law firm allows more than 3 clients to attend a CPD course, or conducts a CPD course which is exclusively for clients, the firm will be required to pay the rate of HK$2,000 per subject / topic / course. When you do make an application, please provide us with a copy of your constitutional documents, ie. your business registration certificate, memorandum and articles of association etc, to confirm the applicable rate of prescribed fee.

Provider Accreditation

The Law Society is also implementing a permanent scheme of blanket accreditation for organisations. However, in order to be considered for Provider Accreditation, it will be necessary to establish a suitable track record of course accreditation, including compliance with the Accreditation Criteria, accreditation conditions and with information provided on the accreditation application form or to otherwise demonstrate to the Accreditation Sub-Committee that your organisation is a suitable candidate for Provider Accreditation.

"As an accredited provider for CPD courses, a law firm is required to submit to the Society in respect of each of its accredited CPD courses, a computerized notification form not less than 14 days in advance of the course and a computerized return form not more than 7 days after the course.

Please click here for the Personal Information Collection Statement of the notification forms and return forms."

If you need assistance in completing the application form for your forthcoming courses, or want to discuss accreditation further, please do not hesitate to contact us on 2805 9107.

Department of Standards & Development
The Law Society of Hong Kong