Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer Qualifications

Why choose the CILEx route to a career in law?

Becoming a qualified lawyer and then going on to become an advocate, partner in a law firm or even a judge does not mean you have to start your career with masses of student debt.

Taking the Chartered Legal Executive lawyer route means you can earn-as-you-learn and gain valuable practical experience while those studying traditional law degrees are stuck in the classroom. Once your Chartered Legal Executive studies and qualifying employment are complete you will be able to call yourself a qualified lawyer straight away without having to undertake an LPC or wait for an elusive training contract to become a solicitor. Find out how to apply.

"Legal Executive lawyers stand shoulder to shoulder with solicitors in the legal sector"

Affordability

With students entering university expected to leave with an average student debt of more than £55,000 the CILEx route is ideally placed to provide an affordable route to a career in law. CILEx qualifications can offer a significant cost saving, as can be seen from our comparative indicative costs.

While CILEx qualifications are cost effective, 70% of employers pay for their staff to study with us. That means you get your training for free and earn a salary at the same time.

Employment

Law firms across the country recognise the quality and skills that CILEx qualifications bring to their teams. You will find Chartered Legal Executive lawyers working and studying in firms as large as Pinsent Mason and Irwin Mitchell, or regional legal providers like Gordons and Minster Law.

Respect

Completing your Chartered Legal Executive lawyer training means you will have a qualification set and assessed at honours degree level and will be tackling specific areas of law with enviable knowledge and skill. Many students have already studied through CILEx and forged successful and rewarding careers at law firms across England and Wales. Some are heading up departments in large law firms where they manage other lawyers (including solicitors), some have gone on to become advocates to help represent clients in court, some have become partners in law firms such as Irwin Mitchell or have set up their own business but there is also the option of choosing to enter the Judiciary later on in their career too. Just like our first Chartered Legal Executive Judge Ian Ashley Smith.

Member case study - Stuart

"I read legal studies at university followed by a Masters in Intellectual Property Law. During my studies, I was aware that my university offered the CILEx qualification and given how many people were graduating from law degrees and the LPC, I knew that competition to secure a training contract would be tough. I wasn’t prepared to take on the additional debt needed to complete the LPC so I investigated the qualification further. The CILEx route appealed as a recognised qualification that would allow me to work and earn money while learning and developing my legal skills.

“I feel much more confident in myself in advice giving to clients. I also feel more on a par with my colleagues and am excited about the prospects ahead for me now I have my CILEx qualification, as it means that I will not have to re-qualify as a solicitor to have my own practice.

After seven years’ practical experience I am positive that the route I chose in order to practice law was correct. If you are considering a life in the law, I would definitely recommend considering the CILEx route."

Stuart Southall, Chartered Legal Executive/Director, EHL Commercial