Chartered legal executive (CILEX Lawyer)

As a CILEX Lawyer, you will typically specialise in one area of law such as:

• conveyancing - handling the legal aspects of buying and selling property
• criminal law - defending or prosecuting clients in criminal cases
• company and business law - advising businesses on contracts, employment or tax law
• litigation - managing disputes and representing clients in court
• personal injury - dealing with claims arising from accidents or negligence
• family law - supporting clients with divorce, financial settlements and child custody arrangements
• probate - drafting wills, advising on trusts, inheritance tax and administering estates.

You may choose to work in a law firm, as part of an in-house legal team, or within local government. You could also become a partner, a coroner, or even a judge.

You will also see jobs advertised as chartered legal executive. These are qualified lawyers who have completed the CILEX route to qualification. On completion of practice rights, or other authorisation, chartered legal executives can use the title CILEX Lawyer.

Responsibilities

As a CILEX Lawyer, you'll need to:

• advise and represent clients, explaining complex legal issues clearly and simply
• interview and take statements from clients and witnesses
• negotiate and correspond with other parties on your clients' behalf
• research, analyse and apply legal information to cases
• draft and prepare legal documents
• liaise with professionals such as barristers, solicitors, courts, banks and local authorities
• keep up to date with changes in legislation and case law.

On completion of the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ), you will obtain practice rights in reserved areas such as conveyancing, probate, immigration and litigation. These rights allow you to carry out reserved legal activities independently, without the supervision of a solicitor. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, reserved legal activities include:

• the exercise of a right of audience - appearing as an advocate in court
• the conduct of litigation - managing a case through the courts
• reserved instrument activities - such as preparing transfers or charges for the sale of land or property
• probate activities - handling wills and the administration of estates
• notarial activities - the work carried out by notaries
• the administration of oaths - acting as a commissioner for oaths for the swearing of legal documents.

To gain these rights, you must demonstrate your competence and experience in the relevant area of law and be authorised by CILEx Regulation.

Salary

• CILEX students earn an average of £32,233.
• Advanced paralegals (completion of Advanced Stage) earn an average of £37,745.
• CILEX Lawyers earn an average of £58,317. Senior lawyers can earn more than this, depending on your role and type of business.

Salaries vary depending on your employer, location and type of work.

Income data from the 2025 CILEX Salary Survey. Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You'll typically work standard office hours Monday to Friday, although you may need to work longer hours during busy periods with occasional weekend work.

Part-time and flexible working opportunities may be available.

What to expect

• The work is office based, but you may need to attend client meetings, court hearings and sometimes police stations.
• Jobs are available in towns and cities in England and Wales in private practice, local authorities, businesses and the public sector.
• With experience and the right authorisation, you may run your own practice or work on a self-employed basis.
• The job carries significant responsibility, requiring accuracy, confidentiality and the ability to work under pressure.
• Professional dress is expected, particularly when meeting clients or representing them in court.

Qualifications

To become a CILEX Lawyer, you must complete the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ). The is a progressive framework with three stages:

• CPQ Foundation - completing this stage leads to accreditation as a CILEX Paralegal.
• CPQ Advanced - builds on the foundation stage, including ethics and professional responsibility modules plus a further period of professional experience, leading to recognition as an Advanced Paralegal.
• CPQ Professional - leads to accreditation as a CILEX Lawyer with practice rights in your chosen specialist area of law.

If you already have a degree in law, you can take the CILEX Graduate Qualification (CGQ), a fast-track route which takes into account your prior legal education.

If you're part qualified with the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), you may be able to fast-track your career, gaining practical, work-based learning with CPQ. You will need three years of general legal experience and two years specialist experience to apply.

If you choose to study the CPQ, the education element will be delivered by a CILEX-approved training provider, offering flexible options to suit your requirements. Search the list of CILEX approved training providers.

You can also qualify by taking a Level 6 Chartered Legal Executive or Level 7 Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate apprenticeship. Apprenticeships combine paid work with part-time study, meaning you can train on the job. For more information see CILEX apprenticeships.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and explain complex legal issues clearly
• analytical and problem-solving skills to assess evidence and identify practical solutions
• commercial awareness and negotiating skills when dealing with clients or other parties
• organisation and time management skills to prioritise work and meet deadlines
• research skills to interpret legislation, case law and legal precedents
• teamworking skills, collaborating effectively with solicitors, barristers and other professionals
• IT skills and familiarity with case management systems to support efficient legal practice
• integrity, discretion and sound judgment, always maintaining client confidentiality
• attention to detail and accuracy in drafting legal documents and handling case files
• resilience and the ability to work under pressure, especially when managing caseloads or tight deadlines.

Work experience

Although lots of people studying CPQ are completely new to law, many are already working in the legal sector, often as legal assistants or administrators, and receive financial or study support from their employer to complete CPQ or an apprenticeship.

If you're new to the sector, try to get some legal work experience either before or during your studies. This can include working in a law firm, local authority, court service, in-house legal department or with charities offering legal advice. Even short placements or volunteering in legal settings can help you understand the working environment and build useful contacts.

Look out for opportunities through local firms, councils, legal advice centres or online job boards advertising paralegal or legal assistant roles. Building experience early will strengthen your understanding of the law in practice and make it easier to progress through the CPQ. While you can complete the qualification elements of Foundation and Advanced Stages without work experience, you'll need it to complete your qualification and become a CILEX Lawyer.

Employers

CILEX Lawyers work across a wide range of organisations. Many are employed by law firms, including:

• high street practices, dealing with legal matters in the local community
• medium-sized firms, combining private client and commercial work
• large commercial firms, catering for national and international business clients.

You can also work for local authorities, particularly in areas such as litigation, housing and advocacy, and the Civil Service and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), handling matters of public legal concern.

Other opportunities exist in the legal departments of large companies, such as utilities, banks, insurance firms and financial institutions, where work typically involves commercial, property or employment law.

CILEX Lawyers can also be found working for housing associations, government agencies, regulatory bodies and charities.

With enough experience and the appropriate practice rights, you can also set up your own practice or work on a self-employed basis, offering legal services directly to clients in your authorised area of law.

Look for job vacancies at:

• CILEX Jobs - you need to register to search for jobs.
• Civil Service Job Search and LGJobs (for jobs in local government).
• The Law Society Gazette Jobs
• The Lawyer Jobs
• Simply Law Jobs

Jobs are also advertised on local authority websites.

Recruitment agencies such as Totally Legal and Reed also advertise chartered legal executive vacancies.

CILEX Lawyers are qualified and regulated in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal systems, and so you won't be able to practise as a CILEX Lawyer under these laws.

Professional development

Once qualified, you must undertake further training and development activities throughout your career. As a member of CILEX, you're required to complete nine continuing professional development (CPD) activities per year. At least one of these needs to be in professionalism, which relates to you as a professional person, rather than the area of law you work in.

CPD activities include attending training seminars, conferences and networking events provided in-house by your employer or through organisations such as CILEX, CILEX Law School, and The Law Society.

You may undertake coaching or mentoring to further your skills, as well as delivering training to students. There are also opportunities to write articles or research papers for journals and to do further study and research at postgraduate level.

Career prospects

There are good career prospects for qualified CILEX Lawyers. As you develop experience and expertise, you'll progress to more complex cases and build a comprehensive client base. This can lead to opportunities to run your own specialist department in a legal firm, supervising other CILEX members, paralegals, students, administrative staff and junior solicitors. In smaller practices, you may become a practice manager. With experience, you can apply for additional practice rights and set up your own CILEX-regulated firm.

Alternatively, you may choose to train and qualify as an advocate, which provides you with extended rights of audience in civil, criminal and family proceedings and means you can represent clients in several courts, including county and magistrates' courts. You'll also manage cases from start to finish.

With five years' post-qualification experience, you can apply for some judicial appointments, including deputy district judge, employment judge and district judge.