Message to members: Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys

2 October 2025

We understand the concern and frustration many of our members are feeling following the recent High Court ruling in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys. Members have, for many years, been working in litigation with skill, professionalism and dedication, earning the trust and respect of clients and employers alike. Providing support and guidance to members is our priority as we navigate these challenges together.

This ruling applies to members involved in litigation who do not hold practice rights in their specialism, and members with practice rights who are supervising legal professionals without authority to conduct litigation. The court determined that anyone not authorised to conduct litigation cannot do so under supervision. You may provide support and assistance to an authorised colleague (ie. a solicitor or CILEX Lawyer) but you cannot conduct litigation yourself without the relevant practice rights.

The ruling does not apply to members working in conveyancing and probate. Schedule 3 of the Legal Services Act 2007 expressly provides exemptions that mean they can handle those reserved activities – rather than just assist with them – under the supervision and direction of authorised lawyers. However, there is no such exemption for the conduct of litigation.

This means CILEX members who work in litigation and do not have practice rights are not authorised to conduct litigation. You must ensure your contribution remains strictly in assisting the authorised person who conducts the litigation.

CILEX’s interpretation of the Legal Services Act has always been aligned with that of other regulators and with guidance on the conduct of litigation. When practice rights became available to CILEX professionals in 2014, those with litigation practice rights have been authorised to conduct litigation independently and within their authorised specialism. Since then, we have strongly encouraged members to obtain these rights. This has been communicated repeatedly through the member portal, newsletters, emails, journal articles, webinars, and in-person events.

We are deeply concerned about the upset this is causing our members, and understand the frustration being voiced from within the CILEX community. The process for authorisation is determined by our independent regulator, CILEx Regulation Limited (CRL), not CILEX – which is why we have been pressing them daily for urgent guidance and clear, practical solutions so those who need practice rights can obtain them without delay. CRL have today released their latest guidance here.

We are here to help you through this. Our live FAQs are kept up to date as new questions come in, and you’ll find detailed guidance in the Practice Rights Hub. We will also keep you updated via email on developments and upcoming webinars and will be supporting employers to work through what it means for them.

If you can’t find what you need, our Customer Support team is always on hand — just get in touch via myCILEX or call us on 01234 841000.

Jennifer Coupland, CILEX CEO

Sara Fowler FCILEX, CILEX President