Legal executives and paralegals are increasingly being viewed as a highly valuable commodity by law firms, in house legal departments and public sector organisations alike. Recognition and responsibility for these employees is escalating across the legal profession and a clear career path can be seen for those looking to qualify as a legal executive.
Who is a Legal Executive?
A legal executive is a legal fee earner who specialises in a particular area of law. The professional body is the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) who represent over 22,000 qualified executives and trainees across the country. This national body is now widely recognised as the third branch of the legal profession alongside solicitors and barristers.
What do Legal Executives do?
The role of the legal executive has evolved over the years and now commands similar respect to that of a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer. As a legal executive you will specialise in a particular area of law and undertake a fee earning role often with responsibility for your own caseload of files and clients to whom work is charged out. Your daily work will be similar to that of a solicitor and a significant level of responsibility will be bestowed upon you. Professional responsibilities will increase as you move towards fully qualified status with fellows of ILEX frequently considered one of the main points of contact for clients and often assuming responsibility for a team of staff or even a department within a law firm.
Opportunities for legal executives will present themselves within private practice law firms, in house and also in the public sector working across a very wide variety of legal disciplines.
Within the commercial sector a number of opportunities exist as many national companies now recognise that the flexibility and choice offered from this alternative qualification is of great value to their workforce.
The public sector also holds an attraction to the legal executive market where local authorities in particular are often able to offer sponsorship and ongoing workplace training to trainee legal executives en route to qualification.
Training and Qualification
The opportunity to qualify as a legal executive is open to all, with the minimum course requirement standing at 4 GCSE passes at Grade C although mature students may enroll without formal qualifications. Those students who have completed a qualifying law degree may join the course and will be exempt from the academic part of the qualification leaving them to complete only the practical element to become a Member of ILEX. There are 3 stages to qualification - Student, Membership and Fellowship. Most legal executive students will also be in full time employment and study part time through day release or evening study options and distance learning courses are also available to complete the academic course requirements. Once the academic element of the course is completed students may apply to become a Member of ILEX - this will take on average 4 to 5 years of part time study.
To achieve the full qualification and Fellowship status, Members of ILEX must also have completed 5 years of qualifying employment under the supervision of a solicitor including 2 years after passing all initial examinations. Fellows of ILEX are issued a full practising certificate and will be required to complete CPD training (Continued Professional Development) in the same way as a solicitor.
For further information on the Institute of Legal Executives please visit www.ilex.org.uk
Career Progression
The opportunity to progress your legal career while undertaking your qualifications is readily available due in part to the vocational nature of the course. Students / Members will often be in fee earning legal positions and therefore able to climb the legal career ladder as the experience and knowledge of their chosen legal practice area develops. Once qualified and fellowship status has been achieved further responsibility can be assumed with fellows often running a department or handling specific client accounts and relationships.
The Legal Services Bill also allows for non-lawyer Partners to play a role in the future of the legal profession.
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