Lawyers will have to undergo 10 hours of extra training a year under a new provision set to be introduced.
The compulsory professional development - introduced by the Law Society - will come into force next year.
Law Society President Chris Moore said the proposed rules would need to be signed-off by Justice Minister Judith Collins.
"The Law Society is introducing a modern and innovative scheme which is driven by current educational thinking. It is a big step forward from the more traditional approach to continuing professional development," Mr Moore said.
He said lawyers would be responsible for identifying their own learning requirements.
