Apprenticeship in Paralegal, Advanced Paralegal, Lawyer (CILEX, Undergraduate)
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) is a Professional, Statutory, and Regulatory Body (PSRB) for the legal services sector. CILEX aims to transform the provision of legal services and meet the evolving needs of employers. Through the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ), it offers a clear and structured route for those pursuing a career in law, with three stages designed to build legal expertise and practical skills.
The CPQ pathway begins with the CILEx Paralegal course (Level 3). This foundational stage introduces students to core areas such as Contract Law, Tort Law, and the Legal Systems, equipping learners with the essential skills to support lawyers and legal teams in various settings. The focus is on providing a strong grounding in legal principles and preparing students for the responsibilities of a paralegal role.
The next step is the CILEx Advanced Paralegal course (Level 5), which expands on this foundation by developing more advanced legal knowledge and practical skills. Key areas of focus include Dispute Resolution, Property and Conveyancing, and Criminal Law. At this stage, students will gain the ability to handle more complex legal tasks, deepening their understanding of professional standards and business awareness. Optional modules, such as Family Law or Employment Law, allow learners to tailor their studies to their interests or career goals.
The final stage is the CILEx Lawyer course (Level 6), which enables learners to specialise in a particular area of law. This stage focuses on the practical application of legal knowledge, critical thinking, and meeting high professional standards. By choosing from areas such as Criminal Litigation, Wills and Probate, or Commercial Conveyancing, learners develop the expertise needed to become fully qualified lawyers, ready to work independently and provide sound legal advice.
Throughout these courses, learners are supported with blended learning, combining online study and in-person workshops. This flexible approach allows students to balance their studies with work commitments. The CILEX qualifications are designed to be practical, ensuring graduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of the modern legal services sector, with a focus on work-readiness, ethical responsibility, and commercial awareness.
Course details
- Part-time
- Apprenticeship
- English
Fees paid by Welsh Government. No cost to apprentice or employer.
Why choose this course?
What you will learn
At UWTSD, our CILEX courses are designed to provide a comprehensive, career-focused education that blends academic learning with practical skills, ensuring you are fully prepared for a successful career in the legal services sector. Our teaching philosophy centres around blended learning, combining online study with face-to-face workshops to equip you with the legal expertise and professional behaviours required in modern legal practice.
CILEX Paralegal (Foundation Stage)
At the Foundation stage, you will develop a solid grounding in the fundamentals of law, including Contract Law, Tort Law, and the Legal Systems. You will learn how to apply these principles to real-world situations, enhancing your skills in legal research, analysis, and communication. This stage prepares you to work effectively as a paralegal, supporting lawyers and legal teams with key administrative and legal tasks.
Core
( credits)
( credits)
(20 credits)
( credits)
( credits)
CILEX Advanced Paralegal (Advanced Stage)
The Advanced stage builds on your foundational knowledge, covering more complex areas such as Dispute Resolution, Criminal Law, and Property and Conveyancing. At this stage, you will focus on the practical application of legal knowledge and develop your business awareness, understanding of regulatory frameworks, and professional ethics. This prepares you to take on more independent responsibilities within legal practice.
Core
( credits)
(20 credits)
( credits)
( credits)
Optional
(20 credits)
( credits)
( credits)
CILEX Lawyer (Professional Stage)
At the Professional stage, you will specialise in areas such as Wills and Probate, Criminal Litigation, or Employment Law. You will refine your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, focusing on advanced legal practice and client management. This stage is designed to help you meet the high standards required to qualify as a CILEX Lawyer, capable of delivering specialist legal advice and handling complex legal matters independently.
Core
Optional
(20 credits)
(20 credits)
( credits)
( credits)
Course Disclaimer
-
The modules outlined above provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this course based on recent academic teaching. We continuously review our courses to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
You’ll typically complete 120 credits per year of study on a full-time course. For more information visit our Student Agreement.
testimonial
Staff
Our People
You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for Teaching, Assessment and Feedback and Academic Support (NSS 2024) meaning that the support and feedback you get will help you learn and develop strong academic skills. Our students have placed us 1st in Wales for Learning Opportunities and Student Voice (NSS 2024) meaning that there are a wide range of opportunities available to enhance your studies and that students play an active role in shaping their learning experiences. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students place us as 1st in Wales and joint 3rd in the UK for student satisfaction (Times Higher Education, 2024, ‘Overall Positivity’ measure). Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses.
Further information
-
There are no formal entry requirements. However, for the apprenticeship route, applicants must be employed by a legal department or firm.
If you are not currently employed in a relevant role, please get in touch as we may be able to offer assistance.
GCSEs
GCSE grade A*-C (grade 9-4 in England) in English and Mathematics is also required.
Admissions Advice and Support
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, such as your background, experiences and individual circumstances. This is known as ‘Contextual Admissions’. For specific advice and support you can contact our enquiries team for more information about entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.0, with not less than 5.5 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.
Visit the International Applications section of our website to find out more about our English Language Requirements and pre-sessional English Language Courses.
Visa and funding requirements
If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.
For courses of more than six months’ duration you will require a Student visa.
International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship.
For full information read our visa application and guides.
Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.
-
The assessments are conducted by CILEX online and aim to assess knowledge and skills in a way that better reflects the realities of practising law.
At each stage, CILEX assesses the majority of modules by an online exam. The exceptions are the Professional and Legal Skills modules, which are assessed via coursework. Assessments will initially be offered twice a year, in January and June. Learners will have the chance to sit one assessment for each module as part of the registration fee. Resits will be charged separately (by CILEX).
-
To apply, you must be employed in a relevant role and have your employer’s support.
Begin by registering your interest through our Apprenticeship Registration page. After reviewing your information, the Apprenticeship Team will contact you to confirm eligibility and guide you through the application process. For further assistance, please reach out to the Apprenticeship Team. -
Some modules in this course are available to study through the medium of Welsh either fully or partially. In all cases students will be able to submit written assessments through the medium of Welsh.
If you choose to study your course either fully or partially through the medium of Welsh, you may be eligible to apply for scholarships and bursaries to support you with your studies.
We are continuously reviewing our Welsh medium provision, the precise availability of modules will vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Where your course offers modules available through the medium of Welsh this may vary from year to year, and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means the availability of specific Welsh medium modules cannot be guaranteed.
Extracurricular Welsh Opportunities
There are many ways to engage with Welsh culture and life at UWTSD, including joining clubs and societies for Welsh speakers and becoming a member of our vibrant Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol branch.
Opportunities to Learn Welsh
We also provide a variety of opportunities to learn and develop your Welsh language skills.
-
It is possible to complete this programme of study without any additional costs.
Students may wish to purchase textbooks for modules, such as the Independent Project, but this is not a requirement and will have no bearing on the final grade.
-
The CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) has been engineered to support the development of specialist lawyers.