My early career
I remember the day I started in the legal industry very well, albeit, it was about 17 years ago.
I had just left college and simply didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career. I lived at home with my parents and was a home bird. I was hard working and wanted to learn and earn; the thought of flying the nest to university just didn’t attract me. I left college with A-levels but hadn’t made any firm decision about what I wanted to do with my career at that point.
I applied for a number of jobs, in call centres and the like, and accepted a role at a solicitors office accepting calls for insurance companies who had this particular law firm as their panel solicitors.
The contact centre working environment – WOW – I remember thinking how fast-paced and energetic the role was. The buzz of the office with everyone taking telephone calls was hectic, but everyone strived to provide clear and concise advice to customers who were in need, with the majority of calls coming from customers who had just been involved in a motor accident and needed a solicitor’s help.
The start of my legal career
After a short few months working in the contact centre, I applied for a job as a Legal Assistant at the same solicitors; that was the start of my legal career.
I had a meeting with the Head of the Department and shortly after, a member of the Board, who asked if I would be interested in gaining a qualification to set me on with my career in Law.
What did I have to lose?
At the time I was young with little commitment outside of the workplace and wanted to impress my employer so accepted the advice and applied to join the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives course, attending evening classes at a local college.
For those who don’t know, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) offer a unique route to a legal career and becoming a qualified lawyer without a requirement to have a law degree.
I was able to be flexible with my time and attended college on an evening and spent many evenings doing coursework and scouring through textbooks. As I didn’t have a degree, I initially started with the “Level 3 certificate and Professional diploma in Law and Practice”.
What does the CILEX level 3 certificate and Professional diploma in Law and Practice include?
https://www.cilex.org.uk/study/lawyer_qualifications/level_3_qualifications/
Level 3 is the first academic stage in the process of becoming a Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer. As part of the course, you have an opportunity to select to study certain units, including the following 7 mandatory units:
- Unit 1 Introduction to Law and Practice.
- Unit 2 Contract Law.
- Unit 3 Criminal Law.
- Unit 4 Land Law.
- Unit 5 Law of Tort.
- Unit 16 Client Care Skills.
- Unit 17 Legal Research Skills.
A further 3 units must also be taken, 2 of these must be a practical unit and a third can be either a law or practice unit. It took me around 2 years to complete the Level 3 qualification course, following which, I was able to apply to become an Associate Member of CILEX.
Associate Membership (cilex.org.uk)
Application to become an Associate Member of CILEX attracted an annual membership fee which, gratefully, the law firm I was working for, funded for me.
My level 6 qualification
The next second and final academic stage towards becoming a Chartered Legal Executive is to complete a Level 6 Qualification.
Level 6 Qualifications (cilex.org.uk)
Again, this qualification took me around 2 years to complete. The last 2 years of my qualification involved more home study as opposed to attending college. I had access to a remote tutor who assessed and provided me with feedback with regard to assignments I had been set, however, there was certainly no hand-holding as there had been in the first 2 years of my study. Students studying for Level 6 were expected to be self-sufficient and strict with their dedication to working towards the qualification.
Essentially, Level 6 involves using some of the units studied at Level 3 and demonstrating a sound and practical understanding of the legal practice that arises from the law.
As I was working in Personal Injury at the time, I chose to focus my study on Contract Law, Law of Tort, Land Law and Civil Litigation.
This element of the course is set and assessed at the honours degree level. Once the Diploma in Law and Practice has been completed, a period of qualifying employment must be completed before you will be eligible to apply to become a Fellow of CILEX and use the designation FCILEX as part of your title.
Full-time employment
Qualifying Employment (cilex.org.uk)
To fulfil the requirement for Qualifying Employment to become a Fellow of CILEX, you must complete at least 3 years of qualifying employment and meet the work-based learning outcomes. Essentially, you must complete duties of a wholly legal nature for at least 20 hours each week.
To apply to become a Fellow of CILEX you must be able to demonstrate that you have completed the period of qualifying employment and have prepared a work-based learning logbook and extensive portfolio of evidence which will be assessed during the application for the Fellowship process.
I found the work-based learning logbook challenging at times and the succession of the logbook was really dependent on having access to complete certain pieces of work. Thankfully, the law firm which I worked for at the time supported me greatly with this task and ensured that I was given the opportunity to fulfil the full logbook criteria.
My role as a Chartered Legal Executive
In 2014, I graduated as a Chartered Legal Executive, whilst carrying my first child. CILEX put on a wonderful celebration for those who were graduating, and my family were able to attend with me to watch my presentation.
I was pleased that I had completed the qualification before having a family, however, the flexibility of the learning pathway is so inclusive, that it offers anyone the ability to progress and shine in their career and gain a recognised qualification without the need to gain a degree at a full-time university.
A whole 9 years later, I am a Chartered Legal Executive working for Hudgell Solicitors Serious Injury Team. My qualification has propelled me from the office legal assistant that I was to be responsible for the day-to-day management of cases involving seriously injured clients; the majority of whom are vulnerable and rely on quality legal representation and advice.
I am proud of my qualifications, my career route and my position at Hudgell Solicitors and I strive to encompass the firm’s commitment to Righting Wrongs.