Practice Rights

What are practice rights?

Practice rights refer to the authorisation that you can obtain to become authorised for a reserved legal activity. Reserved legal activites are defined in section 12, and detailed in schedule 2 of the Legal Services Act 2007. Some Reserved Legal Activities can only be carried out by those who are authorised (defined by s18) or those who are exempt (defined by section 19, and detailed in schedule 3 of the 2007 Act.

The regulator of CILEX members, CILEx Regulation can authorise individuals to undertake reserved activities, provided they can demonstrate their competence to do so. This enables individuals to qualify as an authorised person with the right to conduct one or more reserved activities.

What rights can I apply for?

Any person, who can demonstrate competence can apply to CILEx Regulation to become authorised for the reserved activities of probate and conveyancing (reserved instrument activities).

Upon qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive, an individua is automatically authorised to undertake the reserved activity of Administering Oaths..

Chartered Legal Executives are also eligible to apply to CILEx Regulation for practice rights in the following reserved/regulated activities:

Criminal Litigation and Advocacy
Family Litigation and Advocacy
Civil Litigation and Advocacy
Civil Litgation
Family Litigation
Criminal Litigation
Immigration advice and services
Conveyancing (reserved instrument activities)
Probate

Associate Prosecutor members can:

Exercise rights of audience; and
Conduct litigation in criminal proceedings.

Who can apply?

You must be a Chartered Legal Executive (a Fellow of CILEX) to apply for litigation, and/or advocacy rights and immigration rights.

Any person, including those in any grade of CILEX membership can apply for conveyancing and probate rights. You do not have to be a member of CILEX to be awarded these practice rights, though you would be eligible for CILEX membership.

What should I do first?

Before you start to complete the application form, you should read the relevant handbook for the practice rights in which you are interested. You can locate these handbooks on the CILEx Regulation website.

These handbooks take you through the application process step by step and include detailed guidance on using the competence frameworks and completing your logbook and portfolios.

How do I apply?

Your application process will depend on the route you chose to obtain practice rights. You will find the information on the following pages:

In addition, if you will want to work in a CILEx Regulation regulated legal practice you must demonstrate minimum competence in practice management and accounts (CILEx Regulation have referred to this as Level 1. The application form covers this also.

Fees

Fees are payable for practice rights applications, and subsequent practising certificates, and details of these can be found on the pages above which detail the application processes, together with the application and annual practising fees page.