Any lawyer and assistant attorney must, during an individual 3-years period, have participated in at least 54 lessons of continuing training of significance for the legal profession, like courses, teaching, writing or pro bono work with a lawyers’ legal aid (only assistant attorneys). The Danish Bar and Law Society conducts inspections to secure that the rules are kept.
Lawyers
The lawyer personally is responsible for meeting the requirements for continuing training and file a report to The Danish Bar and Law Society.
The lawyer must report how many lessons of participation in courses, teaching and so on, he/she has completed during the preceding period. Documentation for the reported lessons is not to be submitted. Exceeding lessons can be transferred.
Assistant attorneys
The principal is liable for disciplinary action that the assistant attorney completes the 54 lessons of continuing training. If the assistant attorney at the time for filing the report has been admitted to the Bar, the person concerned is liable to file the report. If the assistant attorney is still assistant attorney, the responsibility lies with the principal. The report may be signed by the assistant attorney or the principal.
Transfer
It is possible to transfer lessons to the following period, if the lawyer/assistant attorney enters extra lessons than 54 lessons. The web solution will calculate how the lessons can be transferred according to the maximum number of lessons for own teaching and writing activities. The lawyers’ legal aid work cannot be transferred.
If you are not satisfied with the web solution’s calculation of the transfer, you only have to enter those lessons you wish to report for the passed period, and keep your own accounts on which lessons you will transfer and use for filing a report after the following period has expired.
The transferred lessons are not binding. When reporting after the next period has expired, you can change the report accordingly as regards the transferred lessons.
Reduction
Reduction of a number of lessons due to leave (e.g. maternity leave) can be entered in the table. Reduction of 3 lessons is granted for each full two months absence from the job.
Dispensation
The General Council’s Training Committee may, on application, grant dispensation for participation in mandatory continuing training e.g. in connection with sickness. If dispensation is granted, the number of lessons that are dispensed to will automatically appear in the report table.
Greenland and Faroe Islands
The rule on mandatory continuing training was put into force for Greenland and the Faroe Islands at 01.01.2010. Therefore, Greenland lawyers and assistant attorneys have not period expiration at the turn of 2010/2011, but at 31.12.2012 at the earliest.
Please note that e-learning and lawyers’ legal aid work cannot be counted as mandatory continuing training in accordance with the rules applying for Greenland and the Faroe Islands.