CILEx Level 6 Diploma
Private Diploma Route
Our CILEx Level 6 Diploma is the privately-funded way to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive. Two flexible online programmes – one for law graduates, one for legal staff without a degree – takes you to full practice rights without an apprenticeship contract or employer levy paperwork. Pay monthly from £89.
Government Funded Route
If your employer can sponsor you through the apprenticeship system, the CILEx Level 6 Apprenticeship is the funded alternative to the Diploma. It covers the same Chartered Legal Executive qualification with up to £27,000 of government funding behind it, in exchange for a structured employer commitment and a 29-month plan.
What the CILEx Level 6 Diploma Actually Is
The CILEx Level 6 Diploma is a CILEx Regulation-approved qualification that takes you all the way to Chartered Legal Executive status, with practice rights in your specialist area built into the programme. You study online, at your own pace, and work towards the same regulator-recognised end-point as the apprenticeship route – just on your own terms and with a private payment plan rather than government funding. By the time you finish you can call yourself a CILEX Lawyer, act as a Commissioner for Oaths and run your own practice in your chosen area of law.
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Choose Your CILEx Level 6 Diploma Pathway
The Diploma comes in two versions, both fully online, both ending at the same Chartered Legal Executive qualification with practice rights included. Pick the route that matches the legal background you have today.
Designed for learners who already hold a qualifying law qualification: an LLB, a non-law degree topped up with the GDL or PGDL, or an equivalent legal qualification recognised by CILEx Regulation. The first year picks up where your degree leaves off – you focus on the applied side of legal practice that academic law typically skips, including dispute resolution, conveyancing, wills and probate, and the advanced day-to-day skills lawyers actually use. You then complete a specialist pathway and a Professional Readiness stage to evidence your competencies for authorisation.
Designed for legal team members who are working in a law firm without a law degree. You do not need an LLB or a GDL to start – just employment in a legal role. The first year builds your legal foundations from the ground up, covering the legal system, public law, human rights and core practitioner skills. Year two layers in deeper practitioner-level units before you choose a specialist pathway and complete the Professional Readiness stage. The whole route is online with structured tutor support.
Both Diploma routes finish at the same destination under CILEx Regulation’s updated competency framework. On completion you can:
- Be admitted as a Chartered Legal Executive with full practice rights in your specialist area
- Use the protected professional title CILEX Lawyer
- Act as a Commissioner for Oaths under section 113 of the Legal Services Act 2007
- Be recognised as an authorised person and run your own legal practice
Authorisation is integrated into the Diploma itself – there is no separate application or extra portfolio submission once you have completed the qualification.
The Government-Funded Alternative
If you would prefer to study with employer sponsorship and zero monthly fees, the same Chartered Legal Executive qualification is available as a government-funded apprenticeship. The end-point is identical to the Diploma – the difference is in how the programme is funded and structured, and the level of employer commitment required.
A 29-month government-funded route to Chartered Legal Executive status. The structure is fixed: off-the-job learning hours, a defined cohort, end-point assessment and a tutor assigned for the duration. Your firm draws on its apprenticeship levy, or pays a 5% co-investment if non-levy. You qualify with the same practice rights and CILEX Lawyer title as the Diploma graduates.
- End-point: identical Chartered Legal Executive qualification with practice rights, on either route.
- Cost to learner: Diploma is privately paid (from £89 a month); Apprenticeship is funded by the employer’s levy or government co-investment.
- Pace: Diploma is flexible online study; Apprenticeship is a structured 29-month plan with off-the-job hours.
- Employer involvement: Diploma needs no employer apprenticeship commitment; Apprenticeship requires UK payroll, 50% working time in England and a defined off-the-job allowance.
Pick the Diploma if you want flexibility, faster enrolment, and control over your own qualification timeline – and if you (or your firm) are happy to pay privately. Pick the Apprenticeship if your employer is willing to support a 29-month structured programme and either has levy funds available or can absorb the 5% non-levy contribution. If you are unsure, our coordinators will talk you through both options.
Inside the CILEx Level 6 Diploma Curriculum
The Diploma is built around four stages: a foundation year (or graduate top-up year), a year of deeper practitioner-level units, your chosen specialist pathway, and a Professional Readiness stage. Use the tabs to see how the curriculum looks for each route, and what specialist pathways and outcomes you can expect.
The Graduate route assumes you already hold qualifying law content from your degree, so Year 1 focuses on the applied subjects that most law degrees do not cover in any depth:
- Dispute Resolution – Legal Practice
- Conveyancing – Legal Practice
- Introduction to Wills and Probate Legal Knowledge & Practice
- Advanced Skills for the Legal Professional, including legal research, drafting, client interviewing and case management
Year 2 layers your specialist pathway and the Professional Readiness stage on top.
The Non-Graduate route starts at the foundations. Year 1 builds your core legal knowledge before you progress into more advanced practitioner units:
- Introduction to Law and Legal Practice
- Introduction to Public Law
- Introduction to Human Rights
- Foundation Skills for the Legal Professional
Year 2 then introduces the deeper practitioner-level subjects required for your specialist pathway.
Whichever Diploma route you take, you finish by specialising. The pathway you pick is the one in which you will hold practice rights when you qualify. Available pathways include:
- Business Practice
- Civil Litigation
- Conveyancing
- Criminal Practice
- Employment Law
- Family Practice
- Wills and Probate
Most learners pick the pathway that mirrors the work they are already doing or want to move into.
Professional Readiness is the final stage where you evidence the competencies CILEx Regulation requires for authorisation. You demonstrate the technical, ethical and practitioner skills needed for independent practice in your specialist area. Because Professional Readiness is integrated into the Diploma, there is no separate portfolio submission to CILEx after you finish – you exit the programme already authorised.
- Chartered Legal Executive status with practice rights in your chosen specialism
- The right to use the protected professional title CILEX Lawyer
- The ability to act as a Commissioner for Oaths under the Legal Services Act 2007
- Recognition as an authorised person, with the right to run your own legal practice
- A regulator-recognised qualification that places you alongside graduates of the apprenticeship route
Who the CILEx Level 6 Diploma is For
- Graduate route: hold an LLB, a non-law degree plus the GDL or PGDL, or an equivalent CILEx-recognised legal qualification.
- Non-Graduate route: currently employed in a legal role, with no degree or GDL required to start.
- Comfortable with online learning and self-paced study around your day job.
- No employer apprenticeship contract or government levy paperwork required.
Flexible Payment Plans for the CILEx Level 6 Diploma
The CILEx Level 6 Diploma is privately funded, so you do not need an employer apprenticeship contract or government levy to enrol. We offer payment plans that spread the programme cost across the duration of your studies, so the cash flow stays manageable. If government funding is a better fit for your circumstances, the apprenticeship route is the alternative.
- Monthly payment plans starting from £89 per month, with longer terms available on request.
- No employer levy or apprenticeship contract needed - learners can self-fund or have their firm sponsor them privately.
- Exam and tutor support fees are included within the Diploma fee.
Speak with our team to map out the right payment plan for your situation.
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Talk to a Datalaw Diploma Coordinator
Choosing between the Diploma and the funded apprenticeship route can feel like a big decision. A short chat with our coordinators is the fastest way to figure out which fits your role, your timeline and your budget. No pressure, no obligation.
- Confirm whether the CILEx Level 6 Diploma is the right route for you - or if the apprenticeship makes more sense.
- Walk through entry requirements, exemptions and which specialist pathway suits your career goals.
- Set up a payment plan that aligns with your start date and your study pace.
- Map out timelines, exam expectations and the Professional Readiness stage.
Coordinators reply within one working day during UK business hours.
Why Firms Sponsor the CILEx Level 6 Diploma for Their Teams
Datalaw is a CILEx Regulation approved training and exam centre, and our Diploma graduates qualify with the same practice rights as apprenticeship learners. For firms that prefer privately-funded study to apprenticeship paperwork, the Diploma is a cleaner way to upskill the team while keeping training plans in-house and on schedule.
- CILEx Regulation approved training and exam centre - exam fees included within the Diploma fee.
- Online delivery means staff can keep billing while they study, with no off-the-job hour requirements to track.
- Flexible private payment plans - sponsor learners directly without touching the apprenticeship levy.
- Multiple cohort start dates each year so onboarding aligns with your hiring plans.
Talk to our team about volume pricing for cohort enrolments.
Become Part of the Datalaw Diploma Community
Outcomes That Travel With You
The CILEx Level 6 Diploma is built to deliver more than a qualification on paper. Our graduates progress into senior fee-earning work, independent practice and authorised-person status under CILEx Regulation. The figures below come from learners across both Diploma routes and the apprenticeship cohort.
92%
of Diploma learners say the online format made qualifying realistic alongside their day job.
88%
of supervisors report a measurable lift in their Diploma learner’s fee-earning capability after qualification.
100%
of Diploma graduates leave with practice rights and CILEX Lawyer title recognition included.
Ready to Start Your CILEx Level 6 Diploma?
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