Once eligibility is confirmed, applicants are accredited under one of two layers: Accredited In-House Counsel Professional (AICP) at the regional level, or Accredited In-House Counsel Specialist (AICS) at the country level. Within each layer, counsel progress through tiers based on experience.
Two Accreditation Layers
| AICP (Regional) | AICS (Country-level) | |
| Focus | Regional | Local & domestic |
| Competencies | 9 (incl. Cross-Border Expertise) | 8 (excl. Cross-Border Expertise) |
| Fee (2 years, renewable) | S$300 | S$200 |
| With listed-company endorsement | AICP/L | AICS/L |
The "/L" suffix (AICP/L, AICS/L) marks the added listed-company specialist endorsement covered on the Eligibility tab — it sits on top of the base AICP or AICS accreditation, not instead of it.
Tiers by Experience
| Tier | Experience | Recognises |
| Legal Counsel | 1–5 years | Core legal functions under guidance. |
| Senior Legal Counsel | 6–10 years | Independent management of complex matters; cross-functional advice. |
| General Counsel | 10+ years | Heads the in-house function; sets legal strategy for the business. |
| Senior General Counsel | 20+ years | Chief Legal Officer (CLO) or equivalent, with board-level influence. |
Regional (AICP) tiers additionally require at least two documented examples of cross-border work – e.g. negotiating with foreign counterparties, multi-jurisdictional filings, or coordinating external counsel across jurisdictions.
Staying Accredited
- Accreditation is valid for 2 years
- Renewal requires meeting Continuing IHC Professional Development (CIPD) points – 20+ points across at least half the core competencies
- Renewal reminders go out 3 months before expiry; there's no grace period – a lapsed accreditation becomes a new application
- AICP/L and AICS/L renewals need listed-issuer-focused points plus one advanced update module per cycle
What to Submit
- Proof of association membership
- ICPS assessment certificate
- Degree certificate / proof of Bar admission (first-time applicants)
- Current CV with two referees
- Employer confirmation letter (where required)
- Proof of payment