subject: Continuous Personal Development - A Chance To Push Your Boundaries [print this page] The legal profession is undoubtedly more insistent on the need to continually develop yourself and your professional skills than most. To refresh, all full-time UK solicitors and lawyers are required to undertake a least 16 hours of continuous personal development/continuing professional development (CPD) every year of their career. 25% of these hours must be met by taking accredited courses, and the remaining 75% by a variety of activities.
But just because CPD is mandatory, doesn't mean that it's something that should be undertaken grudgingly or in the easiest, 'hassle-free' manner possible. Like the name says, continuous personal development gives you a great opportunity to continue your personal professional development throughout your career. It gives you the chance to consistently push your own boundaries and avoid stagnation, to learn new things and gain additional skills that will benefit you greatly in the future.
Add Extra Strings To Your Bow
With CPD, you can explore new areas of law that you may not have tried your hand at before. For example, you could take an accredited training course in personal injury law. This will not only help you fulfil the mandatory accredited portion of your CPD obligations, but it will also open up a whole new array of possibilities for you.
Personal injury is one of the fastest growing fields of UK law, and every year thousands of people are injured in accidents which they were not responsible for, in the workplace, on the roads and in public places. Personal injury training will not only enable you to tap into this lucrative market, it will make it possible for you to effectively help these people who have been negatively affected by their injuries.
Needless to say, undergoing personal injury training and other additional legal training courses looks good on your CV. In a tough jobs market it's essential to diversify your skill set, to make you even more appealing to prospective employers, and to open up a wider range of job possibilities that you can apply for. It's worth considering what the benefits are of having the proper training and qualifications when you're up for a job against someone who doesn't have them. Of the two candidates, you are going to be far more attractive to your potential employer, not just because you have the qualifications, but also because you have shown that you're willing to go that extra mile to further your career. You will be perceived as a pro-active rather than a passive candidate.
Keep Yourself Fresh
Over the course of a legal career, it can be easy to slip into familiar routines and habits, to become pigeon-holed and cease growing professionally. CPD gives you a chance to break out of this and discover a new niche for yourself; if you feel like you are stagnating then you can learn something new. If you're unhappy with your current job you can use additional legal training as a springboard into something you do want to do.
If on the other hand you're concerned about your job security in these times of economic uncertainty, undertaking additional legal training is a great way of demonstrating your commitment and dedication to your career. It can also make you even more indispensable to your bosses, and who knows, in time you may even be offered a promotion.
