United Kingdom · Legal · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager

As a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager, you steer your team through the complexities of consumer law, shaping the firm's reputation and success.

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

Keep this job description

Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

Upskilling a team in this role? Talk to us

  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports3-5 reports
  • Reports toDirector of Legal, Consumer Practice
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Principal Consumer Protection Counsel · Head of Consumer Legal Affairs · Partner, Consumer Litigation · Senior Legal Manager, Consumer Rights

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

ProQual Level 3 Award in Providing Initial Legal Advice ProQual Awarding Body · Level 3 · covers 5 of 10 standards
NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Information, Advice or Guidance NCFE · Level 2 · covers 2 of 10 standards
OCNLR Level 2 Award in Information, Advice or Guidance OCN London · Level 2 · covers 2 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Providing initial legal advice in consumer law ProQual Level 3 Award in Providing Initial Legal Advice
Specialist advice work in practice – employment NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Information, Advice or Guidance
Specialist Advice Work in Practice - Employment OCNLR Level 2 Award in Information, Advice or Guidance

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Providing initial legal advice in consumer law ProQual Awarding Body · covers 5 of 10 standards Level 3
  2. Specialist advice work in practice – employment NCFE · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 2
  3. Specialist Advice Work in Practice - Employment OCN London · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 2
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

How the AI economy is changing work like this

A broad read on this kind of work, not an analysis of this job on its own. Roles that share a pattern get the same answer here.

Fading: AI does more of this

AI is taking over routine legal research and document drafting, freeing you to focus on high-level strategy and client relationships.

→
Rising: worth more because of AI

Your ability to interpret AI-driven insights and apply them to complex legal scenarios becomes more valuable than ever.

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • AI Ethics & Governance for Consumer Products
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

3What this role really is

We see you

You sometimes wonder if AI will truly grasp the nuances of consumer protection law, but you know your judgement is irreplaceable. The pressure to stay ahead in AI's evolving landscape is real, yet your strategic insight is what clients trust.

This job means leading work on consumer protection law and running a small legal practice group. You set the strategy and make sure the team delivers, guiding the business through tricky consumer issues.

4A day in the life

Not a job advert. A real day, built from what this role actually holds.

08:45
You review the latest updates on consumer protection regulations, ensuring your team is aligned with any new legal requirements.
11:00
You lead a team meeting, discussing ongoing cases and mentoring associates on handling complex legal strategies.
14:30
You meet with a major client to advise on a high-stakes consumer protection risk, offering strategic guidance tailored to their needs.
16:00
You draft a settlement proposal, carefully considering the legal and financial implications for both your client and the firm.

5What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Westlaw Edge / Lexis Advance Strategic

Using platform analytics to advise on litigation strategy, choice of venue, and judicial temperament. You're not just finding cases; you're spotting trends and predicting outcomes.

Relativity / Everlaw Architect

Negotiating ESI protocols with opposing counsel, making platform selection decisions for large-scale discovery, and defending discovery processes in court. You're setting the standards.

Clio Manage / MyCase Strategic

Analysing firm-wide case data to forecast revenue, manage workloads across your team, and identify process bottlenecks. You're using it to run your practice group efficiently.

NetDocuments / iManage Oversight

Setting firm-wide (or practice group-wide) document retention policies and ensuring compliance with ethical walls and client security requirements. You're the one making sure we're secure and compliant.

OneTrust / Archer Strategic

Designing and implementing the GRC framework for clients; using platform dashboards to report on enterprise-level consumer compliance risk to the board. You're building the system.

MS Teams / Adobe Acrobat Pro Strategic

Establishing collaboration governance for co-counsel agreements and secure client communications. You're not just using it; you're defining how we use it.

6What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Case Strategy & Legal Theories Propose options, all decisions made by Senior Associate/Partner. Develop and recommend strategy, final approval from Senior Associate/Partner. Define and execute strategy, consult Partner on high-risk aspects.
Budget Allocation for Matters Track time and expenses, no budget authority. Manage individual matter budgets up to £10K, escalate overruns. Manage matter budgets up to £50K, recommend spend above this to Partner.
Team Hiring & Performance No involvement. Informal mentorship, provide feedback on junior performance. Mentor junior associates, provide input on performance reviews.
Client Communication & Relationship Management Draft routine emails, prepare meeting notes. Communicate directly with clients on routine matters, draft advice letters. Lead client meetings, provide direct advice, manage ongoing relationships.
Business Development & Origination No direct responsibility. Support partners in pitches, attend networking events. Identify potential new business, contribute to proposals.

7How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Business Origination
New client revenue generated or existing client expansion secured.
Target · Generate >£750K in new client revenue annually (or equivalent expansion of existing work).

Securing a new retainer from a FinTech company for ongoing consumer compliance advice worth £200K per year, plus a new class action defence instruction worth £500K.

Practice Group P&L Management
Managing the profitability and financial health of your practice area.
Target · Maintain a gross profit margin of at least 45% for your portfolio of matters.

Reviewing monthly revenue and expense reports, identifying matters running over budget, and taking corrective action to ensure the practice group hits its financial targets, e.g., reducing external consultant spend by £10K on a specific case.

Favourable Resolution Rate
Percentage of managed matters (litigation or regulatory) that conclude with a positive outcome for the client.
Target · Achieve successful settlement or verdict in >85% of managed matters.

Successfully settling a complex regulatory investigation for a client with no public enforcement action and a penalty significantly below the initial demand, or winning summary judgment on a key claim in a class action.

Team Utilisation & Billable Hours
Ensuring your team is productive and hitting their billable targets.
Target · Maintain an average team billable hour target of 1,850 hours per lawyer per year, with <10% deviation.

Noticing one associate is consistently under-utilised, then re-allocating work from an over-stretched senior associate to balance workloads and ensure everyone is contributing effectively to client work.

Client Satisfaction & Retention
How happy our clients are with the advice and service you and your team provide, and whether they keep coming back.
  • Clients proactively refer new business to you
  • they ask specifically for you or your team on new matters
  • positive feedback in annual client surveys
  • high client retention rates (e.g., 90%+ of key clients retained year-on-year)
  • no client complaints escalated to senior management.
Team Development & Mentorship
How effectively you're growing the skills and careers of your direct reports.
  • Associates under your guidance consistently receive strong performance reviews
  • they take on more complex work and responsibilities
  • they successfully progress to the next career level (e.g., Associate to Senior Associate)
  • positive feedback from your team in anonymous surveys about your leadership and support
  • you've successfully identified and nurtured future leaders.
Strategic Legal Counsel
The quality and foresight of your legal advice, especially on complex or novel consumer protection issues.
  • Clients regularly consult you on new product launches or business model changes before issues arise
  • your advice is consistently proven correct when tested by regulators or in litigation
  • you're asked to speak at industry events or publish articles on emerging consumer law trends
  • you successfully anticipate regulatory shifts and advise clients to adapt proactively.
Risk Management & Compliance
Your ability to identify, assess, and mitigate consumer protection risks for clients.
  • Clients avoid significant regulatory fines or enforcement actions due to your proactive advice
  • you successfully navigate complex compliance challenges (e.g., GDPR, Consumer Rights Act) for clients without incident
  • you develop and implement robust internal compliance programmes for clients that withstand scrutiny.

8Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Solving Complex Puzzles

You love diving into a new, thorny consumer protection issue where there's no clear answer, dissecting the statutes, case law, and facts to piece together a winning strategy. You get a real buzz from crafting an elegant legal argument.

Being presented with a novel regulatory inquiry about a client's new AI-driven product and having to figure out how existing consumer law applies (or doesn't) to cutting-edge tech.

Leading and Developing People

You genuinely enjoy mentoring junior lawyers, seeing them grow, and helping them navigate the challenges of legal practice. You feel a sense of accomplishment when your team succeeds and when you see them take on more responsibility.

Guiding a senior associate through their first major court argument, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating their success when they win.

Making a Tangible Impact

You're driven by the knowledge that your work directly protects clients from significant harm or helps them achieve critical business objectives. You want to see your legal strategies translate into real-world wins.

Successfully defending a client against a multi-million-pound class action, preventing a devastating financial hit to their business.

What frustrates people
  • Constantly being outspent and outstaffed by corporate defendants who use their budget as a weapon, filing endless procedural motions to drain your resources and patience.
  • The 'Discovery Grind' – overseeing weeks of sifting through hundreds of thousands of documents, 95% of which are junk, just to find the few 'hot docs' that prove your case.
  • Managing client expectations – explaining to a genuinely wronged client that their provable damages are only £1,500, not the £1 million they saw on TV, and why the case is still worth pursuing.
  • The 'Delay and Deny' playbook – facing defendants whose entire strategy is to drag the case out for 3-5 years, hoping your client will give up, pass away, or run out of money.
  • The administrative burden of managing a team and a book of business, which often takes away from the actual legal analysis you love.
  • The pressure to constantly originate new business, even when you're already swamped with existing matters.
What this role does not give you
  • A predictable 9-to-5 schedule; legal practice, especially at this level, requires flexibility and dedication.
  • A role focused solely on academic legal research without the pressures of client management or business development.
  • Guaranteed public 'wins' in court; most cases settle, and often confidentially.
  • Complete autonomy without any administrative or managerial responsibilities; you're leading a team and a P&L.
  • An environment free from high-stakes pressure and intense deadlines; that's just the nature of the beast.

9Who you work with

This role directly shapes our firm's reputation in consumer protection law. Your leadership ensures we deliver top-tier advice and representation, keeping our clients compliant and defending them effectively when things go wrong. You're essentially the guardian of our clients' consumer-facing practices, protecting them from significant financial and reputational damage. If you get it right, we win cases, retain clients, and grow the practice. If you don't, well, that's when the headlines start, and the firm takes a hit.

Inside the business
  • Director of Legal, Consumer Practice
  • Other Practice Group Leaders (e.g., Commercial, Regulatory)
  • Finance Department (for budget management)
  • HR (for team development and performance reviews)
Outside the business
  • Key Client Contacts (e.g., General Counsel, Heads of Compliance)
  • Opposing Counsel (often from large corporate firms)
  • Regulators (e.g., FCA, CMA, ICO, ASA)
  • External Experts and Consultants

10What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A minimum of 12 years' post-qualification experience (PQE) in consumer protection law, ideally gained at a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.
  • Proven track record of successfully leading complex consumer litigation (including class actions) and/or high-stakes regulatory investigations.
  • Demonstrable experience managing a team of lawyers, including mentorship, performance management, and resource allocation.
  • A solid book of business or a clear plan and demonstrable ability to originate new client work and expand existing relationships.
  • Membership in good standing with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or Bar Standards Board (BSB) in England & Wales.
  • Deep understanding of relevant UK/EU consumer protection legislation and regulatory landscape.

11What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Legal Tech & Automation Integration

The legal industry is finally embracing technology. You'll need to not just use these tools but strategically integrate them into your team's workflow to boost efficiency, accuracy, and client service. This means less manual grunt work and more high-value analysis.

No-Code/Low-Code Legal Automation · Process Optimisation with Legal Tech · Data Visualisation for Legal Insights · Secure Cloud Collaboration & Document Management

  • This week: Explore one new feature in your existing legal research platform (e.g., Lexis+ AI) that you haven't used before.
  • Next 3 months: Identify one repetitive task in your team's workflow and research a legal tech solution that could automate it.
  • Next 6 months: Lead a pilot project to implement a new legal tech tool within your practice group, measuring its impact on efficiency.
  • Next 12 months: Present a business case to the firm's leadership for investment in a new legal tech solution that could benefit the wider firm.

Quick win: Experiment with AI summarisation tools for long documents or transcripts. Use advanced search filters in your eDiscovery platform to refine results more quickly.

12Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending and speaking at industry conferences on consumer protection, legal tech, or AI ethics.
  • Publishing articles or thought leadership pieces in legal journals or trade publications.
  • Mentoring junior lawyers formally and informally, both within and outside the firm.
  • Participating in relevant professional associations (e.g., Law Society committees, IAPP working groups).
  • Undertaking specific training in leadership, business development, or financial management for legal professionals.
  • Engaging in pro bono work that aligns with consumer protection principles.

13The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI Ethics & Governance for Consumer Products

With the rapid adoption of AI in consumer-facing products (think chatbots, personalised recommendations, automated decision-making), regulators are increasingly scrutinising the fairness, transparency, and potential for bias. You'll need to advise clients on how to use AI responsibly and compliantly to avoid 'algorithmic discrimination' claims.

  • Algorithmic Bias Detection & Mitigation
  • AI Transparency & Explainability (XAI)
  • AI Auditing & Impact Assessments
  • EU AI Act & UK AI Regulation

14What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Statutory & Regulatory Analysis
  • Litigation Lifecycle Management
  • Class Action Strategy & Mechanics
  • Regulatory Investigation & Response
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

15The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Senior Associate to Manager (Internal Promotion)

    3-5 years as a Senior Associate

    Skills to master

    • Developing a book of business, demonstrating strong leadership and mentorship capabilities, taking full ownership of complex matters, and showing a clear aptitude for strategic thinking beyond individual cases.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led multiple significant cases from inception to resolution.
    • Consistently exceeded billable hour targets and contributed to firm profitability.
    • Received excellent feedback from clients and senior partners.
    • Actively mentored junior lawyers who have shown clear progression under your guidance.
    • Demonstrated initiative in identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.
  2. 2

    Lateral Hire from Another Law Firm (Senior Counsel/Partner Equivalent)

    Immediate (if meeting all criteria)

    Skills to master

    • Transferable client relationships, proven track record of business origination, experience managing a team in a similar practice area, and a deep understanding of our firm's specific client base and strategic objectives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • A portable book of business that aligns with our firm's strategic goals.
    • Strong references from former partners and clients.
    • Demonstrated ability to integrate into a new firm culture and quickly build internal relationships.
    • Experience leading and growing a practice area or team.
    • A clear vision for how you'll contribute to our firm's growth in consumer protection.
  3. 3

    Head of Legal/Senior Counsel from In-house (Large Consumer-Facing Company)

    Immediate (if meeting all criteria)

    Skills to master

    • Deep commercial understanding of consumer-facing businesses, experience managing external counsel, strong regulatory relationships, and the ability to translate in-house experience into a client-facing advisory and litigation role.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Extensive experience managing consumer protection legal risks for a large enterprise.
    • Demonstrated ability to build and manage a legal team within a corporate structure.
    • Strong network within the industry that could lead to new client opportunities.
    • Clear understanding of the commercial realities and pressures faced by our clients.
    • Proven ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes from an in-house perspective.

16How people get here · where they go next

Came from
Senior Associate to Manager
3-5 years
You mastered leading significant cases from inception to resolution, developing a keen sense for strategic legal thinking.
You are here
Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager
Principal/Manager (12-16 years)
This job means leading work on consumer protection law and running a small legal practice group. You set the strategy and make sure the team delivers, guiding the business through tricky consumer issues.
Goes to
Director of Legal, Consumer Practice
3-5 years
This role involves setting the strategic direction for multiple practice groups, influencing firm-wide policy, and representing the firm on a national scale.

The long view: This work can lead to running a legal department, leading a law firm, or shaping consumer policy.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Providing initial legal advice in consumer law, worked against Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager.

Providing initial legal advice in consumer law Level 3

Applied to your work in Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager

1. To enable the learner to explain the fundamental framework and key principles of consumer protection law. 2. To enable the learner to describe the range of actions and remedies available for addressing consumer disputes. 3. To enable the learner to identify how foundational consumer law knowledge supports the provision of initial legal advice to clients.

The Navigator Last time, we discussed how to integrate AI ethics into your consumer protection strategies.

You Yes, I'm still working on that template for AI Consumer Impact Assessments.

The Navigator Great! Let's focus on identifying key areas where AI might affect consumer rights in your current cases, and build from there.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

A year from now

A year from now, you confidently leverage AI insights to drive your practice's growth, becoming a trusted advisor on the ethical use of AI in consumer protection.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager
  • Statutory & Regulatory Analysis
  • Litigation Lifecycle Management
  • Class Action Strategy & Mechanics
  • Regulatory Investigation & Response
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

17The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Director of Legal, Consumer Practice (Internal Promotion)

    3-5 years in the Manager role

    Level 6 (Director/VP)

    • Managing a larger portfolio of practice groups or legal teams
    • Overseeing multi-million-pound departmental budgets
    • Developing and implementing firm-wide legal strategy
    • Representing the firm at a national/international level on policy matters
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be honest, the legal world is changing fast. AI isn't just a buzzword anymore; it's a practical tool that can seriously boost your productivity, freeing you up for the high-value strategic work you actually want to do. As a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager, you're already juggling a lot—managing your team, advising clients, and fighting complex battles. Imagine having a digital assistant that can handle the grunt work, giving you back precious hours every week.

We're not talking about replacing lawyers here. We're talking about giving you superpowers. AI can take on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that often bog down legal professionals, allowing you to focus on the nuanced legal analysis, client strategy, and business development that truly drives success. Here's a glimpse of how AI can transform your daily grind and give you a serious edge.

First-Pass Document Review Automation

Use AI tools like Relativity's Active Learning to perform an initial review of massive document productions. This automatically codes for relevance and privilege, surfacing the most likely 'hot documents' for your human review. Imagine cutting weeks off your discovery phase. (Time Saved: 40-60 hours/case)

Complaint Pattern Analysis & Insights

Feed thousands of consumer complaints (from CFPB databases, client records, etc.) into an AI model. It'll identify non-obvious patterns of misconduct or emerging risks, providing the statistical evidence needed to defeat a motion to dismiss a class action or proactively advise clients on compliance gaps. (Time Saved: 20-30 hours/case)

AI-Powered Legal Research & Strategy

Leverage tools like Casetext's CoCounsel or Lexis+ AI to ask complex legal questions in natural language. The AI can analyse briefs, find contrary authority, and summarise key holdings, accelerating your strategy development and giving you deeper insights faster. (Time Saved: 5-10 hours/week)

Initial Discovery Drafting & Review

Use generative AI to create a first draft of standard interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admission based on the specific claims in your complaint. This provides a solid baseline for human refinement, saving significant drafting time and ensuring consistency. (Time Saved: 8-12 hours/case)

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager?

Common routes in include Senior Associate to Manager (Internal Promotion) (3-5 years as a Senior Associate), Lateral Hire from Another Law Firm (Senior Counsel/Partner Equivalent) (Immediate (if meeting all criteria)) and Head of Legal/Senior Counsel from In-house (Large Consumer-Facing Company) (Immediate (if meeting all criteria)). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager progress to?

This role can lead on to Director of Legal, Consumer Practice (Internal Promotion) (3-5 years in the Manager role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager?

Increasingly, AI Ethics & Governance for Consumer Products. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

18Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 5

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

More jobs in legal

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

Experience in consumer protection carries into senior in-house roles at consumer-facing companies such as fintech, e-commerce or retail firms. It can also lead into advising government bodies or NGOs on consumer policy. Skills built here, including strategic thinking, risk management and problem-solving, apply across many sectors.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Consumer Protection Lawyer Manager plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.