By enrolling on the CPQ through the CILEX Graduate Qualification (CGQ), you’ll start at CPQ Advanced stage as a trainee CILEX Lawyer, allowing you to begin to specialise your legal education, focusing on the area that most interests you or is of greatest value to your employer. 

The CGQ includes CPQ Professional stage and so on successful completion of the CGQ, you will be a qualified CILEX Lawyer.

For further information about this stage, please visit the LawCAB CGQ page and the CILEX CPQ website.

As a CILEX Lawyer, you will be qualified with practice rights in one (or more) specialist area of law.

This differs from solicitors and barristers who initially train and qualify to practice in all areas of law, before they go on to specialise in particular areas of law after they have qualified.  

The areas of law where you could choose to qualify to practice in as a CILEX Lawyer are:

Dispute Resolution
Criminal Litigation
Residential Conveyancing
Commercial Conveyancing
Employment Law
Business & Commercial Law
Family Litigation
Wills & Probate
Immigration Law

As a CILEX Lawyer you operate at the same level as a solicitor and the path is open for you to become, among other things, a partner in a law firm, a judge, an advocate in open court, or a coroner. Today there are more than 1,000 partners in law firms up and down the UK who took the CILEX route!

Find out more about qualifying as a CILEX Lawyer.

For those starting at CPQ Foundation stage, looking to complete all three stages to achieve CILEX Lawyer status, the cost will be £12,500 (based on studying with CILEX Law School - other training providers are available and may have different pricing).

To achieve CILEX Lawyer status through the CILEX Graduate Qualification it costs from around £6,700 (depending on exemptions and advocacy) and will be paid in stages as you progress through the qualification.

The CILEX Graduate Qualification (CGQ) to achieve CILEX Lawyer status costs from around £6,700 (depending on exemptions and advocacy) and will be paid in stages as you progress through the qualification.

For many, the cost of CPQ is covered by their employer, however, if you cannot obtain employer funding, and you are unable to fund CPQ study yourself, it may be possible to access a bursary through the CILEX Foundation, a charity established to broaden access to legal careers and increase social mobility.

Additionally, students who have been accepted onto the CPQ are able to apply for a loan to fund their studies. One of the options now available is a student loan from Lendwise (eligibility requirements apply).

If you are not able to afford your CPQ outright, this solution may help to make the qualification more accessible.

Find out more and begin the process by visiting the CILEX Lendwise information page.

Please note that you must have already become a CILEX member before applying for Lendwise.

No. You can choose to pay for each stage or all stages in one go. But to provide you with the greatest possible flexibility in paying for your qualification you can choose to purchase each module separately - you'll need to pay the CILEX fee upfront, but can then pay for each module and exam fee when you are ready to study it.  There will be a requirement to complete the overall stage within three years from the point of registration.

You don’t need to have a training contract or graduate placement to start on CPQ or CGQ.

On CPQ you can complete the qualifications at Foundation and Advanced stages, but will need to complete Professional Experience to gain the CILEX Paralegal and CILEX Advanced Paralegal membership status. Once you reach Professional Stage, you will need to complete professional experience.

On CGQ, you can complete Stage 1 even if you’re not working in a legal role, but will need to demonstrate professional experience at Stage 2.

The course can be completed within 24 months, 18 months or 12 months. 

Below is a rough guide to the number of hours you could expect to study per week, depending on how  much time you can commit. 

24 months - 6 hours per week

18 months - 8 hours per week

12 months - 10 hours per week

If you are already working in a legal environment, however, the numbers of hours you need to spend studying could be less than this.

At the end of each stage of CPQ you will undertake assessments, which are mostly delivered online, and are available twice a year.

The assessments will examine your knowledge and skills in a way that reflects the realities of practising law. As you progress, the assessments will become more involved and increasingly focussed on how you evaluate and respond to complex problems or change; show informed, reasoned judgements; and present solutions to a client while considering their needs alongside wider impact.

If you have a law degree that was obtained outside of the UK, you can definitely still apply for CPQ, however, you will need to start at CPQ Foundation stage, which will provide you with an understanding of the fundamentals of the UK legal system. 

CPQ Foundation stage takes between 12-18 months, depending on how you choose to study, and is suitable for school leavers, non-law graduates and professionals.

It consists of five mandatory modules, which are:

• Professional Legal Skills
• Legal Systems
• Contract Law
• The Law of Tort
• Introduction to Property and Private Client

You will also need to complete an Ethics and Professional Responsibility e-learning module. If you’re not currently working in a legal role, you can progress through the Foundation and Advanced qualifications, but will not gain CILEX Paralegal membership status until you have completed your professional experience.

Once you have completed the Professional stage, you will be qualified as a CILEX Lawyer.

While you can progress through CPQ as fast as you like, the typical journey to full qualification will take around three years, though there is no time limit on your progress.

For further information about CPQ Foundation stage and how to apply, please visit the CILEX CPQ website.

You can definitely apply for CPQ if you don't have a law degree!

You will need to begin at CPQ Foundation stage, which will provide you with an understanding of the fundamentals of the UK legal system. 

CPQ Foundation stage takes between 12-18 months, depending on how you choose to study, and is suitable for school leavers, non-law graduates and professionals.

It consists of five mandatory modules, which are:

• Professional Legal Skills
• Legal Systems
• Contract Law
• The Law of Tort
• Introduction to Property and Private Client

You will also need to complete an Ethics and Professional Responsibility e-learning module. If you’re not currently working in a legal role, you can progress through the Foundation and Advanced qualifications, but will not gain CILEX Paralegal membership status until you have completed your professional experience.

Once you have completed the Professional stage, you will be qualified as a CILEX Lawyer.

While you can progress through CPQ as fast as you like, the typical journey to full qualification will take around three years, though there is no time limit on your progress.

For further information about CPQ Foundation stage and how to apply, please visit the CILEX CPQ website.

CPQ uses a blended learning approach which means you can study in the way that suits you. At CPQ Advanced stage, you’ll undertake four compulsory modules, one further optional module as well as Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Context and complete a Professional Experience portfolio.

Alongside e-books, you’ll have access to online seminars, tutorials, lectures and hot topic sessions. You might find the attached CILEX CPQ webpage helpful as a starting point to find out more information but if you have any further questions about starting the CPQ Foundation stage, please contact CILEX directly through their contact us page

You can enrol at any time of the year and either choose to join other students to learn together or, if you prefer, you can study independently.

As CPQ is designed to be flexible to fit around your work and other commitments., you can take the courses at your pace; pause study if you need to; and take assessments when you are ready.

CPQ is offered by a selection of approved training providers. Some, like the CILEX Law School, specialise in distance learning whereas others, such as local colleges, offer both remote and classroom learning, so you’ll be able to find the best option to suit you.

View list of CPQ training providers
 

If you have not done so already, please 'sign up' to LawCAB. 

Once you have submitted your details in the sign up section (top right of LawCAB homepage) please keep an eye on your inbox for the email verification link.  If it doesn’t arrive, it would be worth checking your promotions folder, or junk/spam folders in case it has got stuck there. (Those with gmail accounts sometimes find that the email goes to their promotions folder.)  Please also make sure that you are using the most up to date version of your internet browser.

After you have clicked on the link to confirm your email address, you will be able to login where you will then be able to view your applicant dashboard from which you can create an online CPQ CILEX Graduate Qualification application form.

Full details of the application process are available on our website here but if you have any further questions, please get in touch with us at applications@lawcabs.ac.uk.

Details of how to apply directly to CILEX for CPQ Foundation stage can be found here CPQ: How To Get Started with CILEX Professional Qualification or you can contact CILEX through their contact us page.

Details of how to apply directly to CILEX for CPQ Professional stage can be found here CPQ: How To Get Started with CILEX Professional Qualification or you can contact CILEX through their contact us page.

You should allow 5 working days for CILEX to respond to your CGQ application, however, the process of reviewing applications may take longer during busy periods.

You can apply for the CGQ at anytime, and start the course when you want to.

There are no deadlines for receipt of an application. CILEX take members on and enrol them onto the qualification throughout the year.

Bear in mind that there are two exam sessions a year - January and June - and so you might want to have your eye on these in terms of when you want to start your course. Typically, the advice is to sit an exam in the next exam period but with a realistic time frame of 6 months of study leading up to it. Your training provider (CILEX Law School if applying for CILEX Graduate Qualification) will set the study time frame, however, and assess with you when you are ready to take the assessments.