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.
If you already have a law degree
it counts towards becoming a legal executive
The ILEX 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 qualified legal executive lawyer (a
Fellow of the 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 ILEX on payment of the relevant fees.
Qualifying
employment
In order to be admitted as a Fellow of ILEX, Graduate members
(i.e. members who have completed their academic training) must
demonstrate that they have completed a total of 5 years qualifying
employment. 2 of the 5 years must be completed in the
Graduate membership grade and must be consecutive.
More information on qualifying employment is available here.