Practice rights update
It’s just over two months since the Mazur judgment was handed down by Justice Sheldon. We understand the significant distress and uncertainty the judgment has caused.
At CRL, our focus has been on developing practical solutions to the challenges posed by the judgment. The LSB approved our application to authorise standalone litigation practice rights two and a half weeks ago. Approaching 600 Chartered Legal Executives have now applied for litigation practice rights, via either the portfolio route or the assessment only route offered by ULaw.
Portfolio route
Nearly 350 Chartered Legal Executives have started their portfolio applications. We can also report that the first portfolio applications for standalone litigation rights have been approved, giving successful applicants standalone litigation practice rights and the authorised Chartered Legal Executive Litigator title for the first time. These were submitted under the previous litigation and advocacy route but applicants chose to decouple.
We have invested heavily in our capacity and capability to process high numbers of portfolio applications. We have hired and trained new external assessors and re-engineered our processes to reduce inefficiencies and offer earlier feedback. We will communicate with applicants as and when we have updates on your application.
We understand that the process can, at times, feel onerous. We will be issuing updated guidance on portfolio applications next week. This is intended to support you with practical tips on how to compile your application as well as guidance on what a good application looks like. We are also working with the CILEX Support Group to identify if there are further opportunities to streamline the authorisation process.
ULaw: Assessment only route
Over 250 Chartered Legal Executives have applied on ULaw’s December and January assessment only courses. There is still time to apply for the January assessment, with the deadline for applications closing on 19th December. ULaw have also been increasing their provision to meet demand, with new assessment dates to be announced soon.
Note
We have noticed a number of CILEX members who have simultaneously applied for practice rights on both the portfolio route and assessment only route. This not only impacts on our resources but also limits the opportunity for others to gain their practice rights. We kindly ask that you register on one route.
Webinar
Over 1,000 of you attended the webinar we held on Monday 10th November 2025. This was an opportunity to discuss the implications of the Mazur judgment as well as reflect on activity in 2025 and look forward to 2026. The slides are available here.
Find out more – applications web page.
