If you are a Chartered Legal Executive working in civil, criminal or family proceedings then you may be interested to know that you can apply for extended rights of audience in your practice area to allow you to undertake advocacy in certain proceedings.
Members who have previously gone through this route have said that it has helped them to progress in their careers and provides consistency of representation to their clients.
This page is for individuals seeking authorisation as:
- a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate
- a CILEx Practitioner (in one of the litigation rights)
The basic elements of the process for these applications is the same, although if you have applied to be a CILEx Practitioner, you will already have completed the application for a certificate of eligibility as part of the wider application process.
- This webinar provides a helpful overview of the process of becoming a CILEx Advocate.
- Find out what Advocacy training is really like read our case study.
The Advocacy training process
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1.Successful completion
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2. Apply for certificate
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3. Attend advocacy
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4.Once holding Chartered
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*Applicants holding a BPTC are exempt from the Advocacy Skills course, where they are making an application to become a CILEx Practitioner – applicants who have attended similar courses are invited to apply for an exemption.
Certificate of eligibility
You can apply to become an advocate in one of the following practice areas:
- Civil litigation
- Criminal litigation
- Family litigation
For guidance for the application process, please access the CRL Certificate of Eligibility Guidance document.
You should complete the application form for a certificate of eligibility and pay the fee.
The application form asks for:
- your academic qualifications, to ensure that you have appropriate underpinning legal knowledge and that you are a Chartered Legal Executive (or will be on granting of the right)
- an outline of your work experience over the last five years, including five case outlines that demonstrate your competence in litigation
- three case outlines that demonstrate your competence in advocacy developed through your work experience
- two referees who can provide CILEx Regulation with assurance of your competence and who have experience of your work
- payment of the fee
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.
Once this part of the process has been successfully concluded, a certificate of eligibility will be issued, which enables you to register for the advocacy skills course.
Advocacy skills course next steps
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.
Apply for advocacy rights
You will have to complete a short application form to become authorised.
Advocacy is always a frightening concept and I would not have thought I would have gained as much confidence as I did from the course. I left believing I was ready to undertake a trial.
Sarah Phippen, Chartered Legal Executive at Goldstones Solicitors
