How is technology shaping the way the next generation of Wills and Probate professionals approach CPD and training?

In our latest guest blog, Dominic Hendry, Head of Private Client at Probate Genealogy firm Estate Research, discusses how changes in technology and advancements made in virtual learning communications are shaping the way the next generation of Wills and Probate professionals approach CPD and training.

Since the pandemic, the use of online learning platforms has increased exponentially, including in the professional learning space.

Pre-Covid, a Wills and Probate solicitor would secure their CPD via a mixture of in-person events and learning modules provided by their firm. However, the pandemic forced the wider adoption of virtual training technologies a lot quicker than were ever planned or predicted. Technology companies and training providers were able to quickly adapt and develop their platforms to synergise with the new landscape of working from home and communicating with colleagues and clients in lockdown. Subsequently, webinars, Teams calls, online seminars and Zoom forums all quickly became the day-to-day norm.

The advancement and increased uptake in virtual communications for training have provided a new level of flexibility for users as they are able to watch recorded content at any time and it has removed the difficulty and potential loss of fees on hours of travelling to venues. Thus, post pandemic, instead of reverting back to the sole use of conferences for CPD, legal firms are complementing the traditional in-person conferences for their staff alongside online learning options – offering the increased networking and engagement that comes with an in-person event with the flexibility and adaptability from webinars. 

And what about the next generation of Wills and Probate professionals?

Chances are that, thanks to the pandemic and advancements in virtual learning, any newcomers joining the industry will have acquired most of their education via online tuition and remote learning resources. For them, virtual learning will be the norm from the start and the next generation of professionals will therefore find it easier to adopt this as their main platform for CPD as they progress through their careers.

Although a probate genealogy business, we also offer a free, expert-led training platform specifically for Private Client practitioners called the Estate Research Learning Hub. Through the Learning Hub, we have seen how the adoption of virtual learning is not slowing down. We have new registrants on a daily basis and feedback from members suggests that being able to watch recorded courses in their own time and get ahead of their peers is a huge bonus to online learning, as it means they can do as much or as little as they wish without relying on their firm to organise and pay.

When it comes to professional development, there is undoubtedly a place for in-person conferences in the Wills & Probate sector due to the interaction between trainer and trainee as well as the wider networking it provides. However, the training via virtual means within Private Client law is clearly not diminishing and trends suggest it will become the ‘go-to’ as the next generation of solicitors advance in the industry.