Civil Litigation Legal Practice Qualification

Work towards becoming a Chartered Legal Executive Litigator in civil litigation, authorised by CILEX Regulation.

If you are building a career in disputes, you want to understand more than the next procedural step. You want to assess the strength of a claim, recognise what the evidence shows and help a client decide how to move forward.

The Civil Litigation Legal Practice Qualification brings together a foundation in law and professional skills with specialist study in contract, tort, civil litigation and evidence. Study online with tutor support while working towards civil litigation practice rights.

Already working in claims, disputes or debt recovery? Your studies can help you connect the work you do with the legal reasoning behind it, while preparing for greater responsibility.

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Check my exemptions

Enrolment is open year-round. Completing the course is one part of the route: you must also meet CILEX Regulation’s experience, competence and suitability requirements and obtain authorisation.

Key information

Qualification: Civil Litigation Legal Practice Qualification
Regulator: CILEX Regulation
Route: Chartered Legal Executive Litigator (Civil Litigation)
Leads to: Authorisation by CILEX Regulation as a Chartered Legal Executive Litigator in Civil Litigation with Civil Litigation practice rights

Study mode: fully online, flexible, on demand, tutor-supported

Course size: 10 core units and 4 specialist units

Course fee: £[TBC] payment plans available

A pathway with a clear regulatory basis. CILEX Regulation lists Law Training Centre as an approved provider for the civil litigation pathway under its Law and Practice qualification.

The course develops your knowledge; the regulator decides whether you meet the requirements for authorisation.

4,500+ learners trained

800+ employer relationships

Specialists in legal training, with CILEX, SQE, CLC and more under one roof

Tutors with legal practice experience

One to one feedback

Professional resources, Lexis+ UK legal research access

Build on the work you want to do

You may be helping to manage a caseload and want a clearer route to qualification. Perhaps you have completed legal study and now want to specialise in resolving disputes. What you have already learned matters, as does the work you can build on.

Paralegals in claims and disputes – develop the knowledge behind the claims, correspondence and procedural decisions you encounter at work. Suitable supervised work may contribute towards your experience requirements while you study, provided it meets CILEX Regulation’s criteria.

Law graduates and people with previous legal qualifications – focus your further study on civil practice and find out whether your existing qualifications give you exemptions. Knowing which units you still need makes it easier to plan your time and assess the cost.

Starting a career in civil litigation – talk to us about your education and experience before choosing your course. We can explain your starting point and how suitable legal work fits into the route to authorisation.

What you are working towards

Once authorised by CILEX Regulation, you can conduct civil litigation within the scope of your authorisation, with the appropriate practising certificate and subject to the relevant regulatory requirements. The work can include investigating a claim, analysing evidence, drafting statements of case, negotiating settlements and preparing matters for court or mediation.

The role calls for judgment as well as procedural knowledge. A client needs to understand the strength of their position, the risks and costs of taking action, and whether a negotiated outcome might serve them better. Specialist study helps you develop the legal understanding behind those conversations.

On authorisation, Chartered Legal Executives also hold Commissioner for Oaths rights or On authorisation under the new standards???

If you want to represent clients in court – Rights to conduct litigation and rights of audience are distinct. Advocacy requires the relevant additional training, assessment and authorisation. Higher rights of audience have further eligibility and assessment requirements; they are a later progression option, not an automatic part of this course.

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Talk through my career route

Your route to authorisation

Plan the academic and practical requirements together. You can study alongside suitable supervised work, but your job title alone does not establish that you have the experience or evidence the regulator needs.

Your route to qualification Step 1 to 5

Step 1 – Complete the required qualification (this course) – study the 14 units, less any approved exemptions. The course develops your core legal knowledge and specialist understanding of civil practice, with assessments taken unit by unit.

Step 2 – Build and confirm your qualifying experience (through your legal work) – you need 2,300 hours of qualifying legal experience, which you can gain before, during or after the qualification, and which CILEX Regulation confirms when you submit your Qualifying Experience Application Form, a supporting reference and the assessment fee. Separately, when you apply for practice rights you must provide your employment history, starting with the most recent, showing three years’ general legal experience including civil litigation practice in the two years before your application. The hours requirement and the employment-history requirement are distinct. Keep a record of your work and check which activities qualify; experience gained while studying may contribute, subject to CILEX Regulation’s assessment.

Step 3 – Prepare your competency portfolio (through your legal work) – use evidence from your own work to demonstrate the six required competencies. Your supervisor supports and verifies your evidence, Law Training Centre provides guidance on preparing the portfolio, and the evidence should normally be no more than two years old when you submit your application.

Step 4 – Evidence your litigation experience (through your legal work) – prepare a litigation experience portfolio of five civil litigation cases from the two years before your application, using the case examples to demonstrate your work and responsibilities. Plan this alongside your competency evidence so you know which examples to collect and what still needs to be developed. Both portfolios must meet the requirements applicable to your route, including the rules on the number of examples and how recent the evidence must be.

Step 5 – Apply to CILEX Regulation – when you meet the requirements, submit your application through the regulator’s current process. It includes the application form (qualifying experience confirmation, employment history, details of any prior conduct and an employer’s declaration), your qualifying experience confirmation letter, evidence of your qualifications, both portfolios, a supervisor reference and suitability information. CILEX Regulation assesses the application and charges separate fees. You can exercise the relevant practice rights only once authorisation has been granted and subject to its conditions.

Know what your current role can provide. Before enrolling, discuss the route with your supervisor. Will your work give you access to the right experience? Who will help you develop and evidence your competence? Answering those questions early helps you build a realistic plan.

A foundation in law with a civil litigation specialism

Ten core units establish a foundation in law and professional practice. Four specialist units then develop your understanding of civil liability, litigation and evidence.

The core units (Level 3):

Legal System of England and Wales; Introduction to Dispute Resolution

Introduction to Criminal Practice Introduction to Public Law

Introduction to Human Rights Law Introduction to Conveyancing

Introduction to Wills and Probate Legal Skills and Technology in Practice

Accounting Rules and Procedures Conduct and Professional Ethics

Contract – study the legal principles behind contractual obligations and disputes. This gives you a basis for analysing what the parties agreed, whether an obligation has been breached and what remedies may be available.

Tort – develop your understanding of civil wrongs, including negligence. Connect the facts of a dispute with the legal questions that determine liability.

Civil Litigation – understand how civil claims progress and the procedural decisions that shape them. A sound grasp of the process helps you see why a particular step or deadline matters.

Rules of Evidence in civil proceedings – examine how evidence is used in civil proceedings. This supports the careful analysis needed to identify what can be established and where a case needs further work.

Degree-standard describes the level of study, not the award of a law degree.

Assessment that you can plan around – Study and prepare one unit at a time, with three assessment windows each year. This gives you defined points to work towards while organising your preparation around work and other commitments. Exams are taken online under remote invigilation. Results are issued within six weeks.

Anthony Roy: For online study, you need to be dedicated and be willing to commit time to study. However, it does mean you can work and plan your time as you wish to complete the course at your own speed. Setting my own goals enabled me to self-motivate

Read Anthony Roy story

Check what your previous study can count towards

If you already hold legal qualifications, you may not need every unit. Tell us about your law degree, GDL, LPC, CILEX qualifications or SQE assessments, and we will review your entry route and potential exemptions.

An exemption is not automatic simply because you have studied law. It depends on what you have completed and how that learning meets the applicable requirements.

Check my exemptions

Support that makes study time count

When you are studying around a demanding job, time matters. You need to know what to work through, where to get help and what to improve before assessment.

A clear structure for each topic – Topic overviews, recorded lectures and interactive learning give you a sequence to follow. Knowledge checks, including multiple-choice and short-answer questions, help you test your understanding as you progress.

Tutor guidance when you need an explanation – You can ask for help when a rule is unclear or you are unsure how to approach a problem. Individual feedback helps you see where your understanding is sound and where further work is needed.

Preparation before the final exam – Mock assessments give you a chance to put your learning into practice. The feedback helps you focus your next stage of preparation, whether that means revisiting the law or improving the way you explain its application.

Guidance beyond the academic units – Support covers preparation of the competency and litigation experience portfolios. You still need suitable work, your own evidence and supervisor support, but you can seek guidance on the requirements as you prepare.

Fees and funding

Already gained some legal qualifications? Check your exemptions first, you may not need the full pathway.

£[TBC] full course fee. Spread the cost with a monthly payment plan, or ask us about employer sponsorship, many of our learners are funded by their firm.

Your course fee includes:

course materials

unlimited tutor guidance and academic support

access to the online learning platform

assessment guidance, mocks

and exam booking assistance

Portfolio guidance is included in the course support

CILEX Regulation charges separately for its application processes. Before you enrol, check your total study cost, including any assessment, resit or extension charges that are payable separately.

Develop civil litigation expertise within your team

If you have a capable paralegal ready to develop, this pathway can give their progression a clearer structure. They can remain in work while studying subjects relevant to the disputes your team handles. Plan study alongside supervised casework. As the learner develops, suitable tasks and feedback can help them apply what they are learning and build the evidence needed for authorisation. The firm gains a practical framework for developing expertise within the team. We can discuss course requirements and employer-funded study with you, helping you plan training alongside the role. The learner’s responsibilities must remain appropriate to their competence, supervision and authorisation status.

Talk to us about developing your team

Questions before you decide (FAQs)

Do I need a law degree?

How long will it take?

You have three years of course access. Your study pace depends on your exemptions and the time you can commit, with three assessment windows a year. Completing the course and becoming authorised are separate milestones: your experience and portfolio requirements also affect the overall timetable.

What experience do I need?

2,300 hours of qualifying legal experience, assessed by CILEX Regulation, which many learners build through their legal work while studying. Your application must also show three years’ general legal experience, including civil litigation practice in the two years before you apply, a competence portfolio and a litigation experience portfolio of five cases from that period.

Can I qualify through my existing job?

How is this different from being a solicitor?

Both are authorised legal professionals under the Legal Services Act 2007. A solicitor is regulated by the SRA and authorised across a broad range of legal work; a Chartered Legal Executive Litigator (Civil Litigation) is authorised by CILEX Regulation to conduct civil litigation within the scope of that authorisation, with advocacy and higher rights available through further authorisation.

The routes differ as well: this qualification puts your specialist study into civil practice, and you qualify with practice rights in the area you work in. The solicitor route runs through the SQE, which requires a degree or an equivalent qualification or experience recognised by the SRA and assesses a broader range of law.

Start with a clear route

Tell us what you have studied and the legal work you do. We will explain your entry route and any exemptions, so you can decide whether the course fits your plans before committing.

Ready to apply? Complete the online application form. We will review your background, confirm the course requirements and explain the next steps for enrolment.

Enrol now

Check my exemptions

Speak to our student services team