1. Continuing Legal Education Julian Lonbay

2. OUTLINE The CCBE Outline of its educational work, in particular regarding continuing professional development (continuing legal education)

3. Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union representative organisation for professional bodies, not individual lawyers based in Brussels secretariat of 9 people CCBE

4. -18 full members (15 EU and 3 EEA) -13 observer members (mainly from central and eastern Europe, but also Switzerland, Cyprus, Turkey) -some observers will become full members in May 2004 -funded by subscriptions Composition of the CCBE

5. lobbies on issues relating to lawyers’ interests, such as professional secrecy (anti-money laundering legislation, SEC rules), GATS negotiations, changes in substantive EU law in the field of crime or companies is the officially recognised body for lawyers before the EU courts and institutions Role of the CCBE

6. The CCBE has various levels of decision- making: committees on specific issues (e.g. Training) Presidency of 3 people Standing Committee (5x per year) with heads of delegations Plenary Session (2x per year) with full delegations CCBE Decision-making

7. CPD rationale Help maintain and grow professional knowledge and skill and thus to promote the survival of the professions as well as individual practitioners Protect consumers (and compensation funds) –Help individual members of the profession keep up to scratch –ensuring further legal educational provision Professional quality is the desired result

8. Issues Who provides the training, what should be the subjects of such training, and how it is monitored and controlled are all problematic issues. Even the preceding question of does it work can be raised. The CCBE is in the process of fact-finding and consultation. Over half of the delegations have responded to a questionnaire

9. Which topics and who provides it Leave it to lawyers themselves or set some topics as mandatory –Which? Deontology EC law etc Provision by Bar Councils and legal education and training institutions -broad provisions including reading, writing, lecturing etc.

10. Verification and control Problem issues –Objective verification, control –Verification Typically measured in hours / credits –But is time usefully filled? This is the responsibility of the lawyers themselves –Control Providers + participants keep records –sanctions »Failure to have doc proof = discipline offence »Administrative burden »Legal effects

11. Role for European Law Faculties Distance learning Cross border accreditation We will see now what has happened in the USA and how Leuven is steaming ahead http://elfa.bham.ac.uk/http://elfa.bham.ac.uk/http://elfa.bham.ac.uk/