Careers and Qualifications Guide
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CAREERS AND QUALIFICATIONS GUIDE Earn As You Learn: Your best route to a career as a lawyer THINKING OF A CAREER IN LAW? The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives offers unparalleled access to a flexible career as a lawyer. JOIN US NOW Since 1963 the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has offered Call 01234 845777 or email unparalleled access to a flexible career as a lawyer. We are the professional [email protected] association representing around 20,000 members, of which 7,500 are qualified Chartered Legal Executive lawyers and 12,500 are practising paralegals and other legal practitioners. Since 1989, around The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives is recognised by the Ministry of Justice as one of the three main approved routes to becoming a qualified lawyer 95,000 people have (along with Barristers and Solicitors). chosen our route to Law is the most popular subject out of all applications to study at university, pursue their lawyer and so each year around 80% of people applying to study law are rejected. qualification - why not We provide a cost-effective way of obtaining law qualifications without having join them? to complete a law degree (although graduates of law or non-law subjects can still choose to become a lawyer using our route). www.cilexcareers.org.uk 2 | CILEx Your best route to a legal qualification ABOUT THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF LEGAL EXECUTIVES Changes in legislation mean that Chartered Legal Executive lawyers are increasingly on a level playing field with solicitors or barristers, as they can now become judges, advocates and partners in law firms. The role of a Chartered Legal However, if you already have a whilst gaining valuable practical Executive lawyer is so similar to that qualifying law degree gained within experience in their workplace. Around of a solicitor that most clients are the last seven years*, we also offer 75% of employers pay for their staff to unlikely to be able to distinguish a cost-effective alternative to the study to be Chartered Legal Executive between them. In fact, many Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar lawyers. As such, the route offers you supervise solicitors. The difference Professional Training Course (BPTC) a head start in your law career, and is that a Chartered Legal Executive through our Graduate Fast-Track allows you to earn whilst you learn. is a qualified lawyer who is trained Diploma, which takes one year to specialise in a particular area of to complete part-time and costs Salaries law, whereas solicitors have broader, £2,500 or less. general legal training. Salaries will vary according to your And there’s no need to secure a location and chosen specialist area of training contract or pupilage, whether law, but starting salaries are usually you do our full route or the fast-track. Becoming a Chartered Legal approximately £25,000 a year whilst Instead you will need to complete Executive lawyer you are qualifying. When you reach a three-year qualifying period of There are two routes to becoming Graduate Member grade you can employment (working as a paralegal a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer, expect to earn up to £30,000. Fully while studying may count towards this). depending on whether you hold a qualified Chartered Legal Executive qualifying law degree or not. If you lawyers can then expect to earn don’t have a qualifying law degree Qualifying around £35,000 on average. Latest surveys show annual salaries of then you will need to take the full Qualifying as a Chartered Legal over £100,000 for some Chartered route, which is comprised of our Executive provides access to an Legal Executives. level 3 qualification (set and assessed interesting, valued and prestigious at A-level standard) and our level 6 career: as a Chartered Legal qualification which is set and assessed Executive lawyer you will have great at honours degree level. This full opportunities to work in the legal Qualifying as a route costs around £4,500 - £7,650, profession, in corporate in-house legal Chartered Legal depending on where you choose to departments, or in local or national study, and typically takes four years government. Executive lawyer to complete part-time, although time provides access to an scales can be flexible. Most people combine studying their qualifications through academic interesting, valued and institutions or via distance learning prestigious career. *Note this is currently under consideration by CILEx Council. CILEx Your best route to a legal qualification | 3 BENEFITS OF THE Chartered LEGAL EXECUTIVE route We offer an achievable, How our route compares to affordable and flexible route to other lawyer routes becoming a qualified lawyer: Whether you take the full • Study, exam and registration fees Chartered Legal Executive lawyer cost up to around £7,650 which route, or our graduate fast-track are spread over the four years’ of qualification, we offer by far the part-time study (the typical time most affordable way to be a lawyer taken to study all of the academic compared to the other traditional qualifications required). If you are routes: eligible for exemptions then your study time may be shorter and you • As well as University fees, the will pay less study fees. biggest cost potential Solicitors face is the LPC fees of around • Combining study with full-time £12,900. For aspiring Barristers, the work can enable those studying Bar Professional Training Course to be Chartered Legal Executive (formerly the Bar Vocational lawyers to earn in the region of Course or BVC) usually costs £63,000 over the typical four-year around £15,750. study period. • Non-law graduates will also have • You don’t need to get a training to pay approximately £3,000- contract or pupillage. £7,000 for their CPE/GDL fees. Combining study with full- time work can enable those studying to be Chartered Legal Executive lawyers to earn in the region of £63,000 over the typical four-year study period. 4 | CILEx Your best route to a legal qualification MEMBERSHIP GRADES To study to become a Chartered Associate member Legal Executive lawyers are required to Legal Executive lawyer you need Open to those who have completed take 16 hours of CPD and a module in to join the Chartered Institute our Level 3 Professional Diploma professionalism. of Legal Executives (CILEx). The in Law and Practice; or who are To be admitted as a Chartered Legal grade you are allocated is based graduates with qualifying law degrees. Executive lawyer/Fellow you also need on your qualifications and/or legal Associate members will be entitled to complete a minimum of three years’ experience. Whether you are new to use the designatory letters ACILEx employment experience in legal work, to the sector, a graduate or a senior after their name, and will be required including at least two consecutive years’ lawyer, there is a grade that’s right to undertake 8 hours of Continuing experience immediately before you apply for you. Membership is a mark Professional Development (CPD) and a for fellowship and one year which falls after of credibility and accountability. module in professionalism. completion of your studies. During the last It demonstrates to clients and two years of this three year period you will Graduate member employers your commitment to complete the work based learning elements. Open to those who have completed excellence, with the reassurance that Please note that, for entry into any grade both the Level 3 Professional Diploma all members are regulated by CILEx’s of membership, you must have satisfied the in Law and Practice and the Level 6 regulatory arm. Chartered Institute of Legal Executives’ Council Professional Higher Diploma in Law of your fitness for admission. The application Use the criteria below to select and Practice; our Graduate ‘Fast-Track’ criteria stated above is at the discretion of the membership grade you should Diploma; or who are Legal Practice the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives apply for: Course (LPC) or Bar Professional and applicants will be admitted into a Training Course (formerly the Bar grade accordingly. Student member Vocational Course or BVC) graduates. Open to those wishing to enter We also offer a separate membership Graduate members will be entitled the legal profession; those who have grade for Associate Prosecutors working for to use the designatory letters GCILEx no relevant legal qualification; or the Crown Prosecution Service, although they after their name, and will be required those with less than three years’ may also join one of the grades above. to undertake 12 hours of CPD and a work experience of a predominantly Note: further changes to the CPD required module in professionalism. legal nature. of members will be phased in during 2014/2015. Fellows Affiliate member When you have successfully Open to those with at least one completed a period of qualifying of our level 3 qualification units; employment, you can become a or who have completed a relevant Fellow, a qualified lawyer, and be legal qualification at level 2; or eligible to use the term Chartered Legal gained at least three years’ work Executive and the designatory letters of a predominantly legal nature. FCILEx. You will be invited to attend our Graduation ceremony. Chartered CILEx Your best route to a legal qualification | 5 FLEXIBLE, SPECIALISED education Specialised education and training is have copies). The Law Society will also hold lists needed to qualify as a Chartered Legal accessible from the internet. Executive lawyer. Most people study while they are working, by day-release, evening classes or by taking a distance learning course. This means you can achieve exams We also provide a whilst gaining practical experience and dedicated job website, visit earning a salary.