A few months ago, with the end of the year approaching and many Cyprus lawyers still missing verified CPDs, I posted about my lawyer-specific training programmes — and how these could help teams cover up to 50% of their annual CPD requirements.
To renew their licence, Cyprus lawyers must complete 12 verified CPDs per year. Many colleagues had not yet realised the full scope of the updated 2025 framework.
This was the post:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7377687737983926274/
At the time, the programme existed as a clear and well-defined framework — but it was not yet fully accredited or HRDA-approved. I knew exactly what I wanted to build, and I knew I had the qualifications to deliver it; the official approvals were simply still ahead of me.
Then a Limassol law firm reached out.
And I committed to turning that framework into a fully accredited, HRDA-funded, lawyer-specific programme that met three demanding criteria:
• the firm’s training needs,
• the HRDA subsidy requirements, and
• the Cyprus Bar Association Academy’s standards for verified CPDs.
What followed were several weeks of focused work: designing, refining, aligning and documenting — ensuring the programme didn’t just meet expectations but exceeded them.
The result?
A fully approved, verified, HRDA-supported programme offering 6 CPDs — covering 100% of lawyers’ Self-Improvement CPDs and 50% of their annual CPD obligation.
And a reminder of a timeless professional truth:
𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 — 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
In 1975, Bill Gates phoned MITS, the makers of the Altair 8800, and told them he and Paul Allen had a BASIC interpreter ready.
They hadn’t finished writing it yet — but they knew they could.
MITS asked for a demo.
They locked themselves in a room.
They built it in weeks.
Commitment first.
Product second.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫
Every lawyer knows this feeling.
• Accepting a complex commercial dispute even though most of your experience was in district-court litigation.
• Taking on an urgent restructuring or cross-border transaction while quietly negotiating with your own imposter syndrome.
• Preparing a specialised opinion outside your usual comfort zone — because you know you can research, learn and rise to the challenge.
• A trainee saying “yes” to their first skeleton argument before they feel ready.
• An associate stepping into a client meeting solo, heart racing, but committed.
This is how lawyers grow.
This is how law firms grow.
Professional courage always comes before professional certainty.
𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 “𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭” 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
Steve Jobs and the Macintosh
Elon Musk and the Tesla Model 3
𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬?
It means this:
There is nothing misleading — and everything professional — about presenting a well-defined concept before it is fully articulated or built, as long as the responsibility sits with you and the client receives a complete, verified, high-standard result.
Many of the most valuable programmes, technologies, cases and careers were built exactly this way.
The law firm trusted a professional vision.
And they received a fully accredited, HRDA-supported programme now used across the wider legal community.
Their trust accelerated the creation of something excellent.
For that, I’m grateful.
Sometimes you don’t wait for perfection.
Sometimes the commitment itself forces you — and the work — to grow.
Sometimes you step into the unknown — and your capability catches up with your courage.
What about you, dear reader?
Have you ever said “yes” first — and figured out the “how” afterwards?
Philippos