Continuing education for lawyers: the points still missing
The points you still need, by type, this year and until the end of the period, under your bar's regime.
What the rule says
Rules verified on 07/10/2026
AVOCATS.BE (French- and German-speaking bars): 60 points per three-year period (now 2026 to 2028), at least 10 each calendar year, of which 36 legal including 4 in deontology and 2 in AML; only points encoded in LGO count. OVB (Flemish bars and the Dutch-speaking Brussels bar): 20 points per judicial year (1 September to 31 August), including at least 1 in deontology and 1 in AML.
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A lawyer at a French-speaking bar with 14 points this year, 2 of them in deontology.
How it works
How the calculation works
Your bar's regime. The French-speaking bars and the German-speaking bar of Eupen belong to AVOCATS.BE; the Flemish bars and the Dutch-speaking Brussels bar belong to the OVB. The two regimes count differently: AVOCATS.BE by period of three calendar years, the OVB by judicial year.
AVOCATS.BE. The current reference period runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028. You need 60 points over the period and at least 10 points each calendar year; a bar may raise that yearly minimum to 20. At least 36 points must be legal, including 4 in deontology and 2 in anti-money laundering, so non-legal points count for 24 points at most. Only points encoded in LGO count. A surplus in one year does not cover another year's minimum, and nothing carries over to the next period.
OVB. The judicial year runs from 1 September to 31 August. You need 20 points per judicial year, including at least 1 in deontology and 1 in anti-money laundering since the year 2025–2026. In-house closed trainings count for 10 points at most, teaching and lectures for 20 points at most each. A surplus carries over to the next year, 40 points at most. Trainees are exempt during the first three years of stage.
The result. The tool shows what is still missing this year and, for AVOCATS.BE, over the period, by type of points, with the deadline. It flags non-legal points beyond the cap, points not encoded yet, a past year left below its minimum and capped points. The requirements appear as a register: done, to do or not applicable.
Your data. The points you enter are your own and stay in your browser. They may sit in the page address, so you can keep or share it, and in the encrypted vault if you opened it.
Legal basis
- AVOCATS.BE: Code de déontologie de l'avocat, arts. 3.26 to 3.35 (version in force on 30 April 2026), in particular art. 3.27 §1 (60 points, yearly minimum, 36 legal points including 4 in deontology and 2 in AML), art. 3.32 (encoding in LGO) and art. 3.35 (three-year period since 1 January 2023).
- OVB: Codex Deontologie voor Advocaten, arts. 52 to 57, in particular art. 53 (20 points per judicial year, deontology and AML minimums since 2 October 2025, carry-over of 40 points at most, trainee exemption) and art. 57 (individual requests by 30 September).
Limits of the tool
- Pro rata. The AVOCATS.BE Code reduces the points pro rata temporis when practice starts, is suspended or resumes during the period, without setting the method. The tool counts a started month as a full month and says so; confirm with your bar.
- Yearly minimum of 20. No bar has published a decision raising the minimum to 20. Choose 20 if your bar applies it.
- Carried points at the OVB. The Codex does not say whether they can cover the deontology and AML minimums: the tool counts them for the total only.
- Partial year at the OVB. The Codex sets no pro rata for a trainee whose exemption ends during the year, nor for a registration during the year: the tool flags it.
- Special lists. The minimums of the youth section and the Salduz duty roster are not calculated.
Updated on 7 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD points does a lawyer in Belgium need?
It depends on the bar. At an AVOCATS.BE bar: 60 points per three-year period (now 2026 to 2028), at least 10 each calendar year, including 36 legal points with 4 in deontology and 2 in anti-money laundering (art. 3.27 of the Code de déontologie). At an OVB bar: 20 points per judicial year, including at least 1 deontology point and 1 anti-money laundering point (art. 53 of the Codex).
Do points not encoded in LGO count?
No. Each point must be encoded by the lawyer on the AVOCATS.BE platform to count (art. 3.32 §1): a point not encoded does not exist. The tool lists them apart and does not count them.
Can I make up a year in which I missed the yearly minimum?
The AVOCATS.BE yearly minimum is counted per calendar year: a surplus earned later does not cover the year missed. The bar council may summon the lawyer and grant a delay to regularise (art. 3.32 §2). At the OVB, the stafhouder may order the lawyer to make up the shortfall within a set period (art. 53).
How many non-legal points can I count?
At AVOCATS.BE, at least 36 of the 60 points of the period must be legal, so non-legal points count for 24 points at most. At the OVB, the Codex accepts legal trainings and trainings that support the practice, without a cap on the latter.
Do trainee lawyers need points?
At AVOCATS.BE, yes since 1 January 2026: trainees are subject from their registration, and CAPA course hours count for one point per hour attended (art. 3.26). At the OVB, trainees are exempt during the first three years of stage; points earned in that time carry over without a cap.
Do extra points carry over?
At the OVB, the surplus of a judicial year carries over to the next, 40 points at most, and the OVB adds it to your points card at the end of October. At AVOCATS.BE, points add up within the period, but nothing carries over to the next period.