Become a CILEx Practitioner

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Becoming a CILEx Practitioner (gaining Practice Rights), means that you can practise without supervision in a regulated firm in areas of practice that are restricted. This is the first step towards owning your own authorised law firm.

There are a number of options as shown in the diagram on the right.

The practice areas in blue are reserved activities under the Legal Services Act. Immigration, although not reserved to people authorised through the Act, is a regulated activity and therefore we need to authorise you to undertake this work, if you aren’t otherwise supervised. If you are unsure, please check with us before undertaking immigration work.

Find out more about our new routes to Practice Rights.

Practice Rights webinar recordings

Our recent webinars provide an overview of all you need to know about the application process and eligibility criteria:

Conveyancing and Probate

Civil, Family and Criminal Litigation

Civil Litigation Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in civil litigation enables you to undertake both civil litigation and advocacy in the lower courts without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in civil litigation, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. Find out more about setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation.

Find out how to apply.

Criminal Litigation Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in criminal litigation enables you to undertake both criminal litigation and advocacy in the magistrates’ courts without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in criminal litigation, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. Find out more about setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation.

Find out how to apply

Family Litigation Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in family litigation enables you to undertake both family litigation and advocacy in the Family Court without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in family litigation, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. Find out more about setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation.

Find out how to apply

Probate Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in probate practice enables you to undertake probate work as well as estate administration and will-writing without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in probate practice, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. More information on setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation can be found here. Find out about our joint CLE and Probate Practitioner application process.

Find out how to apply

Conveyancing Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in conveyancing practice enables you to undertake conveyancing work without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in conveyancing practice, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. Find out more about setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation.

Find out how to apply

I would recommend other CILEx members to apply for Practice Rights without hesitation! It allows members to have something to show for their years of hard work. It’s a fantastic feeling when you receive your practising certificate for the first time; it puts us on an equal footing with other legal practitioners as we should be! It is a very proud moment indeed.

Sian Turvey, Chartered Legal Executive & CILEx Conveyancing Practitioner at Robertsons Solicitors

Immigration Rights

Becoming authorised as a CILEx Practitioner in immigration practice enables you to undertake immigration work, but excluding appointing a representative and advocacy in the Upper Tribunal for judicial review, without supervision in a regulated firm. However, if you want to practise as self-employed in immigration practice, you will also need to work within an authorised law firm. More information on setting up your own firm with CILEx Regulation can be found here.

Find out how to apply

Making an application for practice rights

Whichever practice right you are looking to apply for, the process follows the same basic steps:

Academic stage	Demonstrate Level 6 knowledge in relevant area of law and practice
Experience	Demonstrate five years of legal experience, including at least two years in your chosen specialism
Demonstrate competence	Complete the Skills Log. For Litigation rights, you will also need to complete the Advocacy course
Satisfy character and suitability requirements
Admission
Post-authorisation (for advocacy rights)	After one year those with advocacy rights have to undergo a renewal process to demonstrate how they have used their advocacy rights.

Throughout the application process, any help I needed from CILEx Regulation was obtained easily, either by phone or email. It was clear throughout the whole process that CILEx Regulation was keen to encourage and assist with my application…

Michael Fletcher, CILEx Litigator (Civil) & Chartered Legal Executive Advocate Glaisyers Solicitors

Becoming an advocate

If you are a CILEx Practitioner seeking litigation rights, you will need to qualify as an advocate. Once your initial application has been assessed as competent, you will be issued with a certificate of eligibility to attend the advocacy course.

You may also qualify as an advocate if you are a Chartered Legal Executive, employed by an authorised law firm and you would like to undertake advocacy. The first step using this route is to complete the application for a certificate of eligibility to attend the course – which includes an assessment of your current experience.

Once you have a certificate of eligibility, you will need to undertake a week-long course of study in advocacy run by a CILEx Regulation accredited advocacy provider, followed an assessment at the end of the week to confirm you are competent to practise.

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