10 March 2011
“This is only the beginning”… as 100 partners and
1st ILEX Judge celebrate
Glasses were raised at the House of Commons last night (9 March
2011) as the Institute of Legal Executives toasted its first 100
Legal Executive Partners and its first Legal Executive Judge.
Speaking at the event, the first Legal Executive Fellows Judge,
Ian Ashley-Smith said: “We now have the clearest support for our
contention that Legal Executive qualifications are on a par with
those of the Bar and the Law Society and the public can be assured
that business conducted by our members is of the same high
standard.”
Addressing the guests, ILEX President, David McGrady, spoke of
the future: “We must look to more of our members becoming Deputy
District Judges, full District Judges, Tribunal Judges and we must
help and assist our other ILEX Fellows to advance to our next 100
partners.”
Nick Hanning, the first ILEX Lawyer to be made a partner spoke
on behalf of other Legal Executive partners when he said: “ILEX
believes that everyone should be able to become a lawyer if they
have the skills to do so. We strive to celebrate the unique
attributes of each individual which creates such rich diversity and
above all we aim to include not to exclude.
“I am proud to be a modest example of that philosophy and I
honour all of our ILEX lawyer partners here tonight and all ILEX
lawyers and members everywhere for the examples they too are
setting.”
Also attending was Christopher Stephens, Chairman of the
Judicial Appointments Commission. He agreed that the future is
bright for ILEX members: JAC Chairman, Christopher Stephens, said:
“The JAC was delighted last summer when Ian Ashley-Smith became the
first ILEX Fellow to be appointed as a judge. We welcome applicants
from all backgrounds in our search for the best candidates and have
been working hard with the Institute of Legal Executives to ensure
their members have the information and support that they need to
consider applying for judicial roles at the right time in their
careers. There are some excellent opportunities for ILEX Fellows
coming up in the autumn and we look forward to more of them being
successful in the future.”
The event was held in the Terrace Pavilion at the House of
Commons and hosted by Richard Fuller MP for Bedford and Kempston,
home of ILEX’s HQ. Mr Fuller said: “I was delighted to host the
event in the House of Commons to mark this major milestone in
ILEX’s history. I am very proud that the Institute, which is
producing such a great pool of talented people, is based within my
constituency in Kempston and I applaud their work in providing an
alternative route into the legal profession.”
Other notable attendees included: Rt. Hon the Baroness Prashar
CBE; The Lord Andrew Phillips of Sudbury OBE; Adam Sampson, the
Legal Ombudsman and Jonathan Djanogly MP, Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
ENDS