Professional Development: DCA scheme offers practitioners opportunity to observe the work of judges in courts

The Law Society has approved judicial work shadowing as a method of completing the number of hours required under its compulsory professional development (CPD) regime.


The arrangement covers the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) scheme that gives practitioners the opportunity to spend up to three days observing the work of a circuit judge or a district judge in either the civil or magistrates’ courts.


Shadowing under the scheme – which was set up seven years ago as part of efforts to encourage a more diverse range of applicants to the judiciary – can cover any aspect of judicial case management in practice, both in and out of court, to give practitioners the opportunity to see at first hand what judges do. More than one judge can be shadowed and there are safeguards to ensure that no conflict of interest arises.


The Society’s training committee also decided that credit should be available to all solicitors involved in such activities, not just those who participated in the DCA scheme.


To count, the committee said the judicial shadowing experience would need to be structured, have clear aims and objectives and provide an opportunity for the solicitor to reflect on the experience and the learning gained.


Practitioners must have completed their annual CPD requirement by 31 October 2005. All solicitors and registered European lawyers in legal practice or employment in England and Wales, who work 32 hours or more per week, are required to complete a minimum of 16 hours per year, 25% of which must consist of participation in accredited training courses. A record of CPD training must be kept, which the Society may ask to see at any time for monitoring purposes.


Law Society President Kevin Martin said: ‘Compulsory professional development isn’t just about going on courses. It is a chance for all solicitors to develop their professional knowledge, skills and values with a range of activities. We hope that work shadowing will encourage solicitors to learn from others in a practical environment.’


The DCA work shadowing scheme, which is free of charge, is administered by its judicial and appointments policy Unit. An application form can be downloaded at www.dca.gov.uk.