Legal English for lawyers: TOLES certifications, alternatives and how to choose the right credential

In most selection processes at mid-sized and large firms, legal English is no longer a plus: it is a filter. And the filter has changed shape. Claiming a "high level" on the CV is no longer enough; recruiters ask for specific credentials and, above all, they test the skill in the interview itself. This guide reviews the certifications that exist, what each one is worth and how to choose the right one for each career moment.

TOLES: the legal English standard

TOLES (Test of Legal English Skills) is the reference certification in legal English for professionals whose first language is not English. It is structured in three levels:

• TOLES Foundation: fundamental legal vocabulary and applied grammar. Suitable for students and recent graduates with an intermediate general level.
• TOLES Higher: the midpoint and the one most in demand by firms as a first serious credential. It requires comprehension and production of real legal texts.
• TOLES Advanced: certifies a full working level in legal English: contract drafting, comprehension of complex documents and terminological precision. It is the credential international departments value as the practical equivalent of "can work with English-speaking clients".

The peculiarity of TOLES is that it assesses working legal English (contracts, correspondence, commercial and procedural terminology), not general English, and that it does not expire, although the market discounts old certifications without subsequent practice.

What happened to ILEC and what alternatives remain

Cambridge's ILEC (International Legal English Certificate), for years the benchmark, was discontinued. Its gap is now filled by three routes: TOLES itself; Cambridge's general professional-oriented certifications (B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency), still widely recognized and useful as a base; and university and bar-association legal English programmes with a final assessment, less standardized but valued when they carry a known institution's seal. Bar-association offerings change each academic year; the bars publish their programmes on their websites and in this section we collect the relevant calls, such as the ICAB 2026-2027 master's programmes, which include legal languages.

How to choose according to career stage

1. Student or trainee: priority to an accredited general level (Cambridge B2-C1) and, if budget allows, TOLES Foundation. What opens doors at this age is showing progression.
2. Junior aiming at international practice areas: TOLES Higher is the investment with the best cost-impact ratio. Preparing for it takes a few months of serious work with contractual and commercial terminology.
3. Senior with English-speaking clients: TOLES Advanced or, if you already work in English daily, none: at that height the real credential is years of practice, and the exam only adds value when changing firms or countries.

What firms actually value

Sector recruiters are consistent on three things. First: the certification opens the interview, but the interview happens in English and that is where it is decided. Second: a level sustained with practice (stays abroad, an English-taught master's, daily work) is valued more than a collection of diplomas. Third: legal English is tested with concrete tasks —summarizing a contract, explaining a clause— in the technical assessments, as we covered in the guide to job interviews at law firms.

How to prepare without breaking the bank

• Official TOLES material: the official books and practice exams cover 80% of the preparation.
• Terminology from primary sources: reading model contracts, English commercial legislation and judgments of English or American courts builds familiarity with the real register.
• A preparation course: bar-association, university and private options exist, in person and online; they fit the category of micro-credentials for lawyers we have already analysed.
• Deliberate practice: drafting in English every week, even uncorrected, maintains the level; certifications rust without use.

The investment in perspective

TOLES Advanced costs a few hundred euros and several months of preparation. In return, it unlocks practice areas (M&A, finance, arbitration) where salaries are noticeably higher and where legal English is a daily tool, not decoration. Like any training decision, it is best made with the full map of options, including planning continuing education as a career advantage.