10 March 2011

“This is only the beginning”… as 100 partners and 1^st ILEX Judge celebrate

Glasses were raised at the House of Commons last night (9 March 2011) as the Institute of Legal Executives toasted its first 100 Legal Executive Partners and its first Legal Executive Judge.

Speaking at the event, the first Legal Executive Fellows Judge, Ian Ashley-Smith said: “We now have the clearest support for our contention that Legal Executive qualifications are on a par with those of the Bar and the Law Society and the public can be assured that business conducted by our members is of the same high standard.”

Addressing the guests, ILEX President, David McGrady, spoke of the future: “We must look to more of our members becoming Deputy District Judges, full District Judges, Tribunal Judges and we must help and assist our other ILEX Fellows to advance to our next 100 partners.”

Nick Hanning, the first ILEX Lawyer to be made a partner spoke on behalf of other Legal Executive partners when he said: “ILEX believes that everyone should be able to become a lawyer if they have the skills to do so. We strive to celebrate the unique attributes of each individual which creates such rich diversity and above all we aim to include not to exclude.

“I am proud to be a modest example of that philosophy and I honour all of our ILEX lawyer partners here tonight and all ILEX lawyers and members everywhere for the examples they too are setting.”

Also attending was Christopher Stephens, Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission. He agreed that the future is bright for ILEX members: JAC Chairman, Christopher Stephens, said: “The JAC was delighted last summer when Ian Ashley-Smith became the first ILEX Fellow to be appointed as a judge. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds in our search for the best candidates and have been working hard with the Institute of Legal Executives to ensure their members have the information and support that they need to consider applying for judicial roles at the right time in their careers. There are some excellent opportunities for ILEX Fellows coming up in the autumn and we look forward to more of them being successful in the future.”

The event was held in the Terrace Pavilion at the House of Commons and hosted by Richard Fuller MP for Bedford and Kempston, home of ILEX’s HQ. Mr Fuller said: “I was delighted to host the event in the House of Commons to mark this major milestone in ILEX’s history. I am very proud that the Institute, which is producing such a great pool of talented people, is based within my constituency in Kempston and I applaud their work in providing an alternative route into the legal profession.”

Other notable attendees included: Rt. Hon the Baroness Prashar CBE; The Lord Andrew Phillips of Sudbury OBE; Adam Sampson, the Legal Ombudsman and Jonathan Djanogly MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.

ENDS