How does CLPD Help Lawyers Advance their Career?

Continuing Legal Professional Development (CLPD) helps lawyers advance their careers and plays an important part in staying abreast of economic, social, technological, and legal changes affecting the industry.

Legal consultants are expected to take responsibility for their own CLPD, ensuring they complete the mandatory hours required and that they select additional CLPD training which is most suited to their career path, firm’s requirements, or industry innovations.

CLPD offers lawyers flexible options for training and learning; encouraging them to become more productive, efficient, and influential, while also boosting knowledge for industry competency.

CLPD helps lawyers:

• Manage their own career progression

• Maintain industry competency and expertise

• Stay up-to-date with key technological advances

• Develop leadership skills

• Improve ‘soft skills’ (such as, communication, emotional intelligence, resilience, and how to manage stress)

• Provide the best service for their firm and their clients

• Understand that their firm is investing in their progression and development

• Act as a reminder of goals and achievements

• Demonstrate knowledge and skills to key stakeholders/clients

• Direct their career towards a specific area or line of expertise

• Provide clear examples of knowledge for CV and job interviews

• Highlight gaps in knowledge or skill base

CLPD ensures lawyers can regularly evaluate and monitor their professional development, giving the option to adjust professional pathways, change career, or simply to differentiate themselves from colleagues.

For instance, lawyers looking to progress their career might choose CLPD courses aimed at improving leaderships skills, while those pursuing a career in financial law might choose CLPD courses linked to finance and IT.

Types of CLPD Training

The mandatory requirements for CLPD, for a Dubai-based lawyer, mean that 8 points must be achieved by completing 4 mandatory courses, a minimum of one from each of the following pathways: Ethics, Legal Skills, and Technical Skills, with the fourth selected from either Legal or Technical.

Within each of these pathways there are numerous options to choose depending upon personal preference, career path or employer’s focus.

Some examples are:

• Ethics
Anti-money laundering
Legal Ethics in a post-Covid world
Client Care and Conflict of Interests
Ethics and Governance

• Legal Skills
Introduction to VAT
Bankruptcy
Real Estate
UAE and DIFC Employment law

• Technical Skills
Introduction to Legal Project Management
Introduction to Legal Technology
Drafting to Communicate
Giving and Receiving Feedback

Choosing courses which fit with your career path and personal interests is vital and will help to strengthen skills in key areas and boost transferable skills.

The course options you choose are unique to you – understanding where you want go within your career will help to tailor your selection giving better results and increasing fulfilment.

At Creative Word Training, we offer Dubai Legal Affairs Department accredited courses, delivered by experts in their field, to help you gain the most out of your CLPD.

You can find out more about our accredited legal courses here or contact us for more information.