About ILEX members
Legal Executives are qualified lawyers usually
specialising in a particular area of law. Strictly speaking,
a Legal Executive means a Fellow of the Institute of Legal
Executives (ILEX). Most members of ILEX work in legal
practices or legal departments, and some members are
self-employed. All ILEX members are regulated by ILEX
Professional Standards Ltd (IPS).
Sometimes the term Legal Executive is misused
by people who are not members of ILEX. IPS cannot take action
against these people.
ILEX membership and qualification
ILEX is a membership organisation that
provides a training and qualification scheme. A person
wishing to train in the law can register with ILEX and commence the
Level 3 qualification programme and thereafter move onto the Level
6 qualification. Full details of the ILEX qualification
structure can be found here.
ILEX members also require at least 5 years
qualifying employment to complete their qualification
programme. Upon completion they will become a Fellow of
ILEX. A Fellow of ILEX is a Legal Executive and may also be
referred to as a Legal Executive Lawyer. Details of the
grades of ILEX membership through which members may progress on
their route to becoming a Fellow can be found
here. It is a breach of the ILEX rules
for a member of ILEX to refer to themselves as a Legal Executive
before they have qualified as a Fellow.
ILEX maintains a register of members who have
qualified as Fellows. The register can be found
here.
Powers and duties
Membership of ILEX carries rights and
privileges. It also grants some practice rights to
members.
A member who has qualified as a Fellow of ILEX
may administer Oaths. Fellows may also exercise additional
advocacy rights upon qualification as Legal Executive
Advocates. You can find out more about these practice rights
here.
Most members of ILEX work in legal practices
and are able to undertake most areas of work if they work under the
supervision of a solicitor, regardless of the grade of membership
they hold, if they are competent to do so. ILEX members tend
to specialise in one area of law.
A member who does not work under the
supervision of a solicitor 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 ILEX is able to undertake can be found here.
Code of
Conduct
All members of ILEX are required to comply
with all of ILEX's rules and bye laws and to uphold the standards
set out in the ILEX Code of Conduct which can be found
here. The Code guides and supports members in the work
they do. It also informs the general public of the standards
of behaviour that can be expected of ILEX members.
The Code sets out 9 principles. They 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 ILEX and IPS rules and bye-laws
5. Act in
the best interests of (their) client
6. Treat
everyone equally and fairly
7. Ensure
(their) independence is not compromised
8. Respect
confidentiality and trust
9. Act
within (their) competence
Any allegation that a breach of the Code has
occurred will be investigated and may give rise to disciplinary
proceedings.