How to Qualify as a Legal Executive lawyer
How
long will it take to complete the ILEX 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 ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice
can typically take two years to complete by part-time study. The
ILEX 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.
Qualifying
employment
Employment which counts as qualifying employment is carefully
defined by ILEX and you should contact us on 01234 841000 for more
information. In broad terms, qualifying employment includes
carrying out work of a legal nature under the supervision of a
Solicitor, Legal Executive, Barrister or Licensed Conveyancer.
Employment can be in legal practice, in the legal department of a
private company or in local/national government.
You can start your qualifying employment before, during or after
your studies. Most ILEX students are either working in a legal
environment at the time that they start their studies, or obtain
employment as a trainee Legal Executive during their period of
studying, and this counts towards ILEX’s qualifying employment
requirements.
However the final two years of the five-year period of
qualifying employment cannot be gained until you have achieved your
academic qualification, i.e. become a Member of ILEX. This means
that you can complete up to three of the five years qualifying
employment concurrently with your studying.
Once you have completed your qualifying employment you will then
be able to apply to become a Fellow of ILEX and use the designation
‘Legal Executive’.