CPD Good Practice Case Studies

Delivering specialist lectures, raising awareness of external CPD opportunities, and ensuring clear lines of accountability.

Background

Fountain Chambers is a medium-sized set with 34 members dedicated to providing a friendly, high-quality service to solicitors, individuals, unions, businesses, and local and national government departments. We remain committed to evolving how we practice, ensuring that we continue to meet the changing demands of the legal landscape, keeping our roots at the heart of our local community.

What Fountain Chambers Does

• We remind members at regular intervals of their CPD responsibilities.
• We try to ensure, through encouragement, that no member tries to meet all their CPD obligations at the last moment.
• We encourage members to attend the free CPD seminars provided in person and online by the North-Eastern Circuit Education Committee, as well as various specialist bar associations.
• From time to time, we organise short CPD lectures for members and instructing solicitors. These have included updates on criminal law relating to hearsay and bad character and developments in sentencing for serious sexual offences. We have also held seminars on trading standards and updates in family law.
• At the end of each year, Chambers collates members’ CPD forms before the 31^st December deadline. This is to ensure that members are meeting their obligations and accessing relevant professional education.
• Head of Chambers and the Management Committee take responsibility and provide support for anyone who encounters issues in completing their CPD obligations on time.

Next steps

We will continue to encourage members to embrace the ethos that CPD requirements are in place to ensure good practice and allow individuals to improve and grow as practitioners.

A proactive approach to professional development, including a series of in-house masterclasses.

Background

Deans Court Chambers is a modern, innovative, and forward-looking set comprising around 100 barristers, 12 of whom are King’s Counsel. We aim to provide the highest service standards and anticipate and respond to our clients’ needs. Originally founded over 125 years ago on Moseley Street Manchester (Circa 1897), Deans Court Chambers is recognised as one of the country's leading sets of independent barristers, with a strong presence nationally and locally.

Chambers believes that continuing professional development (CPD) is extremely important in ensuring we deliver the best possible service to our clients. Professional development allows barristers to develop their understanding of a particular area of law, ensure they are up to date with relevant changes, and uphold our reputation for superb client care.

What Deans Court Chambers does

• We have always promoted a proactive approach to CPD, including completing CPD forms throughout the year. Regular reminders are sent regarding due dates.
• Barristers are expected to complete their CPD requirements to the best of their ability. They are reminded that this process is for their benefit and to further their practice.
• Members are set specific deadlines when chambers expects CPD to be completed. If members fail to meet these deadlines, this is reported to the Head of Chambers for further investigation and explanation.
• We regularly offer ‘Masterclass’ sessions where senior members of chambers present 30-40 minute sessions on topics such as ‘Building a clinical negligence practice and keeping it’, ‘How to cross-examine an expert’ and even ‘Using social media to promote your practice’.
• These sessions encourage younger practitioners to reflect on their practice and learn from the experiences of more senior members' triumphs and mistakes during their time at the Bar.
• Feedback on these sessions has been excellent, and we have seen an increase in CPD engagement, especially from our junior members, as they look to enhance their practice. Senior members have also found that discussions with junior members at these sessions have helped them reflect on their practices and processes.
• Barristers are expected to focus on a particular area of their practice that they would like to evolve or ensure they are up to date with, for example, due to regular changes through case law and statutory updates.
• Improving barristers’ practice through CPD has allowed us to offer a better service to our clients, adding value to chambers and the industry we serve.
• Chambers’ approach to CPD has greatly improved its effectiveness in assisting practitioners in building and maintaining their practice. The use of training sessions, along with high expectations of completing CPD, means barristers understand how to keep themselves up to date and who to speak to to ensure they are doing their best in every aspect of their work.

Next steps

We plan to continue with our internal masterclasses and hope to expand them further, covering a wider range of topics and areas so that they benefit Deans Court members the most.

We also plan to continue to promote the importance of CPD and ensure that all members meet the BSB’s requirements and expectations. CPD is an important aspect of any practising barrister’s career, and chambers will continue to support it as much as possible.

We are willing to contribute to the BSB’s strategic plans for promoting CPD and its benefits on a continuing basis, which highlight the strength of what the Bar offers the legal market.

A strong culture of supporting and learning from each other, including a mentoring programme in the works.

Background

The ethos of 18 St John Street Chambers is to combine the delivery of the very highest standards of professional service to our clients with a friendly and supportive environment for our members. Continuing Professional Development (“CPD”) plays an important role in maintaining and enhancing both strands of this ethos yet further.

What 18 St John Street Chambers Does

Chambers makes it clear that it is the individual obligation of each member to comply with all Bar Standards Board CPD requirements, and we email reminders of the deadlines for doing so. We invite our members to provide their completed records to Chambers so that these can be held centrally and monitored. This is overseen by the Chambers Manager and, in the event of any concerns, raised with the Chambers Management Committee and ultimately the Head of Chambers.

Chambers regularly hosts seminars (usually on a departmental level) for professional clients. We encourage as many members of Chambers as possible to speak at seminars, which enhances those speakers’ development in the process of their preparation and presentation. Members are also encouraged to be involved in, and to attend, Specialist Bar Association (and similar) events.

As a multi-disciplinary set, we provide peer support between departments, and have had internal seminars on topics where there is overlap. If members of Chambers wish to diversify into areas which cross into other departments, we offer guidance, assistance and (where appropriate) supervision.

In addition to the practice development provided by the Chambers Director and the clerking team, the Head of Chambers and other senior members are also available to provide support and advice to those thinking of applying for part time judicial posts or for Silk, as well as to any member wanting career guidance.

Next Steps

We intend to introduce a mentoring programme whereby it is hoped that every member of Chambers will be a mentor to one member and be mentored by another. This will include consideration of CPD in the context of career development.

Importantly, we treat CPD as a part of career development and as a part of the process of life at the Bar.

Embedding excellence: How Park Square Barristers champions practice – specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through its constitution, proactive leadership, and culture of continuous learning

“CPD should be considered an enhancement to practice, not simply a box to tick. Chambers makes this possible by facilitating meaningful CPD relevant to practice area and level of call.”

Background

Park Square Barristers (PSQB) is one of the largest barristers’ chambers in the country.

We have three offices on the North Eastern circuit with a membership approaching 200 and over 40 staff. We have a depth of experience, expertise, age and diversity.

Our main practice areas are crime, family, civil, regulatory and the Court of Protection.

What Park Square Barristers does

• CPD in line with Bar Standards Board (BSB) requirements is a compulsory condition of PSQB membership. It is listed in our constitution and code of conduct.
• We keep members informed about CPD requirements and best practice in our Annual General Meeting (AGM), making it clear that it is the individual’s responsibility to keep up to date records.
• CPD reminders are often communicated in the minutes of our Management Board meetings.
• Our practice teams hold quarterly team meetings, during which the heads or deputies of each team discuss training and development. We encourage internal training, especially for our junior tenants and pupils.
• For example, in September 2024, our Criminal Team hosted a training session on public interest immunity and disclosure. The latest case law, along with practical tips, were discussed. A senior police disclosure officer was invited to share their expertise. Case studies, role play, and a mock exercise were set up for discussion during breakout sessions. The training was aimed at and assisted those barristers applying for CPS panels and upgrades.

Testimonial 

• Our in-person and remote CPD seminar programme has been hugely popular over the years. The majority are free to attend. Our Family Team regularly hosts over 200 delegates online in their seminars, and our full day, in person annual Personal Injury Seminar attracts over 100 delegates every September.
• We upload a monthly webinar to our website. Delegates can sign up to view and claim their CPD on a range of topics and practice areas.
• PSQB funds a comprehensive online library for its barristers and pupils. Sites like CrimeLine also include helpful podcasts as a learning tool for practice development.
• Our Leeds office has hosted a number of training events run regionally by the North Eastern Circuit and nationally by the Inns of Court, Bar Council and BSB.
• Several of our senior barristers lead pilot schemes and training for new legal procedures.
• The PSQB Wellbeing and Mentoring Scheme has been recognised nationally. Internal training on issues like vicarious trauma and practical sessions on dealing with stress and caseload aim to promote a healthy work-life balance. PSQB has its own in-house therapist to support and deal with the demands and challenges of life at the Bar.

Next steps

• We are about to embark on a major building project at 6 Park Square, which will transform our work facilities. We are looking to create a large seminar room. The Management Board is keen on each practice team arranging one weekend a year for their barristers to focus on learning new skills, career development and best practice.