All About Law | Training Contracts | Vacation Schemes | Law School | Law Careers

If you do not have any formal qualifications, we strongly recommend that you consider studying for a City & Guilds/ILEX Level 2 Certificate in Vocational Paralegal Studies before embarking on the legal executive training route. 

ILEX qualifications are taken in two stages: the ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice (which is equivalent to A levels) and the ILEX Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law (equivalent to a university honours degree). 

Exemptions from parts of the ILEX Professional Qualification in Law may be available if you hold an A level in law or a recognised qualifying law degree course. Full exemption is available for those who have passed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). You can apply immediately to become an ILEX member.

If you have a non-qualifying law degree or a degree with sufficient legal content, these will be assessed on a subject-by-subject basis. Exemptions may also be granted for other appropriate qualifications. Exemptions are entirely at the discretion of the Institute. 

ILEX has recently re-developed and updated its professional qualifications. These are now unitised, credit-ready and flexible in line with the government's Qualifications and Credit Framework, so as to provide a greater range of professional qualification outcomes. 

The ILEX Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice is the first part of the ILEX Professional Qualification in Law, the academic qualification you will need to pass to become a Legal Executive, and features a compulsory syllabus.

It provides a broad introduction to law and legal practice. The courses are set at a level of study equivalent to A level and most students elect to study their Level 3 qualification either over one year full-time or two years part-time.

The ILEX Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law is the second stage of training to become a Legal Executive and is equivalent to honours degree level. It will typically take two years to complete.

The Level 6 syllabus requires you to study four courses, one being a legal practice subject with a linked law subject and two other law subjects of your choice. It is at this stage that you will need to decide what area of law you want to specialise in.

To find out what options would suit you best, log on to www.ilexcareers.org.uk to see the full range of law subjects available. 

Single subject Diplomas

If you want to get an in-depth knowledge of a particular area of law and legal practice, but are not looking for a professional qualification, then the ILEX Single Subject Diplomas in Law are ideal. All ILEX Level 6 courses can be studied as single subjects in their own right.

You don’t have to be a member of ILEX and there are no entry requirements, but as the academic standard is equivalent to an honours degree, we advise that you should have substantial experience relating to your chosen area of study. You must undertake a course of studies to enter the exam for a single subject diploma. Further information on the range of subjects available can be found on the ILEX careers web site:www.ilexcareers.org.uk 

Training to be a solicitor

A career as a Legal Executive is a worthwhile, rewarding and fulfilling career its own right, but ILEX does recognise that there are those who have ambitions that are more traditional. That is why ILEX qualifications can be used to count towards qualifying as a solicitor.

If you are a Fellow of the Institute before you complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) you may be exempt from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) training contract. It is important that you contact the SRA office to get full details as this exemption is at the discretion of the SRA.

Study close to home

ILEX has a network of over 100 accredited study centres that are approved to deliver ILEX courses. These are quality assured to ILEX standards, giving you the confidence that they will meet your needs, and will allow you to fulfill your full potential in the field of law.

All ILEX Level 3 examinations, and the majority of ILEX Level 6 examinations, are set twice a year in January and June, and all examinations may be taken at separate examination sittings to suit your plans and study needs. 

Study from afar

If distance learning is something that would be better suited to your individual circumstances, then ILEX can offer this through the ILEX Tutorial College (ITC). There are a wide range of courses and options available from the college for the prospective law student to choose from - and the college offers enrolment at any time of year.

To get more information on the range of distance learning options available through ITC, log on to http://www.ilex-tutorial.ac.uk. So if you wish to switch to a career in law, or want to 'earn and learn' and avoid student debt, ILEX has to be your first choice.

Let’s talk money

Starting salaries for trainee Legal Executives can be around £14,000-£18,000_, progressing as you move forward in your studies. And remember - no debt while you study.

Salaries for qualified Legal Executives can rise to over £50,000 and (from March 2009) for those who go on to become partners in law firms, higher still.

What Legal Executive Lawyers Do

Increasingly, more and more students are looking to ILEX as their staring point to a career in law. Professional responsibilities increase with experience and Fellows of ILEX are likely to become one of the main points of contact for clients seeking professional advice on legal matters.

Fully qualified and experienced Legal Executive lawyers are able to undertake many of the legal activities that solicitors do. For example, they will have their own clients (with full conduct of cases) and they can undertake representation in court where appropriate.

Although Legal Executives can be involved in many areas of law, the most common areas of specialisation are:

• conveyancing - the legal side of buying and selling property 

• family issues - advising on divorces and matters affecting children 

• crime - defending and prosecuting people accused of crimes 

• company and business law - advising clients on legislation that affects their business such as tax, contracts and employment law 

• litigation - where a client is in dispute with someone else 

• probate - dealing with wills, trusts and inheritance tax 

• personal injury - handling accident claims. 

Legal Executive lawyers must adhere to a code of conduct and, like solicitors, are required to continue training, known as continued professional development or CPD, throughout their careers in order to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in the law.

There are opportunities for Legal Executives to run their own departments, manage other executives, administrative staff and junior solicitors. It may be possible to become an associate in a law firm and from March 2009,legal executives may become partners.

Fellows may also go on to become advocates. Qualified Legal Executives can also continue their studies to qualify as solicitors, and the ILEX training route may be used as entry to the final stages of the qualification scheme for a solicitor.

ILEX Fellows are now eligible to apply for a range of judicial appointments, including Tribunal Chairmen and Deputy District Judges. From 2010, Fellows will be able to apply for District Judge appointments.

We fully support the Government’s strategic goal of ensuring greater diversity within the judiciary so that it better reflects the diverse nature of the society it serves.

We have campaigned vigorously for our members to compete on an equal footing alongside others and to be considered on merit for appointment to these important positions. Not only is this good for our members, more importantly it is good for the justice system.

Looking ahead, Legal Executive lawyers will soon be able to become partners or managers in Alternative Business Structures (firms with external ownership and investment) and set up their own practices. These are exciting times to be a legal executive.

Of course, it is not just legal firms that employ Legal Executives. Our members fill key legal roles in a wide variety of government bodies, local authorities and business organisations.

For example, at the 2008 ILEX graduation ceremony there were newly qualified Legal Executives employed by a diverse range of organisations from the Disney Corporation, ABC International Television; HSBC Insurance UK Ltd; AXA UK PLC; Capita Life & Pensions Services Ltd; through to the Ministry of Defence; Kent County Council; Plymouth City Council; Rentokil Initial PLC; RSPCA; and The Peabody Trust.

22-09-2009