Higher Rights of Audience (HRA)

The BPP Higher Rights of Audience course prepares you for the assessments leading to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Higher Courts Advocacy Qualification. This enables you to represent clients in the Senior civil or criminal courts in England or Wales. It not only means a convenient, cost-efficient and complete service for your clients, it enhances your professional capabilities, standing and fee-earning potential too.

Our course tutors are experts in their field in preparing candidates for the assessments. Their experience and expert guidance will ensure you are fully prepared for representing your clients as a solicitor-advocate.

Key Information

  • Higher Rights of Audience can enhance your professional capability and fee-earnings power
  • Learn from an experienced provider of Higher Rights of Audience courses
  • BPP is an in-house Higher Rights training provider for several leading law firms
  • Learning and study manuals are based on the SRA's written standards
  • Expert tutors with hands-on, professional experience
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Give your clients more

The BPP Higher Rights of Audience courses will help you develop your career and stay competitive. Once qualified, you'll be able to exercise rights of audience in the Senior Courts of England and Wales, thus enhancing the service you can offer to clients.

Our courses take place over four days - Evidence and Litigation (two days) and Advocacy (two days) and are currently held mainly in London. We also offer the Civil course in Manchester. In addition, there is an online element (Ethics & Performance) which can be studied in your own time.

The courses prepare you for separate assessments for the civil and the criminal courts – you must pass both assessments if you wish to practise in both areas. 
Both Civil and Criminal Higher Rights courses share the same broad structure with modules that include:
  • Evidence and Litigation: (key rules of evidence and procedure)
  • Advocacy (essential practical advocacy skills)
  • Assessments
  • Ethics and Performance (one hour online only – covers both civil and criminal advocacy)

Civil or Criminal Higher Rights – Assessment

The assessment for both the Civil and Criminal Higher Rights of Audience Qualification is in three parts:
  • Part 1 – Written Examination 2.5 hours (40% of overall marks)
  • Part 2 – Oral Examination 30 minutes (20% of overall marks)
  • Part 3 – Advocacy Exercises 2 x 15 minutes (40% of overall marks)

The pass mark is 60%. You are required to achieve 60% in each of the written (Part 1) and oral (Parts 2 and 3) component parts to achieve an overall pass.

Improve your chances of success

HRA Large Promo

Although there is no requirement for candidates to take specific Higher Rights training for either the civil or criminal assessments, BPP offer training courses that are tailored to the requirements of the assessments.

Most Higher Rights candidates are planning to take the assessments – so we gear the content towards the requirements of the SRA's Standards. But if you wish purely to broaden your skills and knowledge, you'll also find our Higher Right of Audience courses highly productive.

Study modules

Our study programme comprises two separate study modules - Evidence and Litigation (2 days) and Advocacy (2 days). We offer courses as a 4-day package scheduled to coincide with the next round of assessments. Packages cover either all civil subjects or all criminal subjects – they can't be mixed. You can opt to study only one module if you wish.

Higher rights courses are delivered by BPP Professional Education Ltd on behalf of BPP Law School.

Dates and prices

BPP run comprehensive preparation courses to assist candidates planning to attempt the Higher Rights assessments.

You can study on our popular pack option which includes the Evidence and Litigation, Advocacy and online ethics courses, course manuals and the relevant assessment.

You can purchase either the Civil pack, or the Criminal pack, or both – but cannot ‘swap’ modules between packs.

The relevant study manual is included in all course bookings (except if buying the ethics online module only).

Entry requirements

In order to be awarded the Higher Courts Advocacy Qualification by the SRA you must first be a qualified solicitor and have passed the BPP assessments. You will then need to make an application to the SRA to be awarded the Qualification.

Trainee solicitors you can take Higher Right assessments during the training contract, but can only apply to the SRA for the Qualification once they have been admitted as a solicitor.

Flexible learning

All Higher Rights of Audience courses for solicitors (excluding the Ethics and Performance online module) take place over two days (Evidence and Litigation) and two days (Advocacy) and are currently held in London only. Regional courses will be offered in due course.

We know that everyone's experience and ambitions are different. So we make it easy to either take individual courses or purchase a package that includes the assessment. A package relates to either civil or criminal modules and assessment – they cannot be mixed between subjects.

Study locations

We offer the Higher Rights of Audience course in convenient locations in London and Manchester.