CILEX members plead for urgent action after Mazur ruling leaves them unable to litigate
Legal executives across England and Wales have called on regulators to intervene urgently after the Mazur ruling left many suddenly unable to conduct litigation — a decision described as career-threatening for hundreds of qualified professionals.
The newly-formed CILEX Support Group, representing more than 1,300 members, has written to the Legal Services Board (LSB) demanding immediate regulatory action to protect the livelihoods of long-serving legal executives caught in the fallout from the ruling.
The controversy stems from last month’s Mazur judgment, in which a judge clarified that many Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) members who qualified under legacy pathways are not authorised to conduct litigation, even under supervision. The decision has had sweeping consequences, with reports emerging of law firms dismissing legal executives whose authorisation status has been thrown into doubt.
In the aftermath, it has also emerged that CILEX — the professional body for legal executives — had for years assured members that they could handle litigation under supervision. Those assurances, according to critics, were false. CILEX has continued to insist that it kept members properly informed of the scope of their rights and professional obligations.
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The result, however, has been widespread uncertainty and distress across the profession. Experienced legal executives who have worked for years in litigation roles now find themselves unauthorised overnight, with some employers reportedly deeming them surplus to requirements.
In a statement issued this week, the CILEX Support Group urged the LSB to use its powers under Schedule 3 of the Legal Services Act 2007 to designate legacy-qualified Fellows as “exempt persons” — effectively restoring their rights to conduct litigation and related work.
“These practitioners have, for decades, delivered vital legal services under robust and lawful supervision frameworks,” the group said. “Their sudden exclusion is arbitrary, harmful, and inconsistent with the regulatory fairness the LSB is charged with upholding.”
The group warned that the ruling’s impact stretches far beyond professional inconvenience. It said the withdrawal of practice rights is not only jeopardising careers but also undermining consumer protection, as clients suddenly lose representation in ongoing cases.
The LSB, which oversees the legal profession’s regulatory framework, is expected to meet with representative and regulatory bodies today to discuss the issue. The oversight regulator has the authority to modify the list of exempt persons permitted to conduct reserved legal activities, including litigation.
The core issue lies in the qualification gap between older and newer CILEX pathways. Since 2021, candidates completing the reformed CILEX qualification automatically receive rights to conduct litigation without supervision. However, Fellows who qualified under pre-2021 legacy routes must now apply separately for litigation and advocacy rights through either an exam or a portfolio assessment demonstrating their experience and competence.
Members say these requirements are unrealistic for professionals managing family commitments or working under tight financial constraints. Many believed such rights were only necessary for those wishing to own their own practices, not for employees working under supervision.
One legal executive, speaking through the support group, described the situation as “professionally devastating,” adding that many members are “in fear of losing their jobs, their reputation, and their mental health.”
The group’s statement continued:
“Fellows, who have long been expressly recognised throughout the profession as qualified, specialist lawyers, now find themselves stripped of professional standing and facing far-reaching consequences for their livelihoods.”
The group’s rapid growth — reaching more than 1,300 members in less than a month — underscores the depth of anxiety among CILEX-qualified practitioners.
As the LSB meets to address the crisis, pressure is mounting on regulators to find a swift resolution that balances public protection with fairness to affected legal professionals.
For now, hundreds of legal executives remain in limbo — trained, experienced, and qualified, yet unable to perform the very work they’ve built their careers upon.