Each year lawyers in the Netherlands must comply what the NOvA calls ‘quality tests’ to ensure they maintain their level of expertise. This means that lawyers must participate annually in the form of structured feedback: Intervision (a structured and periodic form of discussion within a peer group of professionals), peer review or structured peer consultation (GIO).
Following an assessment of quality tests by the NOvA office, the general council has approved adjustments to the legal profession regulations, adopting the Quality Testing Amendment Regulation. Effective from January 1, 2024, a ‘pro rata arrangement’ will apply for long-term absence due to illness or pregnancy, reducing required participation in quality tests based on the duration of absence. Additionally, regulations for Intervision and structured peer consultation will be relaxed, allowing participants to be from different legal areas and permitting the combination of Intervision and GIO. The general council aims to alleviate regulatory burdens while maintaining the intended quality and expertise-enhancing objectives of the quality tests.
The amendments include abandoning the same jurisdiction requirement for Intervision and GIO, permitting the combination of these assessments, allowing professionals to participate in Intervision and GIO, and allowing the double use of training points for multiple legal area registrations. The general council plans to investigate ways to enhance the structure of the GIO form in 2024 based on the evaluation’s findings, addressing any identified shortcomings in the process.