How to Qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer
How long will it take to complete the CILEx
qualifications?
Timescales are flexible according to your personal and
professional needs and the choice of full, part-time or distance
learning can enable you to fit study around your personal and work
life. On average, both parts of your academic qualification can be
achieved within four years of part-time study.
If your prior qualifications do not mean that you are already
exempt, the Level 3 Professional Diploma in
Law and Practice can typically take two years to complete by
part-time study. The Level 6 Professional
Higher Diploma in Law qualification is equivalent to honours
degree level and is also typically studied part-time over a period
of two years. Remember, you are likely to be working and studying
at the same time, which means that you are earning a valuable
salary income from the outset, thereby avoiding the hefty future
debts incurred by full-time university law students.
If you already have a law degree it counts towards becoming a
Chartered Legal Executive lawyer
The CILEx Graduate Fast-track Diploma
is the qualification for law graduates who wish to complete the
academic part of the legal executive qualification. Having your law
degree means that you do not need to study any more law subjects.
You just need to acquire the legal practice and professional skills
elements of the qualification. To become a
Chartered Legal Executive lawyer (practising Fellow of The
Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) you must also satisfy
requirements for qualifying employment, see below. If you are
already working as a paralegal, it is highly likely that your
current employment will count towards your five years' qualifying
employment.
If you have already studied a Legal Practice Course (LPC) you
are exempt from all academic study and can become a Graduate Member
of CILEx on payment of the relevant fees.
Qualifying employment
In order to be admitted as a Fellow, Graduate members (i.e.
members who have completed their academic training) currently must
demonstrate that they have completed a total of 5 years qualifying
employment. Two of the five years must be completed in
the Graduate membership grade and must be consecutive.
More information on qualifying employment is available here.
Please note that this system is changing and, from June 24 2013,
CILEx and IPS are implementing a system of work-based learning,
More details can be found here.