Level 6 Diploma in Probate Law & Practice

Two routes to the same qualification

Short answer
The Level 6 Diploma and the Licensed Probate Practitioner Apprenticeship lead to the same Licensed Probate Practitioner eligibility. The Diploma is for self-funders or employer-sponsored students who want academic flexibility. The apprenticeship is for employed candidates whose employer wants to use levy or government co-investment funding — and adds workplace competence development and an End-Point Assessment.

What does the Level 6 Diploma cover? Three modules.

Short answer
Three specialist modules covering the advanced law and practice of probate: Wills, Succession & Grants of Representation (will validity, succession rules, applying for grants, contentious probate); The Administration of Estates (the full practical lifecycle of administering an estate from death to final distribution, including inheritance tax, trusts, and personal representatives' duties); and Managing Client & Office Accounts (CLC Accounts Code, double-entry bookkeeping, year-end accounts, bank reconciliation).

PROBATE DIPLOMA ONLY

MODULE 1

87  % 1st-time pass

Wills, Succession & Grants of Representation

14 credits · 68 GLH · 3-hour exam

Unit code: HG1A 86 · Ofqual J/615/0673

The advanced law of wills, succession and the grants of representation that authorise personal representatives to administer estates. The formal requirements for a valid will, the rules governing intestate succession, the different types of grant (probate, letters of administration, with will annexed), challenges to validity, family provision claims, and the procedure for applying to the Probate Registry. Probate work begins and ends with the legal authority to act; this module gives you the legal grounding to identify and resolve issues before they become problems.

Standalone:

£745

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PROBATE DIPLOMA ONLY

MODULE 2

89 % 1st-time pass

The Administration of Estates

14 credits · 68 GLH · 3-hour exam

Unit code: HG1C 86 · Ofqual K/615/0679

The practical conduct of estate administration from the moment of death to final distribution. Identifying and valuing estate assets, dealing with debts and liabilities, the inheritance tax position (including IHT400, IHT205 and reliefs), obtaining the grant, collecting in assets, dealing with trusts arising under the will or intestacy, distributing to beneficiaries, and preparing estate accounts. Administration is where probate practitioners earn their keep — this module covers the work in the detail it demands.

Standalone:

£745

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SHARED WITH CONVEYANCING DIPLOMA

MODULE 3

90 % 1st-time pass

Managing Client & Office Accounts

15 credits · 75 GLH · 2-hour exam

Unit code: HG1D 86 · Ofqual D/615/0680

The advanced accounting rules and financial management procedures required to run a compliant probate practice. Double-entry bookkeeping under CLC rules, preparing year-end accounts, conducting bank reconciliations, cash flow forecasting, and the full CLC Accounts Code. This module includes a dedicated Revision & Mock Exam Module to prepare you for the 2-hour examination.

Standalone:

£745

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The Accounts module is shared with the Level 6 Diploma in Conveyancing Law & Practice. If you complete the Probate Diploma and later qualify as a Licensed Probate Practitioner, you can add Conveyancing via just two further Level 6 modules — Landlord & Tenant and Conveyancing Law & Practice — at a combined cost of £1,490. The Accounts module and all Level 4 Conveyancing modules are exempt. You'll need to present your current CLC practising certificate at enrolment.

Pass rates — programme and per-module

Short answer
88% of Level 6 Probate Diploma students pass first time (Mar 2025 – Mar 2026, programme level). Per-module first-time pass rates (Mar 2025 – Mar 2026): Wills, Succession & Grants of Representation 88%, The Administration of Estates 86%, Managing Client & Office Accounts 90%.

What's included in the £1,920 price

Short answer
Everything. Knowledge Mapping Assessment, on-demand exams with no fixed exam windows, unlimited tutor support, 24/7 student advisor, all course materials (video lectures, downloadable PDFs, interactive modules), live webinars (recorded), eBook Central legal textbook library, exam delivery (online, workplace, or exam centre), and a free first reassessment on every module. No hidden fees.

Entry requirements

Short answer
You need either the Level 4 Diploma in Probate (or equivalent) or the CLC's Professional Experience Exemption. The Level 6 is an advanced qualification — it builds on Level 4 foundations. If you don't yet hold a qualifying entry route, start with the Level 4 Diploma.

How long does the Level 6 Diploma take?

Short answer
It depends on what you already know. You have 2 years of VLE access from enrolment. Students progressing from Level 4 and studying alongside full-time work typically complete in 6–12 months. Experienced fee-earners using the Knowledge Mapping Assessment and PEE can finish in as little as 3 months.

If you've just completed Level 4 — 6–12 months is realistic, studying 5–8 hours per week alongside full-time work. The material builds directly on what you covered at Level 4, and KMA ensures you're not revisiting ground you've already mastered.

If you're an experienced fee-earner entering via PEE — the Knowledge Mapping Assessment identifies the substantial knowledge you've built through years of practice and focuses your study on the gaps. Experienced practitioners routinely finish in 3–6 months.

If you hold a STEP Advanced Certificate or substantial prior probate qualification — your exemptions may mean you only need one or two modules. Most students in this position complete in 2–4 months.

If you hold a law degree or SQE1 and entered at Level 6 directly — 6–12 months, depending on how much probate-specific practice knowledge you bring. Your legal foundations are strong; the modules focus on applied probate practice and accounting.

How is the Level 6 Diploma assessed?

Short answer
Three practical exams — one per module. Wills, Succession & Grants of Representation and The Administration of Estates are each 3-hour exams; Managing Client & Office Accounts is a 2-hour exam. All exams use short-form and scenario-based questions — practical, not essay-based. Exams are arranged within 14 days of application, available six days a week. First reassessment included free on every module.

Exams are practical and scenario-based — testing your ability to apply legal principles to real probate situations, not to write academic essays. Each module includes a comprehensive Revision & Mock Exam Module with practice questions, revision exercises, and a full mock exam.

Qualifications Scotland permits two attempts at each assessment — a first sit plus one free reassessment. This is a regulatory rule that applies to all Qualifications Scotland programmes, not an Access Law-specific policy.

Exam venues:

• Online — remote invigilation from home
• Workplace — if employed in a CLC- or SRA-regulated practice
• Exam centre — at one of our designated centres

We are the only CLC training provider offering all three exam venues.

Payment options

Short answer
£1,920 VAT inclusive. Pay in full or spread the cost interest-free: 3 instalments of £640, 5 instalments of £384, or 12 instalments of £160. Employer sponsorship available — we invoice your employer directly.

All instalment plans cover the same total fee of £1,920. No interest, no credit check, no additional cost for choosing instalments. Payments are collected by Direct Debit after an initial deposit.

Employer sponsorship: Many employers fund the Level 6 Diploma for their staff. Your employer can pay in full or choose any instalment plan. We invoice them directly. Download the Student Enrolment Form and ask your employer to complete the Sponsor Section.

Am I exempt from any modules?

Short answer
You might be — it depends on what you've already studied or qualified in. Several prior qualifications exempt you from one or two of the three Level 6 modules. STEP Advanced Certificates in particular offer significant exemptions for Probate students. If you're exempt, enrol on the individual modules you still need rather than the full Diploma — your total cost is lower.

Who is the Level 6 Probate Diploma for?

Short answer
Anyone ready to take the final step to becoming a Licensed Probate Practitioner — whether you've just completed Level 4, you're an experienced fee-earner qualifying through PEE, you're a STEP-qualified professional formalising your route to a practising certificate, you're a law graduate taking a specialist route into probate practice, or you're a CILEX or cross-qualifying professional adding probate to your credentials.

"I've just completed my Level 4 Diploma"

You've built the foundations — Level 6 builds on them. Three advanced modules, same flexible format, same practitioner tutors. The Knowledge Mapping Assessment ensures you're not re-covering Level 4 ground; it picks up where you left off.

"I'm an experienced fee-earner without formal qualifications"

If you have four or more years of continuous fee-earning experience in probate, the Professional Experience Exemption may let you skip Level 4 entirely and start here. Combined with KMA, this is the fastest route to qualification — experienced practitioners have completed in as little as 3 months.

"I hold a STEP Advanced Certificate"

Your STEP qualifications carry substantial exemption value. With Administration of Estates or Administration of Trusts, you'll only need to complete two L6 modules. With Will Preparation plus one of those, you'll only need the Accounts module. STEP-qualified students are some of our fastest completers — many finish within 2–4 months.

"I'm a law graduate"

Your LLB, BA in Law, or GDL exempts you from Level 4 entirely. The Level 6 Diploma gives you the specialist, applied probate knowledge that a general law degree doesn't cover — and a direct route to a CLC practising certificate. At £1,920, it's a fraction of the cost and time of the SQE solicitor route, and the 88% first-time pass rate compares favourably to SQE2's 69–84%.

"I hold CILEX, SQE, LPC, or NALP qualifications"

Your prior qualifications likely exempt you from some or all Level 6 modules. Use the Exemptions Calculator to see exactly what you still need — you may be one module away from Licensed Probate Practitioner eligibility.

What happens after Level 6?

Short answer
Level 6 is the final academic stage. With your Diploma and 1,200 hours of supervised practical experience in probate, you apply for a CLC Licensed Probate Practitioner practising certificate. From there, you can practise independently, lead teams, hold client money, and run your own firm. You can also add Conveyancing as a second specialism via just two further modules.

What Licensed Probate Practitioners can do:

• Run their own probate practice
• Lead probate teams in larger firms
• Act independently on the administration of estates
• Sign off estate administration, supervise junior staff, and hold client money (subject to CLC compliance)
• Supervise apprentices and trainee probate practitionersv

How does the CLC route compare to SQE and CILEX?

Short answer
The CLC route is the dedicated specialist route into probate practice. It's shorter, more focused, and has higher pass rates than the SQE. It doesn't produce a solicitor — it produces a Licensed Probate Practitioner, a separate regulated profession with full practice rights in probate.

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