Accreditations

The Law Society of Hong Kong

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Scheme

A solicitor and a trainee solicitor must accumulate 15 CPD accreditation points in each CPD practice year. Generally, 1 CPD point will be awarded to 1 hour of lecture (excluding breaks) for courses, seminars and conferences in lecture style. For workshops and courses with interactive discussion, more points may be awarded. A CPD practice year is a period of 12 months ending on 31 October each year in legal practice or in employment as a solicitor or in employment as a trainee solicitor (1 November to 31 October).

Courses & Seminars is an accredited provider of the Law Society of Hong Kong

C&S has been an accredited provider of The Law Society of Hong Kong since 2001 and our accredited CPD Law courses will count towards the CPD points of the CPD Scheme of the Law Society of Hong Kong.

To enable attendees to claim CPD points, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

Attendance Policy of the Law Society of Hong Kong

With effect from 1 November 2008, the Law Society has introduced an honour-based CPD Scheme and Law Society members are no longer required to scan their membership cards to record course attendance. After completion of an accredited CPD course, a practitioner shall make a record of the points awarded to the course he / she has attended in his / her own training records, provided that no points at all should be claimed by him / her for attending a course if he / she is absent (excluding scheduled breaks) for more than 10 minutes during that course (where the course is less than 3 hours) or for more than 30 minutes during that course (if the course is 3 hours or more).

Where a course participant both arrives late and leaves early in the same course, the grace period or partial award of CPD points will not apply. In such cases, no CPD points will be awarded for attendance at that course.

Where courses last for more than one day and have been accredited as a whole (i.e. not on a segment basis), the attendance policy will apply on a continuous basis. Attendance at all segments and days (as the case may be) is necessary in order to obtain CPD points (and total absence period may not be more than 30 minutes). Where the individual segments or days of a course of one or more days duration has been accredited by the CPD Accreditation Sub-Committee, solicitors and trainee solicitors attending each accredited segment(s) or day(s) of the course in full will be entitled to claim the CPD points accredited to that segment(s) or day(s) (provided that his / her absence for that segment or day does not exceed the maximum absence period as prescribed above).

Therefore, if you want ALL your CPD points, please be ON TIME and DO NOT LEAVE during a course.

For more details, please refer to the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Information Package

The Law Society of British Columbia (Canada)

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Requirements

The Law Society of British Columbia requires that, each calendar year, all practising BC lawyers complete and report completion online of at least 12 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in accredited educational activities.

At least two of these hours must relate to any combination of the following topics: professional responsibility and ethics, client care and relations, or practice management.

The CPD accredited activities are not limited to subject matter dealing primarily with BC or Canadian law but must deal primarily with one or more of:

  • Substantive law
  • Procedural law
  • Professional ethics
  • Practice management (including client care and relations
  • Lawyering skills

C&S is a pre-approved provider of the Law Society of British Columbia

C&S has become a pre-approved provider of the Law Society of British Columbia in 2011 and our courses marked with CPD BC Law are accredited activities that can satisfy CPD requirements for BC lawyers. These courses are also listed on BC Law Society’s website where BC lawyers can log on to view upcoming CPD courses.

C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more information, please refer to The Law Society of British Columbia Continuing Professional Development.

US Qualified Lawyers - New York State Bar Association

NY CLE (Continuing Legal Education) Program

C&S courses for CLE purpose: Approved Jurisdiction policy

Under New York’s Approved Jurisdiction policy, New York has adopted procedures to extend comity to jurisdictions whose CLE accreditation standards meet New York’s standards. New York currently has 28 Approved Jurisdiction, including the Law Society of Hong Kong.

Most courses offered by C&S are accredited by the Law Society of Hong Kong and by virtue of the Approved Jurisdiction Policy stated above, these courses should qualify as CLE courses, attendance of which should enable New York attorneys or newly qualified New York Attorneys to fulfill their CLE requirements, depending on the level of the courses and the nature of topics.

It is however up to an individual attorney to decide whether a particular course is appropriate for him/her and whether the course falls under a particular area which he / she needs to obtain CLE in. C&S does not warrant that attendance at our courses for the requisite number of hours would automatically enable the attorney to fulfill his/her specific CLE requirements prescribed by the New York State CLE Board.

For more details, please refer to the following websites:

Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Program For Attorneys In The State Of New York

New York’s Approved Jurisdiction policy, please refer to

New York State Unified Course System Continuing Legal Education and Section 6 of the CLE Board Regulations and Guidelines.

US Qualified Lawyers: The State Bar of California

Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirements for Active Members of the State Bar of California

C&S Courses for MCLE Purpose: Approved Jurisdiction Policy

A California attorney can claim California MCLE credit for education activities attended / taken outside California provided that:

  • the attorney is outside California when attending / taking the activity;
  • the activity is the type of activity that can be approved for California MCLE credit;
  • the activity is approved by an Approved Jurisdiction including Hong Kong

If the criteria above are met, neither the provider nor the member needs to submit the activity to California for approval. California credit can be claimed by the attorney, based on the fact an approved jurisdiction approved the activity.

As C&S is an accredited provider of the Law Society of Hong Kong, all our CPD Law accredited courses can satisfy the MCLE requirements provided that they are the type of activities that can be approved for California MCLE credit. However C&S does not warrant that attendance at our CPD Law accredited courses for the requisite number of hours would automatically enable the attorney to fulfill his / her specific MCLE requirements prescribed by the State Bar of California. It is up to the individual attorney to decide whether or not a particular course is appropriate for him / her and whether or not the course falls under a particular area in which he / she needs to obtain MCLE.

To enable California attorneys to claim MCLE credits, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more details, please refer to the following links at the State Bar of California website:

MCLE Program

Attorney Information

Approved Jurisdictions

FAQ

The Securities & Futures Commission

CPT (Continuous Professional Training) Scheme

Persons engaging in regulated activities should continuously update their knowledge and skills through Continuous Professional Training (CPT). According to Guidelines on Continuous Professional Training (GCPT) of The Securities & Futures Commission (SFC), CPT is the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills to enable individuals carrying on regulated activities to perform their duties competently. Professionals and an individual must undertake a minimum of 5 CPT hours per calendar year for each regulated activity he engages in except for Type 7 (providing automated trading services) regulated activity.

Activities Relevant for CPT Purposes

CPT hours are time spent by individuals in undertaking CPT activities. The CPT activities should be of relevance to the functions to be performed by them and of significant intellectual and practical contents which involve interaction with other individuals. Attending courses, workshops, lectures and seminars are acceptable methods of achieving CPT.

Below are the topics relevant for CPT Purposes:

  • Applicable compliance, legislative and regulatory standards
  • Business conduct and ethical standards
  • New financial products in the industry and the associated risk
  • Management systems
  • Business communication skills and trade practice
  • General law principles
  • Computer knowledge
  • Basic accounting theories
  • Fundamental economic analysis

Relevant topics for responsible officers or executive officers of registered institutions who play a crucial role in ensuring effective corporate governance and control may, in addition to the above topics, include the following:

  • Business management
  • Risk management and control strategy
  • General management and supervisory skills
  • Macro and micro economic analysis
  • Financial reporting and quantitative analysis

The SFC would like to stress that the above topics are examples only and they are by no means exhaustive.

C&S Courses for CPT Purpose

Corporations are held primarily responsible for designing and implementing a CPT program best suited to the training needs of the individuals they engaged and which will enhance their industry knowledge, skills and professionalism. Our courses can fulfill CPT requirements when corporations decide our courses meet their training needs.

However C&S does not warrant that the attendance of our courses would automatically be recognized by the SFC as fulfilling your CPT requirements.

To enable individuals to claim CPT points, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

Sufficient records on the programs and the CPT activities undertaken by the individuals should be kept for a minimum of 3 years and be made available for inspection or upon request by the SFC (for training undertaken by licensed representatives and responsible officers of licensed corporations) or the HKMA (for training undertaken by relevant individuals and executive officers of registered institutions).

For more details, please refer to the Guidelines on Continuous Professional Training of the SFC.

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute CFA Institute Continuing Education (CE) Program

CFA & CE Program Information

The CFA Institute recommends that their members complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education (CE) activities, inclusive of a minimum of 2 content hours in the topical areas of Standards, Ethics, and Regulations (SER), on a yearly basis.

  • 1 CE credit hour is equal to one hour (60-minute) of educational activity
  • Credit can be allocated in half-hour increments (rounded to the nearest half hour)
  • 40 CE credits is the maximum credit amount that can be allocated for any individual program
  • Credit assigned in the topical areas of Standards, Ethics, and Regulations (SER) is a subset of the total number of assigned CE credit hour

Programs eligible for CE credit must be related to one or more topics incorporated in the CFA Institute Global Body of Investment Knowledge (GMIKTM). For the details, please refer to the Member Guidebook (PDF)

C&S is an Approved-Provider of CFA CE Programmes

C&S is registered with the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute as an Approved-Provider of Continuing Education Programmes. All of our courses marked with “CFA CE credits” are recognized as qualified CE activities by CFA.

For details, please refer to the link below:

https://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/continuinged/Pages/index.aspx

 

International Compliance Association (ICA)

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Scheme

The ICA CPD scheme seeks to ensure that ICA members are able to be up-to-date and conversant with current trends, topics, laws and regulations. The CPD rules are part of the quality assurance bond between the member and the association. Every ICA professional member or Fellow (member) to which the CPD rules apply shall complete and record in each year of their membership 15 hours of approved CPD/CPE activities.

C&S is the Local Operator of the ICA International Diploma

In Hong Kong ICA has an established partnership with C&S. We are the local operator of the ICA International Diploma in Compliance and the ICA International Diploma in Anti Money Laundering in Hong Kong.

C&S offer a number of courses on subjects that are relevant to the skills of a compliance, AML or financial crime prevention professionals. All of our courses marked with “ICA CPD credits” are accredited as approved CPD activities by ICA. A special 10% discount of the regular course fee is available to ICA members to enroll in our ICA accredited courses. Please provide your ICA membership number when you register to obtain the special discount.

To record CPD hours, you must submit your annual CPD record online. We will issue a certificate of attendance to you as evidence that you have indeed attended the course and will state the duration of the course. We will only issue a certificate of attendance if you have signed in AND signed out before you leave the course.

For more details, please refer to ICA CPD Regulations.

ica-logo

 

Hong Kong Listed Companies CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Scheme

CPD Scheme

The Listing Rules and the Code of Corporate Governance (Appendix 14 of the Listing Rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) contains provisions relating to continuing professional development of listed company directors and company secretaries as follows:

A.6. Responsibilities of Directors

Principle

Every director must always know his responsibilities as a director of an issuer and its conduct, business activities and development. Given the essential unitary nature of the board, non-executive directors have the same duties of care and skill and fiduciary duties as executive directors

Code Provisions

A.6.1 Every newly appointed director of an issuer should receive a comprehensive, formal and tailored induction on appointment. Subsequently he should receive any briefing and professional development necessary to ensure that he has a proper understanding of the issuer’s operations and business and is fully aware of his responsibilities under statute and common law, the Exchange Listing Rules, legal and other regulatory requirements and the issuer’s business and governance policies.

A.6.5 All directors should participate in continuous professional development to develop and refresh their knowledge and skills. This is to ensure that their contribution to the board remains informed and relevant. The issuer should be responsible for arranging and funding suitable training, placing an appropriate emphasis on the roles, functions and duties of a listed company director.

Note: Directors should provide a record of the training they received to the issuer.

C&S Course for Listed Company Directors and Company Secretaries

C&S provides a wide variety of courses which we consider are relevant and appropriate for listed company directors and senior management to achieve the above mentioned objectives, including courses related to corporate governance, Listing Rules, directors’ duties & liabilities, Securities & Futures Ordinance, employment, finance and investment related areas.

C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more details, please see Code on Corporate Governance Practices.

The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS)

Enhanced Continuing Professional Development (ECPD)

The Enhanced Continuing Professional Development (ECPD) Programme which the Institute has been running since August 2004 is widely acknowledged by attendees, regulators and employers as an effective method of improving individuals’ secretarial skills and raising industry standards.

Relevant persons who wish to apply for the Practitioner’s Endorsement are subject to more stringent CPD requirements. They will be required to accumulate at least 15 ECPD points within any CPD year.

HKICS ECPD points will be awarded for participation of activities including attending accredited seminars by Hong Kong Law society on Approve topics including:

  • HKEx Listing Rules – including amendments and issues relating thereto
  • Companies Ordinance
  • Companies Acts in other jurisdictions where most of the listed and private overseas companies are registered
  • Securities and Futures Ordinance
  • Hong Kong Codes on Takeovers and Mergers
  • Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards or the International Accounting Standards
  • Corporate governance (in particular board practices; directors’ duties and shareholders’ rights)
  • Incorporation, administration, sale, disposal and dissolution of a company
  • Aspects of doing business in mainland China (including establishing representative offices and entities on the mainland, corporate administration of China entities and representative offices, arbitration law of the PRC and others)
  • Hong Kong and PRC taxation update
  • Anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing matters
  • Risk management and internal control issues
  • Trusts
  • Intellectual Property – law and practice 10
  • Equity / debt capital and financing
  • Employment/ Human resources – practical and legal issues
  • Mandatory Provident Fund
  • Communication skills
  • Other topics which are relevant to company secretarial practice

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) committed to ensure high standards of work within the profession and promotes continuing professional development (CPD) which is the systematic maintenance, improvement, and extension of professional, technical and managerial knowledge and skills necessary for the execution of the professional duties of Chartered Secretaries. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is applicable to all members of the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) starting from 1st August 2011

HKICS recommends that all relevant persons undertake a least 15 CPD points a year.

A CPD Year is a period of 12 months in line with the financial year of HKICS from time to time (which is currently 1st August to 31st July).

HKICS adopts a staged approach in its implementation of mandatory CPD requirements. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is applicable to all members of the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) starting from August 2011 HKICS recommends that all members undertake a least 15 CPD points a year. If a member has no intention of applying for the Practitioner’s Endorsement, he/she may obtain the remaining CPD points from other course providers. A CPD Year is a period of 12 months in line with the financial year of HKICS from time to time (which is currently 1 August to 31 July). Will adopt a staged approach in its implementation of mandatory CPD requirements.

Phase Applicable to members who are qualified: Commencement date for compliance with mandatory CPD requirements
1 On or after 1st Jan 2005 1st Aug 2011
2 Between 1st Jan 2000 to 31st Dec 2004 1st Aug 2013
3 Between 1st Jan 1995 to 31st Dec 1999 1st Aug 2015
4 On or before 31st Dec 1994 1st Aug 2017

Unlike ECPD, CPD courses do not need to be approved by the HKICS. It is entirely up to the individual Member to judge the suitability of a particular program.

Individual Members can use his or her own discretion to decide which activities are suitable to fulfill the CPD requirements as long as he or she can provide evidence (e.g. attendance certificate) of participation in such CPD activities issued by a competent source.

C&S Courses for CPD Purpose

We have been an accredited provider of Hong Kong Law Society since 2001 and our accredited CPD Law courses will count towards the CPD points of the CPD Scheme of the Law Society.

To enable individuals to claim CPT points, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more details, please refer to the Mandatory CPD Policy and ECPD Programme Guide.

 

Institute of Financial Planners Hong Kong (IFPHK)

Continuing Education (CE) Programme

Continuing education (CE) is a form of recertification and is required for Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certificants to renew their CFP certifications and continue using the CFP marks. CFP certificants must meet the renewal standard of 15 CE credits every year. In general, for each hour’s participation in recognized CE activities, one CE credit can be granted. Excess CE credits gained within the year cannot be carried forward to the following year.

Recognized CE Programs should be tied directly to professional knowledge, skills and abilities that are covered in the certification process, and be relevant to professional development of a personal financial planner. The relevant topics in the CFP Certification Examination Syllabus include:

  • General Principles of Financial Planning
  • Insurance planning
  • Risk management
  • Investment planning
  • Tax planning
  • Employee benefits
  • Retirement planning
  • Estate planning
  • Programs on communication skills are accepted
  • At least 2 CE credits must be obtained from CE programs on compliance or ethics

Training on general management which is not directly related to financial planning will not be considered as recognized CE activities. It should be of significant intellectual and practical content which in general involves interaction with other individuals and should be presented in structured format including Studies for professional qualifications such as: CFA, CPA, a member of the Law Society of Hong Kong

For more details please refer to IFPHK’s Certification Renewal Policy and Guidelines on CE Requirements at: http://www.ifphk.org/pdf/CFP/CFPCM_Certification_Information/CE_Requirements_Eng.pdf

C&S Courses as Recognized CE Activities

As C&S is an accredited provider of the Law Society of Hong Kong, our CPD Law accredited courses can be recognized as CE Activities provided that they cover relevant topics above.

To enable members to claim CE points, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

Insurance Intermediaries Quality Assurance Scheme (IIQAS)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program

All insurance intermediaries registered with the Insurance Agents Registration Board / the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers (HKCIB) and the Professional Insurance Brokers Association Limited (PIBA), their chief executives / responsible officers and technical representatives (collectively referred to as “Insurance Intermediaries”) are required to comply with the requirements of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program under the Insurance Intermediaries Quality Assurance Scheme (IIQAS) as follows:

  • 10 CPD hours every year for all Insurance Intermediaries except travel insurance agents (and their responsible officers and technical representatives)
  • 3 CPD hours every year for all travel insurance agents (their responsible officers and technical representatives)

Generally, one CPD hour can be earned for each hour’s participation in qualified CPD activities. Any excess CPD hours accumulated within a particular year cannot be carried forward to any other years. HKCIB members are required to retain documentary proof for CPD compliance for immediate past 3 calendar years. PIBA members are required to retain documentary proof of all declared CPD records for at least 7 full calendar years for random audit by PIBA.

C&S Courses for CPD Purpose

Structured CPD courses organized or formally approved by specified professional bodies including the Law Society of Hong Kong for their own CPD program can be recognized as qualified CPD activities for the IIQAS CPD Program, without the need to be further approved by the IIQAS CPD Program assessment authority, if they relate to the following areas:

  • Local insurance (or related) legislation
  • Regulatory aspects of insurance practice in Hong Kong
  • Insurance
  • Actuarial science
  • Risk management
  • Financial planning.

Other disciplines which are directly related to the work of insurance intermediaries, such as investment, law and legal knowledge, finance, business, commerce, management, engineering or communication skills.

Most courses offered by C&S are accredited by the Law Society of Hong Kong with CPD points for Law Society purposes. Therefore those courses, provided that they relate to the areas stated above, should qualify for the IIQAS CPD Program. However C&S does not warrant that the attendance of any of our accredited CPD Law courses would automatically be recognized as complying with the IIQAS CPD requirements as different SRO may have different requirements.

C&S will issue a certificate of attendance to any Insurance Intermediaries confirming attendance at a course and the certificate will state the duration of the course. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the Insurance Intermediary has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more details, please refer to the following websites:

CPD Information Sheet (November 2014)

PIBA CPD Guidelines

Accountants

International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)

Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA)

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

IES 7 (International Education Standard for Professional Accountants 7): CPD program

The IES 7 (International Education Standard for Professional Accountants 7) issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFCA) contains requirements relating to Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This requires member bodies of IFCA including the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs (HKICPA) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), to prescribe the same mandatory CPD requirements for all members as from January 2006.

1) Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA)

All members of HKICPA are required to:

  • Complete at least 120 hours of relevant professional development activities in each rolling three-year period of which 60 hours should be verifiable1.
  • A minimum of 20 hours (either verifiable or non-verifiable) should be completed each year.
  • The reporting period for each year commences from 1 December.

It is the responsibility of members to exercise their professional judgment deciding the type of CPD activities they undertake according to their individual needs. Such learning activities should be relevant to the individual members’ current and future work, professional responsibilities, helping them to enhance their understanding of the trends and environment in which they are working as a CPA. Learning activities to improve business skills, such as leadership, negotiation, management and presentation skills can also be recognized relevant CPD activities.

2) Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

ACCA members are required to complete 40  units of CPD each year, where one unit is equal to one hour of development. 21 units must be verifiable and the other 19 can be non-verifiable. All members are required to submit an annual CPD declaration each year.

Annual CPD declaration can be submitted online at any point in the year by logging into myACCA. Alternatively a paper version, which is received as part of the annual subscription renewal notification, must be completed and returned to ACCA by 1 January of the following year.

Members can record their learning activities as verifiable CPD if:

1) The learning activity was relevant to his / her career;

Verification: The learning is able to be objectively verified by a competent source. Some learning activities may be measured but not verified. Professional accountants are responsible to retain appropriate records and documents related to their CPD and, upon request by the member body, provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate their compliance with the requirements of the member body.

2) The member can explain how he / she will apply the learning in the workplace

3) The member can provide evidence that he or she has undertaken the learning activity.

C&S courses for CPD purpose

C&S provides many courses that are relevant and appropriate to the work responsibilities of accounting professionals. These include courses on accounting rules, Listing Rules, corporate finance, company law, taxation of corporate and individuals, trust planning, fund management and investment products.

However, it is up to individual members to decide whether a particular course is relevant to his/her career and should enable him/her to fulfill the CPD requirement of the HKICPA/ACCA. C&S does not warrant that the attendance of our courses would automatically be recognized by HKICPA and ACCA as fulfilling their CPD requirements.

To enable members of the HKICPA / ACCA to claim CPD points, C&S will issue a certificate of attendance for attendees who have attended a course and the duration of the course will be stated on the certificate. A certificate of attendance will only be issued if the attendee has signed in AND signed out before leaving the course.

For more details, please refer to the following websites:

IFAC IES 7

HKICPA Quick Guide to Current CPD Requirements

ACCA CPD Requirements