If you intend to continue being regulated by the CLC you must apply to receive your annual licence before 31 October each year. For the vast majority of CLC lawyers this is a seamless automatic process.

Simply follow the three steps below:

1. Complete all mandatory ongoing competence requirements and have your training record signed by your employer, and available on request.
2. Complete the annual digital declaration to confirm your continued fitness to hold a CLC Licence and confirm that no adverse events or circumstances apply to you, or to the practice at which you are a Manager.
3. Pay the annual licence fee.

The Process

We will contact you with important reminders and the renewal timetable. All renewal correspondence, digital and finance processes use these three unique identifiers.

In combination a CLC lawyer’s unique identifiers are their:

1. 1. CLC Licence Number
   2. Legal name as it appears on their Licence
   3. Personal email address

Not Renewing a Licence

If you do not intend to renew your licence in any licensing year, please notify renewal@clc-uk.org and tell us from the list below, why you do not intend to renew your licence.

1. 1. Career Break
   2. Dual Licensed and CLC Licence is no longer required
   3. Retirement
   4. Currently Non-Practising

Fitness Requirements  

CLC Lawyers must demonstrate they have conducted themselves in their dealings with consumers, other legal professionals, employers and stakeholders in a manner that upholds the CLC’s Code of Conduct. The Code comprises of Ethical Principles, under each of which sit specific outcomes, which taken together will ensure CLC lawyers deliver positive outcomes for their Clients and the profession, particularly in relation to Ethical Principle 6, for others you deal with.

To effectively secure the protection of, and the provision of choice for the consumer of legal services, CLC lawyers must at all times comply with the following Ethical Principles:

1. 1. Act with integrity, honesty and independence
   2. Know each Client and understand their specific needs, treat them fairly, keep their money safe, and act in their best interests
   3. Uphold the rule of law and public trust in the profession and legal services
   4. Maintain high standards of professional and personal conduct
   5. Collaborate openly and truthfully with regulators, ombudsmen, and other legal professionals
   6. Promote and support equality, diversity, and inclusion in practice and service delivery

Declaring Adverse Information

CLC lawyers must declare adverse information and events as they become aware of them and can do this by notifying us using the link below.

If at licence renewal you are not able to confirm your continued fitness, you must decline the declaration and state why you cannot complete the declaration. At this point you will not be able to continue to automatically renew your licence.

You will be required to provide evidence to substantiate the material facts of the circumstances that apply to you. This may mean obtaining original or copies of evidence from third parties, such as employers, Courts, enforcement bodies, financial institutions, and adequate steps should be taken to obtain this information with the declined declaration or on immediate request.  

In the event the circumstances appear to be conduct related the case will be referred to the CLC Enforcement Team for further investigation who will conduct their investigations outside of the Licence renewal process. Should this apply to you, you will be permitted to renew your licence by completing a declaration acknowledging the investigation into your conduct. You will also be asked to provide written evidence from your employer that you have made them aware of the investigation being pursued against you.

If your circumstances are already known to the CLC, they may not need to be re-disclosed when completing your licence renewal declaration at the end of the next licensing year. You will be notified by email before the declarations are issued if this applies to you.  However, should there be any new adverse information, this should be disclosed in the usual way when prompted in the declaration.

Codes and Frameworks