Become a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate

Introduction

Rights of Audience is a reserved legal activity under the Legal Services Act 2007. A CILEx Fellow cannot undertake advocacy without supervision of an authorised person until they are authorised with Advocacy Practice Rights.

This page is for individuals seeking authorisation as:

• Chartered Legal Executive Advocate (Standalone Advocacy Practice Rights)

Or

• Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate.

Practice areas

The advocacy practice areas are:

• Civil litigation

• Criminal litigation

• Family litigation

To become a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate (Standalone Advocacy Practice Rights)

Eligibility

Those who already hold Fellowship status or Advanced Paralegal status applying for fellowship can apply for Standalone Advocacy Practice Rights. Advocacy Practice Rights for Civil or Family Advocacy Practice Rights is available for Judges Room only or Open Court.  Advocacy Practice Rights for Criminal is available only for Open Court.

Those applying must have 5 years’ experience working in the legal sector and include five case outlines that demonstrate competence in litigation. Additionally, applicants seeking Civil or Family Advocacy Practice Rights must provide 3 examples of advocacy conducted under supervision. Applicants seeking Criminal Advocacy Practice Rights must provide 3 examples of advocacy inclusive of a maximum of 2 observed cases and 1 example from work as a police station representative. they must also provide three case outlines that demonstrate competence in advocacy developed through work experience.

The application also requires:

• your academic qualifications, to ensure that you have appropriate underpinning legal knowledge
• two referees who can provide CILEx Regulation with assurance of your competence and who have experience of your work
• payment of the fee

For guidance for the application process, please access the CRL Certificate of Eligibility Guidance document.

If you are making the application to become an Advocate without the corresponding litigation rights, it is a requirement that you are an employee of a law firm authorised to provide litigation and advocacy services. There is an employer declaration included within the form to confirm this.

How to apply 

Unless you have received an exemption from course, before you can be authorised as either a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate or a CILEx Practitioner, you must attend a six-day advocacy skills course provided by a CILEx Regulation accredited provider. There is a fee to attend this course which is charged directly by the course provider.

1. Complete the application form.
2. When you’re ready to submit your application, please access this link to express your interest in applying for advocacy practice rights and we will send you a customised KnowB4* link within 48 hours. Please do not complete the form multiple times.
3. You must then upload your application form and supporting documentation to the KnowB4 portal. Please upload your application form separately from the rest of your application. Please note that we will not be able to send an acknowledgement email after we receive your application.
4. We will then commence the screening process of your application and contact you with our screening decision. We will also contact your referees for references. An invoice will be raised once your application has passed the screening.
5. Once the invoice has been paid, we will refer your application to an Assessor.
6. Once feedback is received, we will be in touch with you, with one of the following outcomes:

• • approved
  • a request for further information
  • referred to committee, Admissions and Licensing Committee (ALC)
  • rejected

Where your application is referred to the ALC, we will schedule this for the next available meeting and we will contact you within 10 working days of the Committee meeting taking place.

Find out more about the work of the Admissions and Licensing Committee (ALC)

7. Once your application is approved, you will be able to apply to attend the Advocacy Skills Course, run by a CILEx Regulation Accredited provider.

8. Once you have successfully passed the Advocacy Skills Course, you need to send us a copy of your certificate and we will then begin the DBS check process.

9. Upon receipt of the DBS certificate, please email this to us and we will proceed to issue your certificate.

To become a Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate

Those who already hold Fellowship status and Chartered Legal Executive Litigator status or CILEX Litigator status can apply for extended rights of audience. Advocacy Practice Rights for Civil or Family Advocacy Practice Rights is available for Judges Room only or Open Court.  Advocacy Practice Rights for Criminal is available only for Open Court.

Those applying  must provide three case outlines that demonstrate competence in advocacy developed through work experience.

The application also requires:

• payment of the fee unless they have submitted a joint application for Litigation and Advocacy Practice Rights under the legacy route.

How to apply 

1. Complete the application form here.
2. When you’re ready to submit your application, please access this link to express your interest in applying for advocacy practice rights and we will send you a customised KnowB4* link within 48 hours. Please do not complete the form multiple times.
3. You must then upload your application form and supporting documentation to the KnowB4 portal. Please upload your application form separately from the rest of your application. Please note that we will not be able to send an acknowledgement email after we receive your application.
4. We will then commence the screening process of your application and contact you with our screening decision. We will also contact your referees for references. An invoice will be raised once your application has passed the screening.
5. Once the invoice has been paid, we will refer your application to an Assessor.
6. Once feedback is received, we will be in touch with you, with one of the following outcomes:

• • approved
  • a request for further information
  • referred to committee ALC
  • rejected

Where your application is referred to the ALC Committee, we will schedule this for the next available meeting and we will contact you within 10 working days of the Committee meeting taking place.

Find out more about the work of the Admissions and Licensing Committee (ALC)

7. Once your application is approved, you will be able to apply to attend the Advocacy Skills Course, run by a CILEx Regulation Accredited provider.

8. Once you have successfully passed the Advocacy Skills Course, you need to send us a copy of your certificate and we will then begin the DBS check process.

9. Upon receipt of the DBS certificate, please email this to us and we will proceed to issue your certificate.

Advocacy Skills Course providers 

The current approved providers of the CILEx Advocacy Skills Course are:

1. University of West London – access their website for more information on the Civil Proceedings Advocacy Skills course,  Family Proceedings Advocacy Skills course, or Criminal Proceedings Advocacy Skills course.
2. BABRI Altior – find out more about their CILEx Advocacy Skills course.