A practical guide to the SRA’s continuing competence requirements and how solicitors can meet them in practice. It explains why competence is no longer about counting CPD hours, how to identify and address real learning needs, and what to record to show that learning has improved your practice. It also covers the SRA’s 2026 proposals for mandatory record-keeping and annual ethics discussions, which would raise the stakes for solicitors and firms alike.
Why download this guide
- Understand what the SRA expects now that there’s no minimum number of CPD hours
- Learn how to reflect on your practice and turn gaps into a focused learning plan
- See exactly what to record, with a worked example you can adapt
- Make your annual competence declaration with confidence rather than as a box-ticking exercise
- Prepare now for proposed tougher requirements, including mandatory ethics discussions
What’s in the guide
- What continuing competence means and who it applies to, including in-house and overseas solicitors
- The SRA’s five-step process: reflect, identify, plan and address, record, evaluate
- The “What? So what? Now what?” reflection framework, with a worked example
- The ten areas of practice solicitors should reflect on, from technical law to AML and technology
- How to identify learning needs, and which activities count as learning
- A sample learning record, plus a focus on ethics and the SRA’s 2026 consultation
- The annual competence declaration and what happens when competence concerns arise
- Firms’ responsibilities, with a case study on inadequate supervision and serious harm to clients
- A practical quarter-by-quarter continuing competence cycle
