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Probate Practice Rights Qualification

A direct route to becoming a CILEX Practitioner with probate practice rights.

 

Gain specialist knowledge of wills and estate administration and acquire the practice rights to take responsibility for reserved probate work in your own right.

This is a Law Training Centre qualification, approved by CILEX Regulation to meet the education requirements for authorisation as a CILEX Practitioner (Probate).

You do not need to complete CILEX’s CPQ or qualify as a solicitor through the SQE to obtain family litigation practice rights through this route.

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Key information

  • Qualification:Probate Practitioner Qualification
  • Professional outcome: CILEX Practitioner (Probate), following authorisation by CILEx Regulation
  • Regulator: CILEx Regulation
  • Study: Online learning with tutor support; enrolment open year-round
  • Course size: 10 units: 5 core and 5 specialist, less approved exemptions
  • Assessment: Online, remotely invigilated assessments at scheduled sittings
  • Included support: Mock assessments with individual feedback and Portfolio Accelerator
  • Full course fee: £2,750 launch; £2,995 standard complete-qualification bundle

It also really helped that, as they had practical experience working in law, they could also see things from my perspective.

Tasha Peeters, earlier CILEX Level 6 learner with Law Training Centre, with a family-law background.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for people building a career in probate and private-client practice.

  • Probate assistants and paralegals: Develop the legal knowledge behind the matters you already support and work towards taking responsibility for probate work in your own right.
  • Law graduates and those with previous legal study: Have your assessed learning recognised through an exemptions review, so you can focus on the study that remains.
  • School leavers and career changers: Begin without a law degree or previous legal work experience. Suitable supervised legal work can be gained alongside your studies.

What is a CILEX Practitioner in Probate

A CILEX Practitioner (Probate) is a specialist lawyer authorised by CILEx Regulation to undertake reserved probate activities. Once authorised, you can take responsibility for that work in your own right, within the scope of your practising certificate.

For clients, that means a qualified professional who can explain what needs to happen, prepare the necessary papers and progress the matter with care and precision.


What do they do

Probate practitioners support personal representatives and families with the legal and practical work following a death. Their work can include:

 

Preparing applications for grants of probate or letters of administration.

Identifying estate assets and liabilities and explaining the administration process.

Dealing with estate accounts, tax matters and distribution to beneficiaries.

Advising on wills and related private-client matters within their competence.

Reserved probate activities concern the preparation of probate papers. Will writing and general estate administration are not, by themselves, reserved probate activities.

Career opportunities and practice rights

Build towards a specialist role in probate and estate administration. The Practitioner and Chartered Legal Executive routes can lead to the same probate practice rights; their academic requirements and professional titles differ.


On authorisation
  • Take responsibility for reserved probate work in your own right, within the scope of your practising certificate.
  • Develop your role in a law firm or private-client team, supported by specialist knowledge and professional authorisation.
  • Hold Commissioner for Oaths rights as an authorised CILEX Practitioner (Probate).

Public-facing reserved probate services must be delivered through an appropriately regulated practice. Establishing your own law firm requires separate firm authorisation; your individual practice rights do not authorise the firm.


Progression to Chartered Legal Executive status

After qualifying as a CILEX Practitioner (Probate), you can begin working towards Chartered Legal Executive status at any time. Your existing legal study can count towards this progression, with additional academic and regulatory requirements to complete before that status can be awarded.


Qualify as a Conveyancing Practitioner

You can also build on your probate qualification to become a CILEX Conveyancing Practitioner. Relevant units completed during your probate studies can provide exemptions from the conveyancing qualification, reducing the study you need to complete and helping you progress more quickly. We will confirm your exemptions and remaining units before you enrol.

Conveyancing practice rights require relevant experience, evidence of competence and separate authorisation by CILEx Regulation. Your probate authorisation does not itself confer conveyancing rights.

Probate authorisation does not itself include contentious probate litigation or court advocacy rights. These require separate qualifications and authorisation.

Discuss my progression options

Your route to authorisation

Plan your study, supervised work and portfolio together. Understanding the practical requirements early helps you recognise suitable work and retain useful evidence as you progress.

Step 1: Complete your qualification

Complete the required units of the Probate Practitioner Qualification, taking account of approved exemptions.

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Working in a law firm and studying law at the same time has been vital for me.

Robert Chawner, earlier CILEX learner with Law Training Centre. His story describes combining legal study with work in tax and estate planning.

What you will study

A focused legal foundation with advanced study in probate.

Your studies are organised into two stages: Core Legal Knowledge and Specialist Legal Knowledge & Practice.

Core Legal Knowledge
Five units · Taught and assessed at Level 3
The legal system, an introduction to wills and probate, and the skills, ethics, technology and accounting needed in legal practice.

Specialist Legal Knowledge & Practice
Five units · Taught and assessed at Level 6
Contract Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, Law of Wills and Administration of Estates.

The Practitioner route retains the specialist probate study while reducing the wider general core from ten units to five. This creates a shorter academic route to specialist authorisation; it does not confer Chartered Legal Executive status.

Specialist Legal Knowledge & Practice – taught and assessed at Level 6

Contract Law

Understand how contracts are formed, interpreted and brought to an end, and assess the remedies available when obligations are breached.

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Core Legal Knowledge – taught and assessed at Level 3

The Legal System of England and Wales

Understand how the legal system is organised, how law is made and applied, and how different courts and legal professionals contribute to legal practice.

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Learning and assessment

Study online and prepare for assessments at scheduled sittings. The course combines knowledge-based questions with opportunities to apply the law and communicate advice.

  • Core general units: Multiple-choice, single best answer and short-answer questions.
  • Core skills units: Single best answer, short-answer questions and written advice.
  • Specialist units: Single best answer, short-answer questions and written advice.

The pass mark is 60% for each unit. Your course fee includes the first assessment attempt for each required unit, plus mock assessments with individual tutor feedback to guide your preparation.

Your study timetable will depend on your remaining units, assessment dates and the time you can commit. Completing the academic qualification and obtaining authorisation are separate milestones.

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Why Law Training Centre

Our experience has shaped your course
Studying alongside legal work takes clear teaching and support that responds to your questions. Our experience in professional legal education has shaped a course that connects the law with the responsibilities of practice.

Chosen by firms developing their people
Law firms use Law Training Centre to develop colleagues across a range of legal qualifications. We understand the importance of training that fits around client work and supports progression within the team.

Approved by CILEx Regulation
Our approved qualification meets the education requirements for the Probate Practitioner route. Your study has a defined professional purpose: preparing for specialist authorisation in probate.

Tutors who practise law
Learn from tutors who bring legal practice into their teaching. Their explanations help you connect legal principles with the questions, documents and decisions that arise in a client’s matter.

Personal academic support
Discuss difficult legal points with your tutors, explore questions in live workshops and use personal academic coaching to organise your studies around work and other commitments.

Individual feedback before assessment
Practise with mock assessments and receive feedback on your own answers. Identify gaps in your understanding, strengthen your reasoning and improve how clearly you explain the law before your assessment.

Portfolio Accelerator included
Prepare for the practical route as well as the assessments. Portfolio Accelerator helps you understand the experience, competency evidence and authorisation process, so you can plan relevant work and collect evidence with your supervisor.

Portfolio Accelerator is included in the full qualification and routes with approved exemptions. You remain responsible for gaining suitable experience and producing your own evidence; CILEx Regulation decides your application.

Along with my tutor’s guidance and reassurance, I understood what the exam wanted from me and how to expand my answers properly

Jack Coulton, completed a CLC conveyancing qualification with Law Training Centre. Her experience relates to the provider’s wider assessment support.

Entry requirements and exemptions

Entry requirements

You do not need a law degree, previous legal qualifications or legal work experience to enrol. You can begin as a school leaver, a career changer or someone already working in law.

Suitable supervised legal work is required for authorisation and can be gained alongside your studies. We can help you understand how that practical requirement fits your plans.


Exemptions that recognise your previous study

Relevant legal study can reduce your remaining course requirements and fee. We review the subjects you have passed, their level and how they were assessed, including individual units from an unfinished qualification.

Your previous study What to send for review
Law degree, GDL, PGDL or LPC Your certificate, transcript and relevant module information.
Passed SQE assessments Your results and available subject-performance information.
CILEX, CPQ, NALP or other legal qualifications Details of the exact qualification and individual units passed.
CLC or STEP qualifications The certificates and transcripts for the units or Advanced Certificates you have completed.
Legal apprenticeship Your qualification and assessment records, including any separately awarded units.
Overseas legal study Your qualifications, transcripts and module information, including the legal system studied.

Where previous study covers most of a unit but leaves specific gaps, we may include the remaining learning within your agreed pathway. Any required top-up study forms part of that pathway rather than a separate bridging course.

Before you enrol, we will explain:

  • Which previous study is recognised.
  • Which units, assessments or included top-up learning remain.
  • Your route price, payment options and compulsory additional charges.

Request a free review of your previous study

Send your certificates and transcripts, including where and when you studied. We will confirm your route and cost in writing.


Check my exemptions

Exemptions recognise academic learning. They do not remove the separate experience, competence, suitability or authorisation requirements.

Check my exemptions

Fees and Funding 

Your starting point determines the study you need. Check your exemptions before choosing the full qualification or a route based on recognised prior learning.


Complete qualification
Option Launch price Standard price
Complete qualification bundle £2,750 £2,995
Core Legal Knowledge bought separately £1,250 £1,500
Specialist Legal Knowledge and Practice bought separately £1,500 £1,750

The standard complete-qualification bundle costs £255 less than buying the two stages separately. Your quotation will confirm the launch offer end date.


Routes with approved exemptions

Routes with approved exemptions cost £1,500 or £2,250, depending on your confirmed pathway. Your written quotation will set out the remaining study, included support, payment options and compulsory additional charges.


Direct payment options

Pay in full, split your fee into three or six payments, or use the complete-qualification payment plan below.

Complete qualification plan Total payable
Launch: £330 initial payment plus 11 payments of £220 £2,750
Standard bundle: £410 initial payment plus 11 payments of £235 £2,995

What the course fee includes
  • All course materials and structured online learning.
  • Unlimited tutor guidance, live workshops, personal academic coaching and Lexis+ UK access.
  • Mock assessments with individual feedback and the first assessment attempt for each required unit.
  • Portfolio Accelerator support for qualifying experience, your competency portfolio and authorisation preparation.

Resit fees

Resits cost £150 per core unit and £250 per specialist unit. Resits take place at the next available scheduled sitting.


CILEx Regulation fees

CILEx Regulation charges separately. Published 2026 fees are £92 for qualifying-experience assessment, £450 for the CILEX Practitioner application and a base annual CILEX Practitioner practising fee of £453 once authorised. Fees may change; other charges may apply to recognition applications or additional activities.

Check CILEx Regulation’s application and practising fees


Funding options

Fund your own study through the available direct payment options, or ask your employer to sponsor your qualification. We can help you explain the route, support and costs when requesting sponsorship.

The October 10% offer and Price Match do not apply to CILEx Regulation qualifications.

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Check my exemptions

Employer funded study

The probate practitioner your firm needs may already work for you.

Support an existing colleague towards authorisation as a CILEX Practitioner (Probate) and strengthen the expertise within your private-client team.

They can study alongside their role, retaining their knowledge of your clients, matters and working practices. Once authorised, they can take responsibility for reserved probate work in their own right.

The focused ten-unit qualification develops the legal knowledge, professional skills and specialist probate understanding needed for this route, without the additional general core study required for Chartered Legal Executive status.

Law Training Centre provides Your firm provides
An exemptions review and written confirmation of remaining study and costs. Suitable supervised legal work and access to relevant probate matters.
Online learning, tutor support and assessment preparation. A realistic study plan that takes account of workload and assessment dates.
Included Portfolio Accelerator support. Supervisor support, evidence verification and references required for authorisation.

During training, the colleague’s responsibilities must remain appropriate to their competence, supervision and authorisation status.


Plan your team’s development

Start with a free Employer Development Review. Tell us about your team’s experience and the responsibilities your firm needs them to undertake. We will identify suitable qualification routes and provide a short written plan setting out the next steps.

With Law Training Centre, they’ve got someone on hand to help them.

Richard Durrant, Boys & Maughan; employer experience of Law Training Centre’s wider provision.

Talk to us about developing your team

How to apply

1. Share your starting point. Tell us about your qualifications, passed units and relevant legal experience.

2. Confirm your route and cost. We will explain your exemptions, remaining study, included support, fee and compulsory additional charges.

3. Enrol and begin studying. Complete the enrolment process, receive your course guidance and start your online learning.

Tell us about your plans for a career in probate. We will help you understand what remains between your current starting point and specialist authorisation.

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Common questions (FAQs)

What this qualification enables

Is this the right qualification for probate practice rights?

Once authorised, can I take responsibility for probate matters in my own right?

Do I still need to become a solicitor or pass the SQE?

How is this qualification different from CILEX’s CPQ?

Does probate authorisation include litigation or court advocacy rights?

Your starting point

Do I need a law degree to qualify in probate?

Can previous legal study reduce my remaining study and fee?

Do I need legal work experience before starting?

Do I need to join CILEX, and does this route make me a Fellow?

Fitting qualification around your life

Is this qualification designed for people working full time?

How quickly could I complete this qualification?

Can I gain the required experience while studying?

Assessments and support

Can I take assessments online without travelling to an examination centre?

What support is available when preparing for an assessment or resit?

Funding and getting started

Can you help me request employer sponsorship?

Can our firm sponsor an employee through this qualification?

How does our firm pay for the qualification?

Can I spread the cost?

What happens after I complete the enrolment form?