Higher Rights of Audience

for Solicitors admitted in England & Wales (including online courses)

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(If you are a Patent Attorney or Trade Mark Attorney seeking Higher Rights of Audience, please click here)

The SRA sets very high standards but we work hard to ensure that candidates are fully trained to meet those standards. The training is intensive, up-to-date and highly relevant to modern civil practice. It covers such subjects as case analysis, drafting, examination-in-chief, cross-examination, trial speeches, evidence and proof, submissions on the law and professional conduct (including diversity awareness).

Candidates who pass the assessment must then apply to the SRA for the grant of the Higher Courts (Civil Advocacy) Qualification, which will enable them to appear as advocates in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in civil matters.

Our standard classroom-based in-house course comprises 2 days of training and the assessment. We need at least 6 candidates to make an in-house course financially viable. Our standard price is £1,699 plus VAT per candidate. Please contact us for further details of course structure and administration. Please note that we do not offer training in criminal Higher Rights of Audience. Details of public classroom-based courses will appear below in due course.
 

Higher Rights public courses

From 2024, we have taken the decision to pause all public Higher Rights courses, to focus on our core business of delivering in-house courses to our law firm client base. If you are interested in arranging an in-house course, please contact us for more information.

We will consider providing online training and assessments to private individuals and small groups. Depending on numbers, this may attract an additional assessment administration fee. Please complete our Contact Form if you are interested in booking a place.

Changes to the assessment regime made in 2021

The SRA has changed how civil Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) assessments operate.

 This means that:

• Candidates are now assessed against revised civil HRA standards.

• Only solicitors admitted in England & Wales can take our SRA-authorised civil HRA assessments.

Feedback for our online training and assessment

Conor Turley, Solicitor Advocate, Bevan Brittan LLP

“CPD Training (UK) Limited made the experience of undertaking my higher rights (civil proceedings) training and assessment abundantly simple and highly rewarding. The course content (including video presentations, live session and course materials) was invaluable, and I feel like it has instilled the foundational building blocks of advocacy which will allow me to soar as an advocate. Not only was the course delivery exceptional, but CPD Training (UK) Limited tailored it to my personal requirements, which I found extremely helpful. I also felt I was prepared very comprehensively for the assessment element, and it ran very smoothly on the day. I would absolutely recommend CPD Training (UK) Limited to anyone looking to attain their higher rights. I walk away a far better advocate for the experience.”

Sam Boyling / Joint Head of Office- China, Pinsent Masons

“I am very grateful to you for the time and effort that you put into the training. It was absolutely brilliant and I learned so much in the process. The videos are excellent: they are a must-see; and they do bear a second or third viewing. I went back to them again the day before the assessment. The same goes for your book – I re-read a few key bits on the morning of the assessment to get my head in the right place.”

Michael Polkinghorne / Partner, White & Case, Paris

“It was a pleasure to work with CPD Training on my Higher Rights assessment. The team was professional, responsive, and fun to work with. I would recommend them without reservation.”

Christine Wilson, Deputy General Counsel, UK Government agency

“My choice of CPD Training (UK) Limited for the Higher Rights qualification was largely influenced by the fact that Peter Lyons had written the definitive book on advocacy, and his co-trainer Chris Taylor was a distinguished contributor to Blackstone’s Civil Practice.

I was unsure what to expect, being a government lawyer with a background in public law, commercial law and real estate, but I was immediately made very welcome. Everything was geared to the busy professional with a packed diary – realistic estimates of how many hours I’d need to study; assessment dates fixed at the time of enrolment, meaning that I could book time off work well in advance; course materials (videos, notes, case study) available immediately upon signing up; passwords that didn’t have to be reset; Zoom links that worked, every time …. Every aspect of the course testified to the professionalism of the course providers.

By the time of the assessment, I felt well-prepared, confident and ready to go. Thanks to Peter and Chris, my knowledge of evidence, civil procedure and legal ethics had greatly increased, along with my confidence in how to make an interim application, cross-examine a witness and make a closing speech.

Between them, Peter and Chris made the course a really enjoyable experience as well as a great introduction to High Court advocacy.”

Brendan Bernicker, United States

“I first came across Peter Lyons while researching the Higher Rights of Audience exams. I was attending Yale Law School in the United States, but I was considering graduate programs in England and wanted to be able to continue practicing law if I moved there. I saw that Peter Lyons had written a well-regarded book on advocacy, and I decided to check it out.

I am so glad that I did. Peter's book contained simple but powerful advice that I was able to immediately implement in my practice in the United States. Impressed, I signed up for CPD Training's Civil Higher Rights of Audience course. Through that course, I was able to meet directly with Peter and get his feedback on some moot arguments. He helped me notice some of the shortcomings in my delivery, and gave me straightforward advice about how to fix them. The CPD Training course and Peter's book gave me skills that I am certain I will use throughout my career, both in the US and in England & Wales. I highly recommend CPD Training to anybody who is serious about becoming a better advocate.”

Promit Chatterjee / Senior Associate, P&A Law Offices, Delhi

“CPD Training ensured a seamless online learning experience with their Higher Rights training course and assessment. The short videos captured the key points that one needs to keep in mind for the assessment and are particularly helpful for professionals who are taking this course alongside their day-to-day work. Moreover, the one-on-session with Peter Lyons was a perfect refresher of key concepts ahead of the assessment. I strongly recommend this course to aspiring solicitor advocates.”

Online Candidate 2021 (name withheld for privacy reasons)

“Thanks again to you and the team for all of your hard work and patience. I was very pleased and impressed in the way that you dealt with my reasonable adjustments application and that you took time to understand the issues and were prompt, professional and very accommodating. Your approach to inclusion and equality is truly commendable.

The online delivery was really efficient and worked well. The training materials were comprehensive, concise and engaging. It was good to talk through everything and to get to practise the advocacy techniques on the training day and you did an outstanding job in creating a relaxed, open and inclusive environment. The assessments were challenging. The advocacy assessment was a fantastic experience and superbly coordinated. All in all, excellent course and highly recommended.”

Damien Dever / Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

“I undertook the Higher Rights of Audience training and assessment through CPD Training (UK) Limited. I felt Peter Lyons and Chris Taylor offered a high level of service both in terms of preparing me for the Higher Rights Assessment, and helping me to improve as an Advocate. Peter Lyons’ Advocacy book has the readability of a novel, and the function of an instruction manual for appearing in Court. I would happily use their service for advocacy training in the future.”

Trevor Watt / Bevan Brittan

“I found the series of short films very helpful in terms of preparing for the training and assessment days. Rather than having to recall all the content of a face-to-face lecture, they enabled me to prepare each task (for example a closing speech) and then to check what I had done against the lessons in the applicable film. This really helped to shape and refine my preparation for each task. I would think I probably watched all the films 3 times each which really helped the lessons to ‘sink in’, possibly more so than would have been the case had they been presented over the course of one day in a face-to-face lecture.

The materials were all comprehensive and there were no problems with formatting or getting them printed. I think it was a good idea to have different pairs of students for the training and assessment days as you learn a lot from seeing other peoples’ approaches. As for the assessment I didn’t find it at all off-putting for it to be a remote ‘hearing’. The technology worked very smoothly and it felt like a very ‘real’ courtroom experience, especially I suppose given how much more common remote hearings are going to have to become.”

Sean White / Solicitor Advocate

“I attended the CPD Higher Rights of Audience training earlier this year, which was presented virtually via a series of videos, learning material and a face-to-face (via weblink) preparation day. The materials covered everything I needed to prepare fully for the assessment and the videos in particular were presented in an engaging and interesting way.

Having limited advocacy experience I found the course content to be challenging but the learning process was really comprehensive, interesting and fun and I took comfort in Peter’s assurances that if we put in the hard work, read the material and prepared diligently for the assessment that we would be successful. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would be very pleased to recommend CPD Training to anyone interested in achieving a higher rights qualification.”

Stephen Bailey / Counsel, Lindeborg

“Advocacy training courses can be tedious. Not with Peter Lyons. If you are a busy practitioner and want to obtain higher rights of audience, engage Peter. He is efficient, straightforward and willing to share an abundance of instructive anecdotes. I recommend Peter without reservation.”

Stephanie Willbond-Hill / Training and Development Manager, Bristows

“Having worked with you for the first time on Higher Rights training, I was impressed with how straightforward you made it. Your communication was excellent, particularly at times when I was quite demanding! The admin and planning was helpfully uncomplicated and we were very pleased with the overall results. Thank you Peter and Chris!”

Nikhat Khan / Evaluative Mediator and Arbitrator, Dubai

“The Higher Rights online advocacy training and assessment provided by CPD Training is a practical exposure to real court appearances and the application of the skills you learn. I had a certain reservation on being trained online instead of in-person training, but the workshop was highly informative, well-structured, and not overwhelming. By the end of the workshop, we practised our skills in front of Mr Lyons and we received constructive feedback which reinforces your learning. His guidance on the assessment was extremely helpful and must be followed. I learned a lot from his experience and insights.  The witness’ performance at the assessment was so real and the assessment was well-planned and disciplined. The judge at the assessment asked questions which you would face in actual court cases.”

Feedback for our classroom training and assessment

Michael Adkins / Partner, Collas Crill LLP, Guernsey

“I have been subjected to a number of advocacy training sessions and I can say that far and away this was the most practical and useful I have done.”

Vladislav Movshovich / Partner, Webber Wentzel

"CPD Training’s Higher Rights training course is not a rote exercise. It is thought-provoking, edifying, balanced, practical and unashamedly rigorous. It takes education seriously and expects you to do the same. With Peter Lyons’ incisiveness, insight, good humour and formidable experience, the course is also thoroughly enjoyable. The training will benefit anyone with an interest in or passion for advocacy, irrespective of the level of experience."

David Spitzer / Bude Nathan Iwanier LLP

"I have probably learnt more from Peter Lyons in two days than I have from any other tutor or lecturer since leaving school."

Sarah Grenfell / Partner & Solicitor Advocate, CMS LLP

"I undertook my Higher Rights of Audience training with Peter Lyons in late 2016 and highly recommend both Peter and his team at CPD Training. Peter is a truly gifted teacher and a fount of knowledge on the topic of advocacy. Straightforward, enthusiastic and generous in his approach, he is an absolute pleasure to learn from. Peter’s training will appeal to anybody keen to sharpen their advocacy skills."

Ian Winrow / Solicitor & Lecturer in Law, Bangor University

"I undertook my Higher Rights (Civil) training and assessment with CPD Training in late 2016. Having an arthritic hand and reduced hearing I was worried I would not be able to cope with the training and assessment. I had nothing to fear. CPD made the reasonable adjustments I needed. I work for a small practice but was treated just the same as the other delegates that were mainly from large city firms. I did not feel out of place. Peter Lyons is not just an excellent teacher but he knows advocacy from practical experience. He passes on the essentials in an easily understandable way. This is an excellent course and I would highly recommend it."

Dominic Harris / Partner, CMS LLP

"As well as teaching practical advocacy skills and guiding me through the assessment, Peter also succeeded in making the course relevant to my own pensions practice.  I would have no hesitation in recommending the course to anyone – providing, as it does, skills that can be used both inside and outside the courtroom."

James Fairbairn / Partner, Dentons

"This was an excellent course which had good materials and was very thorough. Peter Lyons was an interesting and informative trainer who delivered the programme at a good pace."

Thomas Shortland / Assistant Solicitor, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

"The course provided a good introduction to a variety of advocacy skills and there were plenty of opportunities to practise those skills. I felt the balance between classroom-style teaching and practical exercises was particularly well-struck.
Overall, the course was not skewed heavily in favour of advocacy in a particular setting (e.g. litigation or arbitration) which was particularly useful for those of us at the junior end who have not yet specialised."

Sunil Gadhia / Commercial Litigation Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

"Peter delivers advocacy training in a very thoughtful, interesting and enjoyable way. I was particularly impressed by his understanding of what different people need and his ability to adjust the pace of the training to suit individual needs and their competing work pressures."

Our Experience

Higher Rights of Audience Training and Assessment

Law Firms
Addleshaw Goddard: 2013
Allen and Overy: 2001-05; 2013
Ashursts: 2007
Asserson, Israel: 2015, 2016
Baker and McKenzie: 2001-07
Bevan Brittan 2020
Bird and Bird: 2002; 2015-24
Bristows: 2020-24
Burges Salmon: 2005-08
Byrne and Partners: 2005-07
Cleary Gottlieb: 2013-24
Clifford Chance: 2001-05
CMS Cameron McKenna: 2001-2008; 2013-24
Covington & Burling: 2013-14

Debevoise & Plimpton: 2018, 2022
Dechert: 2018
Dentons: 2001-2011; 2013-23
DLA Piper: 2002-2004
Eversheds: 2007, 2014, 2017-18
Freshfields: 2002-07
Goodman Derrick: 2015-16
Herbert Smith: 2001-07
Herbert Smith Freehills: 2015-18
Irwin Mitchell: 2005-07
K&L Gates: 2015-19
Linklaters: 2003 then 2005-08
Lovells: 2001-02
O’Melveny and Myers: 2008, 2013
Nicholson Graham and Jones: 2002; 2006
Pinsent Masons: 2005-06, 2020
Quinn Emmanuel 2018
Reed Smith: 2007; 2016-2020
Skadden Arps: 2011, 2016-17
Simmons and Simmons: 2018
Three Crowns 2015-23
Watson Farley Williams: 2007
Weil Gotshal & Manges: 2015
Wragge and Co: 2003

Financial Institutions and Companies
Barclay’s Bank: 2015
BT: 2014, 2017
EWTF Securities: 2015
Novo Nordisk: 2015
PriceWaterhouseCoopers: 2014

Local Authorities
Islington Council: 2012
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 2020
Wolverhampton City Council: 2013, 2015, 2019