Higher Rights of Audience (HRA)

The BPP Higher Rights of Audience course prepares you for the assessments that enable you to represent clients in either the civil or criminal courts. Having the Higher Rights of Audience qualification not only means a convenient, cost-efficient and complete service for your clients, it enhances your professional capabilities, standing and earning potential too.

Our course presenters are experts in their field with a proven track record in preparing candidates for the Higher Rights of Audience qualification's civil and criminal assessments. Their experience and expert guidance will ensure you are fully prepared for representing your clients as a solicitor-advocate with higher rights of audience.

Key Information

  • Higher Rights of Audience can extend your professional capability and earnings
  • Prepare for assessments covering both civil and criminal practice
  • Learning and study manuals based on the SRA's written standards
  • Strong links with the legal profession
  • Learn from a market leader in Higher Rights of Audience qualifications
  • Expert course leaders with hands-on, professional experience
  • Modular courses available individually or as a package
  • We are an in-house Higher Rights training provider for several law firms
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Give your clients more

The BPP Higher Rights of Audience courses will help you develop your career, sustain success and stay competitive. Once qualified, you'll be able to exercise rights of audience in the Higher Courts of England and Wales.

Updated programme

Our Higher Rights of Audience programme is fully up to date and reflects the new Solicitors' Higher Rights of Audience Regulations 2010 that came into effect on 1 April 2010. They replace the Higher Courts Qualification Regulations 2000.

Improve your chances of success

HRA Large Promo

Although the new 2010 regulations do not require candidates to take specific Higher Rights training for either the civil and criminal assessments, there's a strong correlation between course attendance and pass rate.

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.

Flexible study

We offer you the flexibility to focus on the Higher Rights course components most beneficial to you. Book courses individually or as a package. Packages cover either all civil subjects or all criminal subjects – they can't be mixed.

Course 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 HRAQ.

You can choose to study on our Evidence and Litigation course which covers procedural and evidential rules or our Advocacy course which comprises of practical skills based exercises.

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

If you purchase a pack you can only complete either all civil within this pack or all criminal courses, not a combination of the two.

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

Entry requirements

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

So, although as a trainee solicitor you can take Higher Right assessments during your training contract, you can only apply to the SRA for your Higher Rights of Audience qualification once you have been admitted as a solicitor.

Structure

Our Higher Rights of Audience courses prepare you for separate assessments for the civil and criminal courts – you must follow both pathways if you wish to practise in both areas. 

Both Higher Rights pathways share the same broad structure with modules that include:

  • Civil or Criminal Higher Rights – Evidence and litigation
  • Civil or Criminal Higher Rights – Advocacy
  • Civil or Criminal Higher Rights – Assessment
  • Ethics and Performance (one hour online only – covers both civil and criminal advocacy)

Civil Higher Rights of Audience – Evidence and Litigation

The Civil Higher Rights of Audience Evidence and Litigation component consists of five modules for each area.

Civil Higher Rights of Audience – Advocacy

The Civil Higher Rights of Audience advocacy component provides busy practitioners with up-to-date, essential knowledge and skills of the practice of advocacy in the High Court and above. 

Criminal Higher Rights of Audience – Evidence and Litigation

The Criminal Higher Rights of Audience evidence and litigation component consists of seven elements for each area:

Criminal Higher Rights of Audience – Advocacy

The Criminal Higher Rights of Audience advocacy component provides busy practitioners with up-to-date, essential knowledge and skills of the practice of advocacy in the Crown Court and above. 

Ethics and performance (one hour online only)

Our Higher Rights of Audience Qualification courses also include a one hour ethics and performance module in preparation for both civil and criminal advocacy assessments. 

Civil or Criminal Higher Rights – Assessment

The assessment for both Civil and Criminal Higher Rights of Audience Qualification is in three parts:

  • Part 1 – Written 2.5 hours                       40%
  • Part 2 – Oral 30 minutes                         20%
  • Part 3 – Advocacy 2 x 15 minutes          40%

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.

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.