Innovation gets Perthshire lawyers outdoors to boost performance

Programme meets lawyers’ CPD obligations

A Perthshire-based start-up wants to get lawyers out of the office and into nature to boost wellbeing and performance whilst meeting annual training obligations.

Wild CPD, the brainchild of Clare Stephen, launches in May 2026 with events now open for booking in landmark outdoor locations in Perth, Edinburgh and Dundee.

A 2023 Profile of the Profession by the Law Society found nearly two thirds of legal professionals reported issues such as stress and burn-out in the previous 5 years with young lawyers and women under 35 most affected.

Aside from the pressures of cases and dealing with daily conflict, lawyers are also required by the Law Society to undertake Continuous Professional Development (CPD) each year.

Wild CPD helps lawyers meet those obligations whilst at the same time encouraging them to increase their wellbeing to boost performance, through engaging in nature-based activities outdoors.

Perthshire sessions available

The 2-hour sessions at Kinnoull Hill in Perth, Camperdown Park in Dundee and the Pentland Hills in Edinburgh qualify as verifiable risk management CPD under workplace culture and employee wellbeing.

The company founder’s separate community interest company, Perthshire-based Wild Workforce CIC, already has a track record in delivering positive health outcomes through nature connectedness.

Wild Workforce CIC delivered outdoor Green Health workshops, funded by NHS Tayside Charitable Trust, to 151 participants last year, with 94% citing improved mental wellbeing and 78% reporting physical improvement.

“Many lawyers I have spoken to regard mandatory CPD as something which can be, at times, laborious, or perhaps challenging to commit to,” said Wild CPD founder, Clare Stephen, herself a former solicitor and Director of Education at the WS Society.

“The idea of Wild CPD was simple. If you are a lawyer and you have to do CPD anyway, why not get away from the screen and into the outdoors, get inspired, have fun and come back with some tools to look after your own wellbeing, with your verifiable CPD completed?

“It’s only 2 hours out of a year but, in wellbeing terms, it could mean so much more.

“Positive wellbeing is directly related to performance in the workplace and maintaining professional standards.

“Given my experience with the WS Society, where I developed legal CPD, my Forest Programme qualification and my work as a Mentally Healthy Workplace Trainer with Public Health Scotland, the idea of Wild CPD seemed entirely logical.

“The benefits of nature connectedness are now beyond doubt and people can get out of the office for a little while and into some beautiful locations while fulfilling their mandatory requirements at the same time.”

Proven benefits

Wild CPD uses outdoor environments to deliver learning outcomes around the Wellbeing for Performance Framework but also uses experiential learning to boost health through nature-based activity and movement.

The sessions, which can be booked online for individual lawyers or for teams, have been timetabled for mornings or afternoons to work around potential meetings or court appearances.

Given the vagaries of Scottish weather, the CPD sessions can be delivered using both indoor and outdoor environments.

Wild CPD will also be rolling out tailored CPD programmes for Accountants and Financial Advisers in the coming months.

Twenty percent of all proceeds from bookings will go towards the delivery of Green Health activities for vulnerable groups.

Perth: WildcpdPERTH.eventbrite.co.uk

Dundee: WildcpdDUNDEE.eventbrite.co.uk

Edinburgh: WildcpdEDINBURGH.eventbrite.co.uk