Members of the legal profession who face compulsory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can soon meet their obligations from any location by downloading lectures onto their MP3 players, it has emerged.
A joint venture between Irish e-learning firm Prime Learning and legal publishers First Law means that instead of disrupting hectic work schedules, solicitors can access courseware online via http://www.FirstCPD.com and download lecture audio files.
“Traditionally, gaining CPD credits, which typically every legal professional must earn over the course of the year, requires undertaking initiatives such as attending seminars and conferences,” explained Bart Daly of First CPD.
“These can absorb a lot of time and money, and take busy professionals away from fee-earning time. Our online service which we are now launching, should prove particularly attractive to all those solicitors and barristers based in the many regional locations outside Dublin, where the majority of industry conferences are still physically held.
“The service is easy-to-use and provides high quality, relevant courses whenever the user wants to access them. Currently, the courses available on FirstCPD.com are suitable for private study, but from early 2008 we will also be facilitating group study,” Daly added.
A spokesman told siliconrepublic.com that the company is planning to introduce a similar service for the accounting profession, which is also in the process of introducing compulsory CPD rules.
The courses on FirstCPD.com are devised and delivered by leading legal professionals via video, which is filmed in a high quality production environment. Courses on audio can also be downloaded for use on MP3 players, which will be added to the service later in 2007.
“This service is designed to make earning CPD credits as easy a process as possible whether you are in the office, working from home or on the move,” said Terry O’Brien, chief executive of Prime Learning.
By John Kennedy
