Last year’s judgment in the case of Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 sent shockwaves throughout the legal system, creating enormous distress and uncertainty for so many. With Chartered Legal Executives (CLEs) at the heart of the fallout, the decision caused significant disruption to individuals, firms and consumers, impacting day‑to‑day work in litigation departments across the country. The CILEX community faced this new reality with outstanding professionalism, resilience and integrity, with many taking immediate steps towards achieving authorisation on top of already demanding workloads.
Over 1,200 CLEs have successfully taken the University of Law assessment or CRL portfolio route to litigation practice rights since the original judgment, gaining authorisation to both litigate without the need for supervision and supervise unauthorised individuals. This achievement is testament to the skills and abilities of CILEX members. This increase in the number of CLEs receiving recognition as expert specialists in litigation, has helped elevate the reputation of CLEs, reaffirming their professional status within the legal sector, reflecting their unique skills, experience and expertise.
The Court of Appeal judgment in March 2026 helped remove immediate pressure on CLEs and the sector. It brought much needed clarity and reassurance to the practice of litigation, the definition of supervision and the often-misunderstood application of the Legal Services Act 2007. The judgment placed emphasis on regulators to provide additional clarification on the definition of litigation and supervision in order to “define, monitor and enforce supervision standards”. In support of this approach, CRL published new litigation and supervision guidance on 29 May 2026, for Chartered Legal Executives, CILEX Practitioners, CRL regulated entities and CILEX members. To ensure consistency and clarity the guidance was developed in collaboration with CILEX and the SRA.
Mazur lessons learned
While CRL’s main operational focus has been on processing Practice Rights applications as quickly as possible, the CRL Board commissioned a lessons learned exercise in May to assess CRL’s response to the situation and ensure lessons were learned, both good and bad. Part of this exercise involved listening to applicants to understand their experience. While applicants recognised our ability to scale our operational model to handle a tenfold increase in authorisations in a matter of weeks, our communications and engagement during the process was criticised. This was particularly prevalent during the portfolio application process, where applicants wanted more regular updates and clearer feedback. It also underlined the importance of clear and consistent communication between CILEX and CRL and the regulated community. For those who want to read the findings, a copy of the full report can be found on the CRL website.
Stakeholder perceptions research
Much of the feedback received during the Mazur Lessons Learned exercise mirrors that which we heard during our stakeholder perceptions research. The research – which many of you took part in – sought to gather insights from a range of participants, including the regulated community, government and regulatory bodies, representative organisations and education providers, to better understand their perceptions, experiences and expectations of CRL.
Opinions were mixed as to CRL’s overall performance and responses from individuals practicing in litigation reflected the uncertainty caused by the Mazur judgment, with more positive feedback coming from those who engaged with CRL more regularly, including CRL regulated firms. Overall, the findings suggest that we have work to do to build confidence and improve visibility, communication and institutional clarity.
Looking forward
Now that the Mazur case has concluded, we have had an important opportunity to reflect and consider what the future of regulation looks like. We welcomed the recent decision taken by both the SRA and CILEX that redelegation is no longer part of their immediate plans. Our working relationship with CILEX is much improved and this is to the benefit of both the profession and consumers. This means that CRL can now look forward with confidence and certainty, delivering regulation tailored to the unique and important role of Chartered Legal Executives.
We are now able to focus on building proportionate regulation in the consumer interest – this requires a trusted, well-regulated and respected profession. This includes:
- Clarity of role: Our research suggests there is ongoing confusion and blurring between the roles of CILEX and CRL. CRL is the independent regulator responsible for setting standards, authorising legal professionals and firms against these standards, monitoring compliance and taking disciplinary action where necessary to protect the public. In simple terms, CILEX Regulation exists to regulate those professionals and protect the public.
- Better engagement: But we are conscious that regulating in the consumer interest requires us to engage effectively with the regulated community. Our goal is not to be popular, but well respected, open and effective. We are already making progress here. We plan to host more regular webinars to update the regulated community and use it as an opportunity to listen and inform our thinking. We will also be refreshing our communications so that they are more accessible and engaging.
- More responsive: A clear message from Mazur is that we were not responsive enough or sufficiently clear as to the stages of the process and how long each takes. Applicants faced periods of uncertainty as their applications were being assessed. While part of this reflects our limited resources, we are committed to improving our responsiveness and intend to dedicate resource to this. We are also exploring how applicants can track the progress of their application through greater transparency.
- Systems investment: This will require systems investment. Our Mazur Lessons Learned review found that while our systems managed, it is evident that further f investment is now required to ensure we can respond effectively. We are now looking to address this to ensure a better user experience.
We have a clear vision for positive change and are committed to ensuring CILEX members, legal services consumers, and our key stakeholders are at the heart of everything we do. Through closer collaboration with CILEX and others, we will identify opportunities to learn, innovate, and continuously improve how we meet the needs of the profession and the public.
Publication notice: Feature first published in the CILEX Journal – Summer 2026 edition.
