Home grow your own lawyers through the ILEX route
There are good reasons why law firms and other organisations sponsor staff to become qualified lawyers while working in a paralegal capacity. An employee who displays the right attitudes and skills can become a higher-level fee earner or manager with the necessary qualifications.
Why choose the ILEX training route?
Investing in people can be expensive, so an organisation needs to be confident that their money, and/or time, is properly targeted to generate a return. Qualifying your staff to become lawyers through the ILEX route can be more cost-effective than the, often unquestioned, solicitor training route. Increasingly organisations are recognising that legal executive lawyers can make the same contribution as solicitor colleagues, but are less expensive to develop.
Training for the ILEX qualification leads to the development of competent, specialist lawyers. Whilst providing an all-round knowledge of key legal concepts, higher-level study is more focused than in the solicitor training route, so most of the knowledge and skills acquired can be selected to ensure that they are directly relevant to the sponsoring organisation' s business. This is in stark comparison to the LPC where a very expensive course covers a wide range of legal practice subjects, most of which will be unused by the student in his/her working life. The legal executive training route also incorporates key professional skills such as client care and legal research.
What is the cost?
The cost of training a paralegal to become a qualified legal executive is approximately £7,000
| Costs of training a paralegal with no relevant qualifications to become a legal executive |
Ex VAT |
Inc VAT* |
| Year 1 |
ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (five units) course fees £916.67 ex VAT; course admin fees for booking revision sessions/workshops £25 ex VAT; ILEX membership fees £85; ILEX assessment fees £262 |
£1288.67
|
£1447 |
| Year 2 |
ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice (remaining five units - one two-unit bundle and one three-unit bundle of courses) course fees £1125 ex VAT; course admin fees £25 ex VAT; ILEX membership fees £110; ILEX assessment fees £290 |
£1566.65 |
£1800 |
| Year 3 |
ILEX Level 6 law unit £450 ex VAT; ILEX Level 6 practice unit £475 ex VAT; ILEX Level 6 Client Care Skills unit £312.50 ex VAT; course admin fees £25 ex VAT; ILEX membership fees £155; ILEX assessment fees £252 |
£1669.50 |
£1922 |
| Year 4 |
ILEX Level 6 two law units £900 (£1080 including VAT); ILEX Level 6 Legal Research unit £312.50 ex VAT;course admin fees £25 ex VAT; ILEX membership £155; ILEX assessment fees £252 |
£1644.50 |
£1892 |
| |
Total |
£6169.32 |
£7061
|
* ILEX membership and assessment fees do not attract VAT
| Costs of training a law graduate paralegal to become a legal executive |
| Year 1 |
ILEX Graduate Fast-track Diploma (two ILEX Level 6 practice units £950 ex VAT; ILEX Level 6 Client Care Skills unit £312.50 ex VAT; course admin fees £25 ex VAT; ILEX membership fees £190 (including first registration fee); ILEX assessment fees £252; ILEX exemption fee £200 |
£1929.50
|
£2187
|
These costs are for studying with ITC during the academic year 2011-12. Course fees are valid until 30 June 2012. Additional expenses such as travel to external examination centres and any examination re-sit fees have been disregarded. In some cases students may wish to purchase an additional extra expense text for Level 6 law units.
What is the business case?
In many cases the charge out rate for an experienced legal executive lawyer can be comparable to that of a solicitor, but the cost of training is significantly less. Throughout their training, legal executive lawyers gain expertise in legal skills such as legal research, client care and negotiation while acquiring expert knowledge in an area of practice. Most prospective legal executives can become fee earners well before they qualify, so the costs of training are being recouped by the sponsoring employer as they go along.
As well as the reassurance that you’ll develop your staff into effective specialist practitioners, there are further benefits to using the ILEX route. Legal executive lawyers are eligible for partnership in a LDP and, with additional training, can become advocates in criminal, civil or family matters. Should you prefer to train your staff to become solicitors then this can be achieved through the ILEX route too, with all of the benefits of gaining full ILEX qualification on the way.
To find out how to start your support staff, file handlers or paralegals on the road to becoming a legal executive lawyer please look at our 'How to qualify as a legal executive' page or, for law graduates, our 'ILEX Graduate Fast-track Diploma' page.
Featured client - JSP Solicitors
Lesley Smith, Human Resources manager at JSP solicitors in Lincolnshire says:
"We have sponsored many employees through the ILEX qualification. We have had excellent results with our students who have all turned out to be exceptional case handlers.
It is a real win/win situation for both the employee and employer. The employee, of course, has no student loan to pay back which has got to be a big bonus to them and a good reason for them to choose the ILEX qualification."
Successful students pictured are, from left, Sam Sleight, Amanda Needham, Christine Onyemah and Elliott Griffen
Featured client - Cripps Harries Hall LLP
Glynis Read, Operations Manager at Cripps Harries Hall says, of the support given to Gail Hebditch, a a legal secretary:
“Gail came through the ranks from being a legal secretary to becoming a graduate member of ILEX and an excellent fee earner. She’s on her way to qualify as a legal executive and will do so for a very reasonable sum. She’s been worth her weight in gold.
She also feels very committed to the firm because we’ve supported her studies.”
Contact
If you would like to discuss your staff's training needs with us please call our Business Team on 01234 844326.