Continuing professional development
Law: Trainee CPD
Our Trainee CPD (TCPD) programme is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland. It allows legal trainees to work towards achievement and demonstration of the PEAT 2 prescribed Learning Outcomes.
- Contact: law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk
- CPD: individual courses; 40 and 60 hour packages
Why this course
- We provide innovative CPD courses which are developed
by practitioners, created specifically for trainees, and delivered by trained subject experts.
- Our programmes are designed to suit your individual preferences and to reflect the changing needs of your clients and the legal marketplace.
- Please note the recent statement issued by the Law Society of Scotland in regards to Changes to Trainee CPD requirements due to COVID-19
- Option 1: 40 accredited hours which trainees are required to complete by the Law Society of Scotland over the 2 year period of traineeship; or
- Option 2: 60 accredited hours which covers the total hours required by the Law Society of Scotland over the 2 year period of traineeship.
- A minimum of 40 hours of the minimum 60 hours must come from an authorised provider.
- Between months nine and 15 of a traineeship, you are required to undertake the mandatory ethics course. This is the only mandatory element of TCPD and must be of at least four hours' training and come from an authorised provider.
- The Society would expect that a minimum of 30 hours of TCPD should normally have been undertaken by month 15 of the traineeship but this is not a requirement.
- Trainees should note that, should they wish to be admitted as a solicitor after the first year of their training contact has been completed, they will require to have completed a minimum of 20 hours of TCPD.
Individual courses
All of our courses can be taken and paid for individually. For the individual pricing, please select the relevant course below. If you are planning to take multiple courses, we recommend one of our trainee packages.
Trainee packages
We offer two trainee packages designed to help you and your employer get the best value from your investment:
Option 1 - 40 accredited hours of Trainee CPD
This package allows you to source a total of 40 accredited TCPD hours from our list of courses, enabling you to choose the most relevant courses to your stage and area of practice as you progress through your traineeship. For example, you may wish in the first year to concentrate on core skills, such as team working or technical skills such as advocacy.
The fee for this option is £1,200 (VAT is not applicable).
Option 2 - 60 accredited hours of Trainee CPD
This package allows you to source a total of 60 accredited TCPD hours from our list of courses, enabling you to choose the most relevant courses to your stage and area of practice as you progress through your traineeship. For example, you may wish in the first year to concentrate on core skills, such as team working or technical skills such as advocacy.
The fee for this option is £1,800 (VAT is not applicable).
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Law Society of Scotland Requirements
Over the course of a traineeship, you are required to undertake a minimum of 60 hours of TCPD:
Further information on traineeships can be found on the Law Society of Scotland's 'Qualifying and education' webpages.
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Cancellation Policy
We require 48 hours notice of cancellation for all TCPD courses.
In the event of cancellation less than 48 hours in advance of a course, delegates will have the 'accredited hours' applicable to that course deducted from their package. Similarly if a class has been booked and the delegate does not turn up.
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Find out what previous attendees said about our courses.
Course structure
Courses can be chosen from any of the courses listed below. The timetable is subject to change. If less than four participants register for one course, we reserve the right to cancel that course.
Courses listed by core skills
Our core skills courses are an excellent way to build a strong foundation for practising law.
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Business, Commercial, Financial & Practice Awareness
Dates: |
2023: Thursday 30th November - Part 1 Thursday 7th December - Part 2 Please contact law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk if you are interested in this course. |
Time | 18.00 - 20.00 |
Training Hours: | 4 hours (plus 1 hour individual preparation time - 5 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: |
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Target Audience: | Trainees |
Delivered by: |
Stephen Vallance, Solicitor and Business Consultant Stephen Vallance, having run his own practice for 25 years, now has a diverse work portfolio that includes, amongst other things, Legal Sector Development Solicitor at Connect2law (Harper Macleod). He is also a co-founder of an online legal services business, Legalbot. He has produced and presented seminars on various management topics for the Law Society of Scotland and is a Founder and Chairman (for 4 years) of the Live@Troon Music Festival. He tutors in Private Client, PCC and BEFPA at the University of Glasgow as well as teaching on the TCPD programme. |
Cost: |
£175 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Ethics - PEAT 2 Mandatory element
Please note that in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, you can currently undertake the mandatory ethics course between months nine and 24 of a traineeship.
Ethics Mandatory (evening class)
Dates: |
2023: Tuesday 12th September - Ethics Part 1 Wednesday 13th September - Ethics Part 2 Tuesday 12th December - Ethics Part 1 Wednesday 13th December - Ethics Part 2 If you are interested in this course, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 4 hours over 2 sessions (4 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis:
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Target Audience: | Trainees |
Delivered by: |
John Mackie, Solicitor John Mackie is a Partner at PRG Partnership Solicitors. John practises in many areas of the law but has a particular interest in entertainment, media and intellectual property law as well as claims based on contract and professional negligence. He acts for a number of high profile clients involved in the entertainment industry as well as from the worlds of construction and commerce. He also maintains a successful private client practice at the firm’s head office in Glasgow and at our branch office in Erskine. He is also a tutor for the University of Glasgow's Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. |
Cost: |
£150 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Negotiation Skills & Client Interview Skills
Date: |
2023: Monday 27th November - Part 1 (Introduction to Interviewing) Wednesday 29th November - Part 2 (Interviewing Roleplay) Monday 4th December - Part 3 (Introduction to Negotiation) Wednesday 6th December - Part 4 (Negotiation Roleplay) If you are interested in this course, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 8 hours over 4 sessions (plus 2 hours preparation time - 10 hours in total) |
Venue: | School of Law, University of Glasgow |
Course Synopsis: |
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Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified lawyers |
Delivered by: |
Kieran Burke Kieran is originally from Northern Ireland and moved to Scotland to study law at the University of Glasgow. He was an in-house solicitor at the Scottish Legal Aid for a number of years, before taking up a policy role in the Access to Justice Unit with the Scottish Government, which where he is currently employed. He also tutors Commercial Awareness and Public Law on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice course at the University of Glasgow. |
Cost: |
£350 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Team Working & Delegation with Confident Presentations & Networking
Dates: |
2023: Wednesday 1st November - Team Working Part 1 Thursday 2nd November - Confident Presentations & Networking Part 1 Wednesday 8th November - Team Working Part 2 Thursday 9th November - Confident Presentations & Networking Part 2 If you are interested in this course, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 8 hours over 4 sessions (plus 2 hour individual preparation time - 10 accredited hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: |
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Target Audience: | Trainees |
Delivered by: |
Stephen Vallance, Solicitor and Business Consultant Stephen Vallance, having run his own practice for 25 years, now has a diverse work portfolio that includes, amongst other things, Legal Sector Development Solicitor at Connect2law (Harper Macleod). He is also co-founder of an online legal services business, Legalbot. He has produced and presented seminars on various management topics for the Law Society of Scotland and is a Founder and Chairman (for 4 years) of the Live@Troon Music Festival. He tutors in Private Client, PCC and BEFPA at the University of Glasgow as well as teaching on the TCPD programme. |
Cost: |
£350 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Time Management & Prioritisation
Date: |
Thursday 16th November Please contact law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk if you are interested in this course. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 2 hour session (2 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: |
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Target Audience: | Trainees and qualified lawyers |
Delivered by: |
Stephen Vallance, Solicitor and Business Consultant Stephen Vallance, having run his own practice for 25 years, now has a diverse work portfolio that includes, amongst other things, Legal Sector Development Solicitor at Connect2law (Harper Macleod). He is also co-founder of an online legal services business, Legalbot. He has produced and presented seminars on various management topics for the Law Society of Scotland and is a Founder and Chairman (for 4 years) of the Live@Troon Music Festival. He tutors in Private Client, PCC and BEFPA at the University of Glasgow as well as teaching on the TCPD programme. |
Cost: |
£70 (No VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Courses listed by technical skills
Our technical courses are taught wholly or partially in our mock courtroom to give trainees a taste of what it's like to be in court.
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Advocacy Skills for Courts & Tribunals
This course has been reinstated but is not now taking place in evenings.
Instead, it is being run during the day from 11am - 4pm over 2 consecutive Thursdays.
Dates: |
2023: Thursday 19th October - Part 1 Thursday 26th October - Part 2 |
Time: | 11am - 4pm |
Training Hours: | 8 hours over 4 sessions (plus 2 hours individual preparation time) - 10 accredited hours total |
Venue: |
In person on the University of Glasgow main campus. The course will mostly take place in the Alexander Stone Court Room (Moot Court Room) at Glasgow to replicate as far as possible real court conditions. |
Course Synopsis: |
These highly practical sessions will be fully interactive, allowing participants to practice and hone their presentational skills. The course will cover:
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Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified lawyers. The course will be run in small groups to allow each trainee full participation in developing Advocacy Skills. |
Delivered by: |
Tutors: Peter Galletly
Catherine Hart Catherine Hart is a solicitor and has been in the profession for 30 years. She worked as a fee earner in litigation teams for the first half of her career, but the direction of her career changed around 15 years ago when she took up a role as a professional support lawyer. She worked for Biggart Ballie LLP (now DWF LLP) for seven years, before joining Digby Brown LLP, a firm specialising in personal injury claims. Catherine is now a partner and Head of Professional Support at Digby Brown LLP. She has spoken at a number of events about the importance of professional support, a topic she is passionate about, and has also written about the role. As part of her role, Catherine develops and delivers training, including the firm’s TCPD programme. Catherine has been a tutor and senior tutor on several courses on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Glasgow University for over a decade and is still involved in the Diploma in a non-teaching role. She developed and delivered courses on civil litigation and negotiation for trainees as part of the University’s CPE programme. She is also a Vice Chair of the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal and has an interest in regulation and compliance. |
Cost: |
£350 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Civil Litigation - Practical Aspects
Dates:
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2023: Tuesday 14th November - Part 1 (online) Wednesday 15th November - Part 2 (online) Tuesday 21st November - Part 3 (online) Wednesday 22nd November - Part 4 (in person) Please contact law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk if you are interested in this course. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 8 hours over 4 sessions (plus 2 hours preparation time - 10 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online and in person for the final session |
Course Synopsis: |
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Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified lawyers |
Delivered by: | Gerry McWilliams |
Cost: |
£350 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Essential Criminal Law Skills
Dates: |
2023: Part 1: Wednesday 20th September Part 2: Wednesday 27th September Part 3: Wednesday 4th October If you are interested in this course, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk. |
Time: | 6pm-8pm |
Training Hours: | 6 hours over 3 sessions (6 hours in total) |
Venue: |
Evening class taking place in person on the University of Glasgow main campus. |
Course Synopsis: |
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified solicitors |
Delivered by: |
Martin Morrow, Solicitor-Advocate and Director, MTM Defence Lawyers Limited Martin is a Solicitor Advocate with MTM Defence in Falkirk. He trained in Glasgow from 1986-1988 exclusively in criminal court work before moving to Falkirk. In 1993 he was a founding partner of MTM which is now one of the largest criminal firms in Central Scotland. In 1997 he became the youngest elected member of the Law Society Council and was re-elected thereafter. He has been involved in many test cases, challenging in 1998 the admissibility of interviews of accused conducted out with the presence of a solicitor. In 1992 he brought a challenge to the validity of the use of the Intoximeter in drink driving cases. In 2006 he qualified as a Solicitor Advocate and has appeared in the High Court and the Appeal Court on charges ranging from murder to drug supply. |
Cost: |
£210 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Courses listed by specialist expertise
Our specialist courses focus on particular aspects of the law and show both the theoretical and practical side of each area.
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Data Protection & Freedom of Information
Dates: |
2023: Part 1 - Tuesday 19th September Please contact law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk if you are interested in this course. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 6 hours over 3 sessions (plus 4 hours individual preparation time - 10 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: |
Part 1 - An introduction to the Data Protection Act 1998 Part 2 - An introduction to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations. Part 3 - The interface between Data Protection and Freedom of Information |
Target Audience: | Trainees, newly qualified lawyers and professionals |
Delivered by: |
Daradjeet Jagpal, Director and Legal Consultant, Information Law Solutions Limited Daradjeet Jagpal is Director and Legal Consultant at Information Law Solutions Limited, an independent consultancy providing advisory, training and audit services in Data Protection, Freedom of Information and Direct Marketing laws to private, third and public sector clients across the UK. He has advised clients of all sizes from start-up businesses, well-known commercial brands to UK Government Departments and Scottish Government Directorates. He was single-handedly responsible for advising the Organising Committee of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on Information Law issues associated with the organisation, management, broadcasting and delivery of the Games. He is a regular contributor to legal and industry publications and has been asked to comment on developments in Information Law for: LexisNexis; the International Bar Association; Workplace Law Magazine; The Herald and The Scotsman newspapers; Scottish Legal News; Scottish Housing News; Inside Housing; and Third Force News, amongst others. He has two Masters' level degrees in Information Law (with distinction) and has completed the Information Systems Examinations Board's certificate course in Data Protection Law. He speaks widely at client and third party events. In 2010, he was invited by the first Scottish Information Commissioner to address the Commissioner on the scope of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and their possible application to the private sector in Scotland. His submissions to the Commissioner resulted in the Regulations being extended in application to registered social landlords in Scotland in June 2014. He has separately been commissioned by the University to write and produce online training videos and associated test questions for University staff on data security matters. |
Cost: |
£350 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Family Law
Dates: |
2023: Part 1 - Wednesday 18th October Part 2 - Tuesday 24th October Part 3 - Wednesday 25th October If you are interested in this course, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 6 hours over 3 sessions (6 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: | Part 1: Family mediation. Parts 2 and 3: Investigation and collation of information, the preparation of a schedule of matrimonial assets and liabilities, the consideration and negotiation of a scheme of division and the drafting of a Minute of Agreement. |
Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified lawyers |
Delivered by: |
Nicos Scholarios, Senior Partner, MSM Nicos Scholarios is the Senior Tutor in Family Law and a Tutor in BEFPA on the Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Glasgow. He qualified as a Solicitor in 1983. He is Senior Partner of MSM Solicitors, with offices in Paisley and Glasgow. Nicos is a general practitioner with extensive experience in Family Law and has been an accredited Family Law Mediator since 1995. He is currently Secretary of CALM, an association of Lawyer Mediators in Scotland. |
Cost: |
£210 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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Human Rights Law
Dates: |
2023: Part 1 - Tuesday 10th October Part 2 - Wednesday 11th October Part 3 - Tuesday 17th October Please contact law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk if you are interested in this course. |
Time: | 18.00-20.00 |
Training Hours: | 6 hours over 3 sessions (6 hours in total) |
Venue: | Online |
Course Synopsis: |
Part 1 - Strasbourg and UK Systems Part 2 - Life, inhuman treatment and liberty Part 3 - Qualified rights - privacy, religion and expression |
Target Audience: | Trainees and newly qualified solicitors |
Delivered by: |
Julie Clarke Julie is a Scottish Solicitor with rights of audience in the higher courts. She did her traineeship with a private firm. After completing her traineeship, she was made an associate and then partner, appearing in courts all over Scotland and in Strasbourg. She specialised in criminal law and human rights with a particular interest in Art 3, specifically prison conditions and the rights of those in custody. |
Cost: |
£210 (no VAT applicable) If you have already registered with a trainee package, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk to reserve your place on this course. |
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CPD Training Calendar
View our calendar to find out when the next courses are taking place.
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Calendar 2023
Tuesday 12th September |
Ethics Part 1 |
Wednesday 13th September | Ethics Part 2 |
Tuesday 19th September | Data Protection and Freedom of Information Part 1 |
Wednesday 20th September | Essential Criminal Law Skills Part 1 |
Thursday 21st September | Data Protection and Freedom of Information Part 2 |
Tuesday 26th September |
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Part 3 |
Wednesday 27th September |
Essential Criminal Law Skills Part 2 |
Wednesday 4th October |
Essential Criminal Law Skills Part 3 |
Tuesday 10th October |
Human Rights Law - Part 1 |
Wednesday 11th October |
Human Rights Law - Part 2 |
Tuesday 17th October |
Human Rights Law - Part 3 |
Wednesday 18th October |
Family Law - Part 1 |
Thursday 19th October |
Advocacy Skills for Courts and Tribunals Part 1 |
Tuesday 24th October |
Family Law - Part 2 |
Wednesday 25th October |
Family Law - Part 3 |
Thursday 26th October | Advocacy Skills for Court and Tribunals Part 2 |
Wednesday 1st November | Team Working and Delegation with Confident Presentations and Networking (Team Working Part 1) |
Thursday 2nd November | Team Working and Delegation with Confident Presentations and Networking (Confident Presentations Part 1) |
Wednesday 8th November | Team Working and Delegation with Confident Presentations and Networking (Confident Presentations Part 2) |
Thursday 9th November | Team Working and Delegation with Confident Presentations and Networking (Confident Presentations Part 2) |
Tuesday 14th November | Civil Litigation Part 1 |
Wednesday 15th November | Civil Litigation Part 2 |
Thursday 16th November | Time Management and Prioritisation |
Tuesday 21st November | Civil Litigation Part 3 |
Wednesday 22nd November | Civil Litigtion Part 4 |
Monday 27th November | Negotiation Skills and Client Interview Skills – Part 1 (Introduction to interviewing) |
Wednesday 29th November | Negotiation Skills and Client Interview Skills - Part 2 (Interviewing Roleplay) |
Thursday 30th November | Business, Commercial, Financial and Practice Awareness - Part 1 |
Monday 4th December | Negotiation Skills and Client Interview Skills – Part 3 (Introduction to Negotiation) |
Wednesday 6th December | Negotiation Skills and Client Interview Skills – Part 4 (Negotiation Roleplay) |
Thursday 7th December | Business, Commercial, Financial and Practice Awareness - Part 2 |
Tuesday 12th December | Ethics - Part 1 |
Wednesday 13th December | Ethics - Part 2 |
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Course alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours
to run all courses as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw
or alter a course. For more information, please see: Student contract.
Fees & funding
Fees
- 40 accredited hours: £1,200
- 60 accredited hours: £1,800
- Individual courses: for the price of individual courses, please select the relevant course above
VAT is not applicable.
How to apply
To apply for any individual course(s) or to register for one of our CPD packages, please email law-cpe@glasgow.ac.uk and make sure to include the following information:
- Full name and email address
- Whether you would like to attend any individual course(s), or if you would like to sign up for one of our CPD packages (please specify whether you are registering for the 40-hour or 60-hour contract in your email).
- Invoicing details (this includes the full name and address of your firm, as well as the full name, contact number and email address of who will receive the invoice).
If you are registering for a CPD contract, our TCPD administrator, Zoma Choudary, will send out the relevant paperwork to you on receipt of your email.