- Can a single activity be awarded 7 points if it meets the criteria in clause 11?
- Who decides on what the points allocation for an individual activity will be?
- Can points be allocated across competency areas for a single activity?
- Can a practitioner accumulate 9 points from teaching in a subject over a semester, subject to compliance with competency stream requirements?
- If two people jointly present a CPD activity, how will they be able to count the points?
- Can I count my work on committees as part of CPD?
- If I attend a seminar or conference organised by a QA Provider in another jurisdiction, can I count that for my CPD compliance in WA?
- Does all my CPD have to be with a WA based organisation?
- Do legal practitioners who work part-time have to accrue the same number of CPD points as full-time practitioners?
- Can I apply for a variation in the allocation of points?
Can a single activity be awarded 7 points if it meets the criteria in clause 11?
Yes, an example would be a conference or a weekend intensive workshop or other structured course, e.g. a subject in an LLM.
Who decides on what the points allocation for an individual activity will be?
QA Providers decide what points they allocate to the activities they provide; the Legal Education Committee will allocate points for activities approved under clause 10.
Can points be allocated across competency areas for a single activity?
Yes, provided that the points are allocated in accordance with clause 11.
Can a practitioner accumulate 9 points from teaching in a subject over a semester, subject to compliance with competency stream requirements?
No, because the subject in which they are teaching is classed as a "single activity" hence the maximum claimable for that subject will be 7 points - see clause 4(k).
If two people jointly present a CPD activity, how will they be able to count the points?
If two people jointly work on a CPD exercise as co-presenters and participate jointly, they are able to count the points in accordance with clause 11(c), that is, 3 points per 60 minutes. If one of the people did the bulk of the presenting and the other's role was that of commentator, the presenter would claim 3 points and the commentator, 2 points.
Can I count my work on committees as part of CPD?
No, only those activities identified in clause 8(d) or which have otherwise been approved by the Board can be relied upon as CPD for the purposes of compliance with the Policy. Work undertaken on committees, whilst valuable, is not sufficiently educationally focused for it to be available as a CPD activity.
If I attend a seminar or conference organised by a QA Provider in another jurisdiction, can I count that for my CPD compliance in WA?
Any CPD undertaken with an approved QA Provider can be counted, this in not dependant on the location of the activity.
Does all my CPD have to be with a WA based organisation?
No, so long as you undertake your CPD with a QA Provider, that provider can be based anywhere, and can provide the CPD anywhere.
Do legal practitioners who work part-time have to accrue the same number of CPD points as full-time practitioners?
Yes. Part-time practitioners should note that for the purposes of CPD, "five years or more post-admission experience" is defined as "five years employment as a legal practitioner engaged in legal work".
Part-time practitioners are still expected to achieve 10 CPD points for each year.
Can I apply for a variation in the allocation of points?
Yes. Clause 11 sets out the usual points allocation for activities, however in particular circumstances a practitioner or QA Provider may seek a variation of that clause. It is open for an application to be made to the Board for that to occur. See below where there are more questions about variations and exemptions.