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About CPD Training UK

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CPD Training (UK) Limited is a UK-based legal training business whose teachers have presented courses in many different countries. The business was set up by Peter Lyons in 2005. Peter is a highly experienced legal skills teacher who has held senior positions at Nottingham Law School and the College of Law, where he was the Professor of Professional Development. CPD Training's courses cover a wide range of subjects including all areas of dispute resolution, advocacy and presentation skills; negotiation skills, professional conduct and client care and law firm management.

We are authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to:

  • Provide CPD-accredited training for English solicitors;
  • Deliver the Professional Skills Course for trainee solicitors in the core subject of Advocacy & Communication Skills and in elective dispute resolution subjects; and
  • Conduct assessments for the Higher Courts (Civil Advocacy) qualification.

We are authorised by IPReg to:

  • Deliver the Basic Litigation Skills Course and Assessment for patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys, leading to the award of the Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate.

 

Our approach

For too many lawyers, annual training is a chore. What should be valuable has been reduced to an exercise in ticking boxes. How many times do you feel that training is just a matter of turning up, switching off then taking the notes back to the office to watch them fade on the windowsill? Ours is a simple educational philosophy: courses should concentrate on the participant and not on the teacher. Learning should be memorable for the right reasons. Our CPD training is practical, challenging and fun. All of CPD Training's competitively priced courses adhere to a similar theme. Each course, in controlled conditions, allows delegates to come to their own conclusions. They are then able to consider how to apply the skills they have gained to everyday practice. Our learning environment is comfortable and secure. Delegates are encouraged to think laterally and to try new ideas.  Our aim is to produce skilful, confident and reflective professionals.  

Who we work with

We have been hired by national, international and City firms in the UK to deliver bespoke structured litigation training. This training, which is usually delivered to solicitors with fewer than five years PQE, is an effective way of developing the skills of a firm's Dispute Resolution department. The added value is that the firm's methods and approach to dispute resolution can be built into the courses. The Director of Litigation Services at Dentons, Tracey Petter says "...the planning process with [CPD Training] is very much a collaborative one. Peter Lyons is always anxious to understand our training needs from the outset, and then creates a programme that genuinely reflects those requirements. So even where the course in question has been delivered previously, the final product will be bespoke. As a result of all this, the feedback from our lawyers on [these] courses is extremely positive.” CPD Training has close links to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), the leading advocacy training organisation in the United States. Our trainers have significant experience in providing training in advocacy skills to US and international law firms at locations across Europe and North America.

Our client list

Law firms Bär & Karrer, Baker Botts, Bird & Bird, Burges Salmon, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, CMS Hasche Siegle, Covington and Burling, Debevoise & Plimpton, Dechert, Dentons, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Goodman Derrick, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hill Dickinson, K&L Gates, Kirkland & Ellis, Linklaters, Maples & Calder, Mayer Brown, O'Melveny and Myers, Schoenherr, Shearman & Sterling, Skadden Arps, Vinson & Elkins, Ward Hadaway, Watson Farley & Williams, Weil Gotshal and Manges, White & Case, Womble Bond Dickinson

Location
United Kingdom
Group size
5-50
Daily rate
£1,200£1,500
Number of employees
3
Years trading
20
Has own premises
No
Apprenticeships
No
Funded Courses
No

Our Location

18 Northgate, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7BJ, United Kingdom

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Response from CPD Training UK within 24 hours
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Custom pricing for your requirements
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Specialized Industries

  • Financials
  • Real Estate
  • Consumer Discretionary
  • Consumer Staples
  • Industrials
  • Basic Materials
  • Energy
  • Utilities
  • Technology
  • Telecommunications
  • Manufacturing
  • Legal
  • Media
  • Construction
  • Quantity Surveying
  • Healthcare

Trainers

General training capacity

3 years experience

Simon Brown KC

25 years experience
Simon Brown KC - Professional trainer with 25 years experience

Simon Brown KC was for 10 years the Designated Mercantile Judge of the Midlands and the Senior Circuit Judge for Birmingham, which is the equivalent of a permanent regional High Court Judge. Simon Brown is an SRA-approved assessor for Higher Court advocacy in England & Wales. As well as assessing Higher Rights for CPD Training (UK), Simon Brown teaches all aspects of advocacy skills. He was a member of the teaching team at the Tasmanian Advocacy Conventions in 2012 and 2014 and taught arbitration advocacy at Bär and Karrer in Zurich in 2022. He regularly teaches and assesses interim advocacy on the Basic Litigation Skills Course for patent attorneys. Simon Brown KC was the Chair of the Higher Rights Assessment Board for CPD Training (UK) from 2010 to 2019. He is also a senior external examiner for the SRA. Judge Brown practised for 19 years as a junior barrister in London. In 1995, he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel. As a London commercial and common law silk for 11 years he appeared for both claimants and for defendants, mainly in the various areas of insurance claims. He was also an accredited arbitrator and mediator in complex disputes. He conducted 2 large public parliamentary boundary inquiries, reporting to the Boundary Commission. As the Designated Mercantile Judge for the Midlands, Judge Brown ‘actively’ case managed all his cases and kept his court at the cutting edge of the electronic age. Its modern efficient practice made it an ideal and popular forum for business litigation. Judge Brown devised and developed the innovative and now universally used website for all mercantile courts. As part of the Review of Civil Litigation Costs by Lord Justice Jackson, Simon Brown assisted with chapters on Electronic Disclosure and Case & Costs Management, and piloted Costs Management being extended to all Mercantile and Technology & Construction Courts. He lectured for the Judicial College on electronic disclosure. He has spoken on case management and electronic information (disclosure and privacy) at major conferences all over the world. He has also been on the consultation board of Practical Law.

Specialties:
Higher Rights of Audience (Civil) – SRA Assessment PreparationInterim Advocacy Skills for Patent LitigatorsCourtroom Advocacy for Solicitors and AttorneysArbitration Advocacy (Domestic & International)
Languages:
English

Chris Taylor has been a practising litigation and dispute resolution solicitor since 1999. As Head of Litigation Training at CPD Training (UK) he has taught and assessed litigation skills for many leading law firms and patent firms. He receives high praise for the clarity of his teaching and the depth of his knowledge. Chris teaches CPD Training (UK)’s structured litigation training courses and has been retained by City and national firms to design and deliver bespoke courses on technical litigation subjects such as warranty claims, shareholder disputes, cross border litigation and interim injunctions. Chris has taught litigation drafting skills to a wide range of law firms including CMS, Debevoise & Plimpton, Mayer Brown, Kirkland & Ellis, Milbank and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He regularly teaches negotiation skills and has been retained by clients including Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman). He has also taught English civil procedure to Dentons’ Scottish dispute resolution teams. Chris is CPD Training (UK)’s lead trainer on the Basic Litigation Skills Course for patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys. He has delivered the course many times, including in-house for firms including Marks & Clerk, Carpmaels & Ransford, Mathys & Squire, AA Thornton, Boult Wade Tennant and Kilburn & Strode. He is the co-author of the English law chapter of Privilege and Confidentiality: An International Handbook, published by the International Bar Association; has written a chapter on the enforcement of foreign judgments for The Litigation Practice, published by Sweet & Maxwell; and is the author of the Mortgage Possession Claims chapter of Blackstone’s Civil Practice. Chris spent 10 years at the leading commercial law firms of Addleshaw Goddard and Eversheds. While there, he acted for major corporate clients in a wide range of commercial and company disputes. As well as claims for breach of commercial contracts, his practice centred on warranty claims under share and asset sale agreements, shareholder disputes, product liability and product recalls, professional negligence actions against accountants and solicitors and intellectual property disputes. Chris became a partner of Optima Legal and for 4 years was head of their residential recoveries department. He was responsible for a staff of over 60 and an annual turnover of over £3million. He then moved to DrydensFairfax Solicitors as Head of Secured Litigation. He continues to practise as a consultant solicitor. Chris has also worked as a consultant to Practical Law Company, providing training to commercial and corporate lawyers on contract law, terms and conditions of sale and remedies, and has taught on the College (now University) of Law’s trainee litigation programme.

Specialties:
Opposition & Revocation Hearings for AttorneysGeneral LawCivil Litigation SkillsLegal Drafting for LitigatorsCourtroom Skills for Legal ProfessionalsProfessional Ethics for LitigatorsLegal Professional Privilege+7 more
Languages:
English

Reviews

(5 reviews)
5
out of 5

Basic Litigation Skills Course

25 Jun, 2025In Person

5/5

The course was thorough and interesting. It feels like I have received a good grounding in litigation practice. The notes and materials were clear. The trainer was engaging and knowledgeable and explained all of the issues in a very clear and easily understandable way.

Technical skill / innovation5/5Helpfulness / flexibility5/5Value for money5/5Level of customisation5/5

Lititgation Public course

25 Jun, 2025In Person

5/5

A thoroughly informative and engaging course. The hours of the course are divided up fairly evenly into lecturing-based tuition and role-play, scenario-type exercises, giving candidates plenty of opportunity to put what they have learned into practice. Both tutors were very well-versed in the content of the course, allowing them to deliver it in a more appealing – and often fun – manner. Highly recommended.

Technical skill / innovation5/5Helpfulness / flexibility5/5Value for money5/5Level of customisation5/5

Higher Rights of Audience

25 Jun, 2025In Person

5/5

This is an excellent course that gives you a good amount of practice time and feedback. Peter Lyons is really supportive; gives clear instructions and information and his style is serious but relaxed.

Technical skill / innovation5/5Helpfulness / flexibility5/5Value for money5/5Level of customisation5/5

Higher Rights of Audience

25 Jun, 2025In Person

5/5

Peter Lyons taught me Higher Rights of Audience. I have been practising for many years but I still learned new things about advocacy. He kept it fresh, interesting and I relished the opportunity to develop and hone my advocacy techniques. He stresses the importance of Case Analysis and I agree wholeheartedly. I then hired CPD Training to teach arbitration advocacy to my team at O'Melveny and Myers. The course was excellent. When I moved to Skadden Arps to head up Arbitration and Litigation in Europe, I called on Peter Lyons again. He delivered an intensive and valuable skills course to a team of highly-talented arbitration lawyers which culminated in a mock arbitration hearing before a former High Court judge. My team were very happy with what they learned and found that the course stretched them, improved them and made them think. We intend to get CPD Training and Peter Lyons back again very soon.

Technical skill / innovation5/5Helpfulness / flexibility5/5Value for money5/5Level of customisation5/5

Legal Training

25 Jun, 2025In Person

5/5

the planning process with [CPD Training] is very much a collaborative one. Peter Lyons is always anxious to understand our training needs from the outset, and then creates a programme that genuinely reflects those requirements. So even where the course in question has been delivered previously, the final product will be bespoke. As a result of all this, the feedback from our lawyers on [these] courses is extremely positive

Technical skill / innovation5/5Helpfulness / flexibility5/5Value for money5/5Level of customisation5/5