Mazur update from CILEX office holders: Message to members

9 October 2025

As the three senior office holders representing the members voice on the CILEX Board we wanted to write to you personally. We know that our community has been rocked by the aftermath of the Mazur judgment, and it continues to be an extremely difficult time, especially for our Fellows and those still studying the CILEX legacy qualifications.

It is clear that the Mazur judgment has had far reaching consequences, and we have heard first-hand from affected members about the difficult and challenging situation that they have now found themselves in – as members ourselves, this has been really hard to hear.

We are saddened by the distress and uncertainty the judgment has caused, and we appreciate your patience as CILEX evaluates the impact and the best way forward. This is not easy, and we understand that the repercussions are being felt right across the profession, and that members working in litigation without practice rights – and beyond – are looking to CILEX for answers. Along with our Professional Board, who are also members, we know how important it is that swift and accurate information is provided.

CILEX’s intention has always been to give sound guidance and support on practice rights, based on the latest information and guidance provided by our independent regulator CILEx Regulation Ltd. (CRL). CILEX acted in good faith, doing its best to communicate the latest regulatory guidance available, but we acknowledge the strong sense of feeling amongst affected members, that CILEX may not have always got this right.

We know how much pride our members take in their CILEX qualification and membership, and how deeply they care about protecting it. As CILEX office holders, so do we. You may be aware that CILEX has a new senior leadership team in post this year, who are extremely dedicated to driving CILEX forward and championing the exceptional talent of you, our members. We are in contact with CILEX’s new CEO, Jennifer Coupland and the CILEX Board on a daily basis, and we know that CILEX is working tirelessly to find practical solutions to the current challenges.

CILEX’s priority following the judgment, was ensuring that we worked through the situation quickly and with a need for extremely close scrutiny. However, it is evident that resolving this issue requires collaboration across the wider legal profession – it is not for CILEX alone to solve. We know that CILEX has taken urgent and active steps to engage with the Legal Services Board (LSB), other regulators, and the Ministry of Justice to ensure the magnitude of this ruling is understood and considered moving forward. There is more work to do, and you can be sure that we will continue to keep a sharp focus on this; we are working all day every day as a collective. We have every confidence that Jennifer and the CILEX Board will continue to steer us through this difficult time.

The role of CILEx Regulation

To ensure clarity, the awarding of practice rights is CILEx Regulation Limited’s (CRL) responsibility. While CILEX is named as an approved regulator via the Legal Services Act 2007, CILEX delegated the day to day regulation to CRL, who have entirely separate governance structures. This means there are clear limits to what CILEX can directly influence. We are working as closely with CRL as possible, within the confines of the Internal Governance Rules (IGR’s) set by the LSB, to ensure accurate and timely information is provided to members and provision of simpler guidance to enable the obtaining of practice rights. This includes engaging with CRL to ensure they are appropriately resourced to process portfolio applications quickly, the decoupling of litigation and advocacy practice rights, and encouraging ULaw to offer more opportunities for those pursuing the assessment, or the combined assessment and training route. Please refer to the latest update from CRL.

Looking ahead

Clearly this has been a challenging time for members and we understand that CILEX will need to work hard to rebuild your confidence. As senior office holders, we represent your voice and are committed to ensuring you are heard in the decisions and actions CILEX takes.

In terms of practical steps, CILEX has created a live FAQs and will continue to update this based on the questions and feedback received from members through the CILEX Customer Service team. We encourage members to visit the Practice Rights Hub and engage with the CILEX Online Community, accessible via myCILEX. In addition, CILEX will continue to advocate on behalf of members, working with CRL and other regulators, championing the need for change.

We are truly sorry that talented and dedicated members are facing this challenge. CILEX has always championed its members, and the Mazur judgment is a sharp reminder that, despite the progress made, our work is not yet done. Our priority must be to ensure this ruling does not diminish the value of being a CILEX member or the vital contribution you make to the profession.

It is without doubt in the public interest for CILEX professionals to continue delivering value across the legal sector and help to build a profession that reflects the society it serves. That shared purpose remains at the heart of everything we do, and we must not lose sight of it.

Support available

As members we must stand together, support one another, and support the membership body. We are heartened to see so many support groups out there. Your wellbeing is particularly important during this time, and we encourage members to seek support if needed. A range of resources is available through your myCILEX account, including free, confidential advice via LawCare.

We’ll continue to keep you informed and supported as CILEX works towards practical solutions.

Kind regards

Sara Fowler FCILEX CILEX President

Kim Findlow FCILEX, CILEX Vice President

Yanthé Richardson FCILEX, CILEX Immediate Past President