The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to commission research on continuing professional development schemes in other professions and internationally as part of its review of CPD, the Gazette has learned.

The regulator said it will examine a range of schemes in use, including the more ‘reflective’ approach used by some professional bodies which require members to show what they have learned from their CPD training, and the use of online monitoring of CPD activity.

The CPD review, launched last April, represents the regulator’s first review of CPD arrangements in 25 years. It will seek to align the CPD regime with the principles of Outcomes-Focused Regulation, the new regulatory system which comes into force on 6 October. This means that whatever new CPD rules are adopted, solicitors are likely to be required to demonstrate the ‘outcome’ gained from the training they undertook during the year.

The SRA has already commissioned Professor Andy Boon, dean of the School of Law at the University of Westminster, to undertake some research into CPD to inform its review.

But last week the SRA’s training and education committee agreed that further research was needed to examine the systems in place in other professions and jurisdictions, with the aim of producing a benchmarking report.

The SRA plans to consult widely with the profession on key aspects of its research, with the aim of testing several concepts and approaches. This research phase is expected to last until mid-2012.

Maxine Warr, policy manager in the SRA’s training and education unit, told the Gazette that the SRA would look at the systems in place in a range of professions including medicine, accountancy and pharmacy, as well as foreign jurisdictions including Canada and Australia, including New South Wales.

She said the SRA had already noted the ‘reflective’ approach used by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which requires members to show what learning objectives their CPD training has met, and what skills and knowledge were gained.

Warr said that the SRA would also look at professions that used online monitoring of CPD compliance.

She added that the regulator was keen to hear from solicitors who may want to participate in focus groups or informal consultations as the review develops.

Warr said: ‘We know that there is already a lot of good practice happening in relation to CPD within the solicitors’ profession, and we want to build on that. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel, or put in place regulatory requirements that won’t work in practice. We are trying to understand how the profession does CPD and what best practice exists.’

The CPD research will feed into the wider Legal Education and Training Review currently being jointly conducted by the SRA, Bar Standards Board and ILEX, under the supervision of the Legal Services Board.

Solicitors seeking to contribute to the CPD review process should contact trainingconsultations@sra.org.uk.