About CILEx members
CILEx membership and qualification
CILEx is a membership organisation that provides a training and
qualification scheme. A person wishing to train in the law
will register with CILEx and commence the Level 3 qualification
programme and thereafter move onto the Level 6 qualification.
You can find full details of the CILEx qualification structure
here.
CILEx members also require at least 5 years qualifying
employment to complete their qualification programme. Upon
completion they become a Chartered Legal Executive. Details
of the grades of CILEx membership through which members may
progress on their route to becoming a Chartered Legal Executive can
be found
here. It is a breach of the Code of Conduct for CILEx
members for a member of CILEx to refer to themselves as a
Chartered Legal Executive before they have qualified.
CILEx maintains a register of members who have qualified as
Chartered Legal Executives. The register can be found
here.
Powers and duties
Membership of CILEx carries rights and privileges. It also
grants some practice rights to members.
A member who has qualified as a Chartered Legal
Executive may administer oaths. They may also exercise
additional advocacy rights upon qualification as Chartered Legal
Executive Advocates. You can find out more about these
practice rights
here.
Most members of CILEx work in legal practices and are able to
undertake most areas of work if they work under the supervision of
an authorised person, regardless of the grade of membership they
hold, if they are competent to do so. CILEx members tend
to specialise in one area of law.
A member who does not work under the supervision of an
authorised person may not undertake a ‘reserved legal
activity'. Reserved legal activities include conveyancing,
making applications for grants of probate or letters of
administration, conducting litigation and exercising advocacy
rights.
Further information about what work a member of CILEx is able to
undertake can be found here.
Code of Conduct
All members of CILEx are required to comply with all of CILEx's
rules and bye laws and to uphold the standards set out in the Code
of Conduct for CILEx Members which can be found
here. The Code sets out 9 principles that members must
observe.
The 9 principles are that members must:
1. Uphold the rule of law
and the impartial administration of justice
2. Maintain high standards
of professional and personal conduct
3. Behave with honesty and
integrity
4. Comply with the CILEx and
IPS rules and bye-laws
5. Act in the best interests
of your client
6. Treat everyone equally
and fairly
7. Ensure your independence
is not compromised
8. Respect confidentiality
and trust
9. Act within your
competence