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Legal executives and Paralegal careers. Delivering the right support

Legal executives and paralegals are important members of any legal team. A fact increasingly recognised by law firms, in-house legal departments and public sector organisations. But what exactly are their roles? And what career opportunities are there?

Exactly what is a paralegal or legal executive?

‘Paralegal’ is a generic term for someone who does legal work but who is not a qualified solicitor (other job titles such as legal assistant or caseworker may be used). A legal executive is a legal fee earner specialising in a particular area of law. Both often work in a supporting role alongside solicitors and barristers. The Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), representing over 22,000 qualified executives and trainees, is now widely recognised as the third branch of the legal profession.

What does a Legal Executive do?

The everyday work of a Legal Executive lawyer is similar to that of a solicitor or licensed conveyancer. You specialise in a particular area of law with a fee earning role and have responsibility for your own caseload of files and clients. The level of responsibility increases as you move towards fully qualified status – Fellows of ILEX are often a main point of contact for clients with responsibility for a team of staff.

Legal Executive opportunities can come from private practice law firms, in-house and the commercial and public sectors, across a wide range of disciplines. Local authorities in particular may offer sponsorship and workplace training to trainee legal executives prior to qualification.

Training and qualification

Legal Executive training is open to all, with the minimum course requirement four GCSE passes at Grade C – although mature students can enrol without formal qualifications. If you have a qualifying law degree you can join the course and be exempt from the academic part, only needing to complete the practical element to become a Member of ILEX.

There are three stages to qualification – Student, Membership and Fellowship. Students will usually be in full time employment and study part time through day release or evenings, with distance learning also available. Once the academic element of the course is complete after an average four to five years of part time study, you can apply to become a Member of ILEX. Fellowship status is only achieved after Members have completed five years of qualifying employment under the supervision of a solicitor, including two years after passing all initial exams. You’ll then be issued a full practising certificate and will need to complete Continued Professional Development Training, as a solicitor would.

For more information on the Institute of Legal executives, visit www.ilex.org.uk.

Career path

Being a vocational course, it’s easy to progress your legal career while undertaking your qualifications. Students and Members will often be in fee earning legal positions, so can climb the career ladder as their experience and knowledge of their specialist area develop. Once qualified, Fellows often run a department or handle specific client accounts. With the Legal Services Bill, non-lawyer Partners would be able to have a say in the future of the legal profession, too.