Handle legal matters including giving legal advice.
Apprentices develop the legal knowledge and advocacy skills needed to manage litigation matters independently across family, civil, or criminal law. Training covers specialist law and procedure, the law of evidence, case analysis, drafting skeleton arguments and submissions, and court etiquette and ethics. Apprentices also learn to assess case strengths and weaknesses, advise clients on risks and options, handle conflicts of interest, and apply good practice when working with vulnerable witnesses. Gaining two years of court experience as part of the programme is a requirement before completion.
Working on a live caseload from early in the programme, apprentices take client instructions, conduct legal and factual research using case law databases and procedural sources, and draft documents including case theories and skeleton arguments. They attend court to observe and, progressively, to represent clients in hearings. Regular contact with clients, opposing parties, courts, financial institutions, and government bodies is typical. As competence builds, they manage matters with increasing independence, producing research notes, advising clients directly, and handling procedural steps through to resolution.
Completing this apprenticeship leads to Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate status, with independent rights of audience in the County Court, Family Proceedings Court, Magistrates' Court, Youth Court, Coroners Court, and most Tribunals. Qualified practitioners can work as fee earners in private practice, in-house legal teams, local authorities, or public bodies. Those in private practice can set up their own legal practice. Progression typically involves taking on more complex cases, supervising junior staff, or specialising further within family, civil, or criminal litigation.
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Completing this apprenticeship leads directly to practising as a Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate, with rights of audience in the County Court, Family Proceedings Court, Magistrates' Court, Youth Court, Coroners Court and most Tribunals. Fee-earning work begins from qualification, with responsibility for managing an independent caseload, advising clients, drafting skeleton arguments and submissions, and representing clients at hearings without supervision. Some qualified practitioners also take on the role of Commissioner for Oaths.
In the first few years after qualification, many practitioners build depth in a chosen area, whether family law, civil litigation or criminal defence, taking on more complex cases and higher-value matters. From there, two distinct tracks open up. A leadership track leads to senior fee earner, head of department or equity partner in private practice. A specialist track leads to becoming a recognised authority in a particular area of law, potentially including High Court litigation work. Qualified practitioners can also set up their own legal practice independently.
Private law firms of all sizes hire for this role, from sole practitioner and high street practices to regional and national firms. Public bodies, local authorities and in-house legal teams also employ chartered legal executives. The role appears across family law, civil litigation and criminal law. Criminal defence work often involves legal aid providers, while family and civil practices serve a mix of privately funded and legally aided clients.
Learning takes place alongside paid employment throughout, with the apprentice building competence in litigation and advocacy as part of their day-to-day role. Before final assessment can begin, the apprentice must pass a readiness check, commonly called a gateway, at which point the employer and training provider confirm that the required knowledge, skills and behaviours have been demonstrated to a sufficient standard. Final assessment then determines whether the apprentice can practise independently in their specialist area. A minimum of two years' court experience is also required before completion. Assessment arrangements for many standards are currently being updated, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
Building a clear record of workplace evidence from the start of the programme makes the gateway and final assessment considerably more straightforward. Apprentices should document casework, court appearances, advocacy, client advice and legal drafting as they go, rather than attempting to reconstruct evidence later. Working closely with both the employer supervisor and the training provider to review progress against the knowledge, skills and behaviours at regular intervals helps identify gaps early, giving enough time to address them before readiness is formally assessed.
Look for providers with a strong track record of delivering solicitor or legal executive apprenticeships at Level 6 or above, ideally with achievement rates above 65% on their FATP profile. Because this standard requires two years of courts experience before completion, ask how the provider structures and evidences that requirement. Strong providers will have relationships with law firms, local authorities, and public bodies that can offer genuine caseload exposure. Employer and apprentice satisfaction scores above 80% are a reasonable baseline. Check whether the provider holds CILEx-approved status and delivers tuition aligned with CILEx Regulation handbooks.
Be cautious of providers running large cohorts across multiple legal standards if they cannot clearly explain how advocacy skills are assessed, not just legal knowledge. A declining achievement rate on a low volume of completions can mask structural problems with programme delivery. Providers who are vague about how apprentices accumulate court experience, or who cannot point to completers now working as fee earners in litigation or advocacy roles, are worth questioning. Outdated case management or legal research tool coverage is also a concern for a standard this demanding.
Employers can recruit candidates without a law degree, as the programme is designed for those working towards Chartered Legal Executive status via CILEx. Candidates must be employed in a role that gives them genuine exposure to litigation and advocacy work. They also need to meet your organisation's entry criteria and any requirements set by the training provider. Check the current standard on gov.uk for any English and maths conditions that apply.
The typical duration is around 66 months, though individual timelines vary. The apprentice is employed throughout and continues working while completing off-the-job learning. Specific minimum duration rules and off-the-job requirements are subject to revision under current Skills England reforms, so check the latest specification on gov.uk before planning your cohort. Crucially, apprentices must also build at least two years of court experience in their chosen area before they can progress to the endpoint.
Before taking the endpoint assessment, apprentices must pass through gateway, demonstrating they have met the required knowledge, skills and behaviours and have accumulated the necessary court experience. Assessment models for many Level 7 standards are currently being reviewed; the precise endpoint assessment method may change. Always refer to the current assessment plan on gov.uk for up-to-date requirements. The apprentice must show they can manage a caseload, advise clients and advocate in court without supervision.
The funding band for this standard is £27,000, meaning government funding covers training costs up to that cap. Levy-paying employers draw from their Digital Apprenticeship Service account. Non-levy employers in SMEs pay a 5% co-investment contribution, with the government covering the rest. If you are a small employer taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18, training costs are fully funded by government. Any costs above the funding band cap are met by the employer directly.
Day-to-day work includes managing a caseload of litigation matters, giving legal advice to clients, drafting case documents such as skeleton arguments and submissions, and attending court to represent clients. The role covers family, civil or criminal proceedings depending on specialism. Apprentices interact with clients, court staff, opposing counsel, government departments and regulators. They work as fee earners, meaning their casework directly contributes to the firm's income, and they operate with a high degree of independence within their specialist area.
On qualification, the individual holds reserved advocacy rights and can practise independently in the County Court, Family Proceedings Court, Magistrates' Court and most Tribunals. They are eligible to set up their own legal practice. Career progression can include taking on more complex or higher-value caseloads, moving into management, or pursuing further qualifications through CILEx or other professional bodies. Some CLELAs go on to qualify as solicitors or barristers through recognised conversion routes.
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Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 713.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.