A chartered legal executive is a qualified lawyer in England and Wales who specialises in a specific area of law and, once authorised, holds practice rights comparable to those of a solicitor within that specialism. The profession has its own regulator, its own qualifying route, and full recognition as a distinct branch of the legal profession following the grant of a Royal Charter to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in January 2012.1CILEX. CILEX Royal Charter It is the recognised way into law for people who do not take the university degree and solicitor training contract route.
What a Chartered Legal Executive Can Do
The Legal Services Act 2007 lists six categories of reserved legal activity that only authorised professionals may carry out: rights of audience in court, conduct of litigation, reserved instrument activities (such as preparing land transfer documents), probate work, notarial services, and the administration of oaths.2Legislation.gov.uk. Legal Services Act 2007 – Section 12 Chartered legal executives can be authorised for all of these except notarial services.
Most work in one field. The common specialisms are residential conveyancing, family law, probate, civil litigation, criminal litigation, and immigration. A practitioner with conveyancing rights, for example, can prepare instruments of transfer and charge under the Land Registration Act 2002 and handle a full transaction from instruction through completion.3Legislation.gov.uk. Legal Services Act 2007 – Reserved Instrument Activities
Fellows also have authority to administer oaths, take affidavits, and witness statutory declarations. CILEX is an approved regulator for this reserved activity under Schedule 4 of the Legal Services Act 2007, and Fellows are authorised persons under section 18.4CILEX. Can I Administer Oaths?
Where They Can Appear in Court
The exact scope of courtroom work depends on which practice right the practitioner holds. In the County Court, a CILEx lawyer with litigation and advocacy rights can appear in open court in all actions except family proceedings. Family matters sit in the Family Court, where a practitioner with family practice rights can appear in all proceedings. In the Magistrates’ Court, they can appear before magistrates, district judges, and justices’ legal advisers for all civil and enforcement matters.5CILEx Regulation. Summary of the Courts You Can Appear in With a Practice Right
Higher Rights of Audience
Experienced practitioners can train for higher rights of audience and appear in the High Court in civil or criminal proceedings. Only those who already hold litigation and advocacy rights and have successfully renewed their advocacy certificate at least once are eligible to apply. Family practitioners seeking higher rights take the civil proceedings route, since no separate family standard exists.6CILEx Regulation. Higher Rights of Audience
The qualification runs across two days of written advocacy training and two days of practical advocacy training, delivered by the University of Law. Assessment has two parts: a written exam covering evidence, ethics, and advocacy issues, worth 40% of the mark, and a practical assessment including witness examination and an opening speech, worth 60%. Candidates need at least 60% on both parts to pass.6CILEx Regulation. Higher Rights of Audience
How You Qualify
The CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) is the main route. It has three stages: Foundation, Advanced, and Professional. Completing Foundation grants paralegal status. Advanced builds subject knowledge. The Professional stage is where you qualify as a CILEX lawyer with the right to practise unsupervised in your specialist field.7CILEX. Start Your Law Career with CILEX Each stage covers legal research, client care, and substantive law. At Level 6, modules focus on specific areas of law and their corresponding practice skills, with academic study and day-to-day legal work running in parallel.
Qualifying Experience
Alongside the academic side, candidates must complete a minimum of 2,300 hours of qualifying experience. CILEx Regulation adopted this hours-based standard, with Legal Services Board approval, in place of the older “qualifying employment” rule. At least one year of the experience must be completed while the candidate holds Graduate or Advanced Paralegal membership.8CILEx Regulation. Qualifying Experience Guidance
The work must be supervised by an authorised person under section 18 of the Legal Services Act 2007, which covers CILEX Fellows, CILEX Practitioners, solicitors, barristers, and licensed conveyancers.9CILEX. Qualifying Employment Candidates build a portfolio of evidence showing they can handle complex legal tasks, and independent examiners assess it for technical competence in drafting, case management, and client communication.
Admission as a Fellow
Once study and experience are complete, applications go to CILEx Regulation. The application includes a statement of prior conduct. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to this assessment, so unspent and non-protected spent convictions and cautions are all considered.10CILEx Regulation. Making an Application for Qualifying Experience Successful candidates are admitted as Fellows and added to the register of qualified legal professionals.
What It Costs
CILEX publishes fee schedules for each qualification level. For 2026, the Level 6 standard qualification fees are:
- Level 6 Certificate in Law: £99 (one external examination)
- Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice: £269 (two external examinations plus one professional skills assessment)
- Level 6 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice: £538 (four external examinations plus two professional skills assessments)
These are CILEX’s examination and assessment fees only, and do not include tuition from a training provider, membership fees, or optional charges such as remote invigilation at £32 per unit.11CILEX. Level 6 Qualifications Fees 2026 Provider tuition adds significantly. One approved provider lists the Foundation stage alone at roughly £3,960, so the whole qualification runs into several thousand pounds depending on provider and study mode.
Once qualified, the CILEx Practitioner application fee for 2026 is £453. The annual practising certificate fee for chartered legal executives is £387. Practitioners holding more than one reserved activity right pay an additional £62 per year. Chartered Legal Executive Advocates renew their advocacy certificate every three years at £156.12CILEx Regulation. Application and Annual Practising Fees
Anyone practising independently or through a CILEx-regulated firm must carry professional indemnity insurance with minimum cover of £2 million. The level actually needed depends on the size and risk profile of the practice, but no one can exclude liability below that floor. The policy must come from a qualifying insurer that has signed the CILEx Qualifying Insurers Agreement.13CILEx Regulation. Professional Indemnity Insurance
How It Differs From Being a Solicitor
The main practical difference is breadth. A solicitor qualifies across all areas of law and can move between specialisms freely. A chartered legal executive qualifies in a specific area and holds practice rights only within that specialism. Within their field they work at the same level and carry the same authority, but they cannot pivot to a new area of law without further qualification.
Being admitted as a Fellow and holding independent practice rights are also two separate steps. A Fellow working in reserved activities such as litigation, conveyancing, or probate must do so under the supervision of someone who holds those rights, until they gain practitioner status in the relevant specialism themselves. Solicitors generally command higher starting salaries, though the gap narrows with experience.
Regulation and Ongoing Obligations
CILEx Regulation is the independent regulatory body overseeing chartered legal executives. It was formed in 2008 following the Legal Services Act 2007 and operates separately from CILEX itself.14CILEx Regulation. Who We Are Every regulated professional must follow the CILEx Code of Conduct, which sets out nine core principles including honesty and client confidentiality.15CILEx Regulation. CILEx Code of Conduct Serious misconduct can be referred to the Disciplinary Tribunal, whose sanctions range from a reprimand through conditions on practice, fines, interim suspension, and exclusion from membership.16CILEx Regulation. CILEx Regulation Enforcement Handbook
Chartered legal executives must also complete annual continuing professional development to keep practising. The current hours-based scheme requires eight hours of learning plus one mandatory Professionalism outcome each year.17CILEx Regulation. Hours Based CPD Scheme The CPD year runs from 1 October to 30 September. The Professionalism requirement is outcome-based: practitioners identify their own learning needs and complete an activity that develops knowledge or skills in at least one specified area, including professional ethics and the Code of Conduct, business awareness, client communication, equality and diversity, or time management. The Professionalism activity must be completed by 30 September each year.18CILEx Regulation. Professionalism and Outcomes