28 March 2012

Legal sector VIPs and Chartered Legal Executives gather to celebrate Royal Charter

Legal sector VIPs and Chartered Legal Executives gathered yesterday evening (Tuesday 27 March 2012) to officially celebrate and launch The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

The event held at the prestigious Wallace Collection in London, allowed the entire legal sector to celebrate this monumental milestone which has given a massive boost to Chartered Legal Executives and consumer confidence within the legal sector.

As well as ‘Chartered Legal Executive’ becoming a protected title, the Charter has its own set of rules that will run parallel to those set by CILEx’s regulatory arm, ILEX Professional Standards (IPS). These include:

• Promoting and maintaining high standards of ethical conduct, efficiency and training.
• Enhancing and maintaining public confidence in the work of Chartered Legal Executives and the commitment they have to their clients.
• Promoting in the public interest co-operation and mutual assistance amongst other parts of the legal sector.
• Engaging and encouraging prospective lawyers in their chosen career, allowing them the opportunity to learn both academically and vocationally to become the best lawyers they can.

Speaking to guests CILEx President Susan Silver said that this Royal Charter marks the beginning of further developments for the organisation: “This is by no means the end. We do not act as if we have arrived or that we can rest on our laurels. Through IPS we are developing proposals that will enable suitably qualified Chartered Legal Executives to exercise rights in all reserved areas. We are also at the forefront of helping to shape the legal sector of tomorrow as part of the Legal Education and Training review (LETR).

“Externally we are working with Skills for Justice, the National Apprenticeship Service and other key sector stakeholders to develop an apprenticeship framework for non-lawyer staff employed in Legal Services, a legal education model that we have excelled at for almost 50 years.

“We will continue to hold the flag for social mobility and diversity within the legal profession. All of our members will continue to reflect the high standards expected of those that work in the law. Chartered Legal Executives will continue to stand up and be counted as lawyers of the highest quality. “

Further information about the Royal Charter and what this means for CILEx and our members can be found at our Royal Charter FAQs page.

ENDS