About LegalCPD

1. Purpose

LegalCPD was established to address the need for an independent, sector-specific accreditation body capable of assessing the quality of continuing professional development activities across enforcement, credit management, civil litigation, insolvency, debt recovery, and regulatory compliance. The legal and enforcement sectors are characterised by frequent legislative change, evolving case law, and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. Professionals working in these fields require access to high-quality, current, and relevant learning opportunities to maintain competence and meet their ongoing professional obligations.

Prior to LegalCPD, there was no independent body dedicated to the accreditation of CPD activities across these interconnected professional fields. Training provision varied considerably in quality, with limited mechanisms for participants or employers to verify that activities met consistent standards. LegalCPD was established to fill this gap by providing a rigorous, transparent, and proportionate system of quality assurance for CPD delivery.

2. Mission

The mission of LegalCPD is to promote and maintain standards of excellence in continuing professional development for professionals working in enforcement, credit management, civil litigation, and related fields. LegalCPD pursues this mission through the independent assessment and accreditation of learning activities against published quality standards, the development and maintenance of an accreditation framework that reflects sector best practice and regulatory expectations, and the provision of quality assurance mechanisms that support continuous improvement in CPD delivery.

LegalCPD is committed to the principles of independence, impartiality, transparency, and proportionality in all of its accreditation activities. Accreditation decisions are made solely by reference to the published standards and the evidence submitted by applicants, without regard to commercial considerations or relationships.

3. Scope

LegalCPD accredits continuing professional development activities relevant to a broad range of professional fields within the legal and enforcement sectors. These include, but are not limited to:

• High Court enforcement and county court enforcement, including the Taking Control of Goods Regulations, Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery, and writs of control, possession, and delivery
• Civil litigation practice and procedure, including the Civil Procedure Rules, pre-action protocols, and enforcement of judgments and orders
• Credit management, debt recovery, and collections, including regulatory compliance with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Consumer Credit Act
• Insolvency practice, including bankruptcy, individual voluntary arrangements, and the enforcement of insolvency-related court orders
• Council tax recovery and non-domestic rates enforcement, including liability order procedure and the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations
• Parking and road traffic enforcement, including penalty charge notices, traffic enforcement centre procedure, and warrant execution
• Regulatory compliance and professional ethics, including the obligations of certificated enforcement agents and the standards of the Enforcement Conduct Board
• Vulnerability awareness, mental health, safeguarding, and the application of vulnerability frameworks in enforcement and debt recovery contexts
• Tribunal procedure and magistrates court enforcement, including the enforcement of fines, community penalty breach, and confiscation orders

This scope reflects the interconnected nature of enforcement, litigation, and credit management practice, and recognises that professionals frequently work across multiple areas. LegalCPD accreditation provides a single, consistent quality standard applicable to CPD activities across all of these fields.

4. Independence

LegalCPD operates independently of any training provider, professional body, membership organisation, or regulatory authority. This independence is fundamental to the integrity and credibility of the accreditation process. Accreditation decisions are not influenced by commercial relationships, financial considerations, or any factor other than the quality of the activity assessed against published standards.

LegalCPD does not deliver training, provide consultancy, or offer advisory services that might create conflicts with its accreditation function. This structural separation ensures that the accreditation process remains objective and that the interests of participants and the public are protected.

5. Approach

LegalCPD takes an evidence-based, criteria-referenced approach to accreditation. All applications are assessed against the five published criteria set out in the Standards and Framework: clear learning objectives, accurate and current content, assessment of participant learning, appropriately qualified trainers, and systematic collection of participant feedback. These criteria are applied consistently to all applicants, regardless of the size or nature of the training provider.

The accreditation process is designed to be rigorous without being burdensome. LegalCPD recognises that training providers operate under commercial and practical constraints, and the accreditation requirements are calibrated to be proportionate to the nature and scale of the activity. The aim is to provide meaningful quality assurance that adds value for both providers and participants, rather than to create unnecessary administrative burden.

6. Stakeholders

LegalCPD serves a diverse range of stakeholders across the enforcement, legal, and credit management sectors. These include certificated enforcement agents, High Court enforcement officers, solicitors, barristers, paralegals, legal executives, credit managers, debt recovery practitioners, insolvency practitioners, compliance officers, and other professionals whose roles require ongoing professional development.

LegalCPD also serves training providers, including independent trainers, commercial training organisations, professional bodies, membership organisations, and in-house training departments. For providers, LegalCPD accreditation offers independent verification of quality that can support marketing, regulatory compliance, and the confidence of participants and employers.

Regulatory bodies and professional associations, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority, CILEx Regulation, and the Enforcement Conduct Board, are key stakeholders in the broader CPD landscape. LegalCPD accreditation is designed to complement, not replace, the requirements of these bodies, and to support professionals in meeting their continuing professional development obligations.

7. Development

LegalCPD is committed to the continuous development and improvement of its accreditation standards, framework, and processes. The accreditation framework is reviewed annually, taking into account regulatory developments, sector best practice, stakeholder feedback, and the outcomes of quality assurance activities. Changes to the framework are published on the LegalCPD website and communicated to accredited providers and other stakeholders.

LegalCPD monitors developments in professional regulation, education practice, and the broader legal and enforcement landscape to ensure that its standards remain current, relevant, and aligned with the expectations of regulators, employers, and the professionals who undertake accredited activities.