Do legal executives have a degree?

Dec 23, 2022

Written By Tom Hale

Much like solicitors, legal executives need an extensive knowledge of the legal system and must keep up to date with all the changes that it undergoes. As a result of this they undergo courses and training throughout their career. But how do they originally get to the role of legal executive?

What do legal executives do?

First it might be useful to give a brief rundown of what a legal executive does in their day-to-day work, thus we can better understand what qualifications they need to carry this out.

Typical roles of a legal executive include, but are not limited to:

- Assisting solicitors

- Representing clients in court

- Preparing legal documents

- Advising clients and explaining legal matters

This is by no means an extensive list of the roles someone in this job may have. Instead, it is a snippet of what they may do day-to-day.

How do you qualify?

First and foremost, to become a legal executive you must become a member of The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

There are two things that must be completed in order to achieve this, you need to pass the CILEx qualification and complete at least three years of supervised legal experience. These two steps are usually completed simultaneously.

So, do you need a degree?

In order to undertake the CILEx and the three years of legal experience necessary you actually do not need a university degree. There is opportunity for both university graduates and school leavers to become a legal executive.

The only difference between these two routes is that for non-graduates it takes four years to complete the academic qualifications required. However, for a university graduate it takes considerably less.

If you do have a degree then you can go through the CILEx graduate ‘fast track’ diploma. This diploma takes, on average, nine months to complete and is undertaken as part-time study.

Other ways to enter the field include completing an apprenticeship and working for a law firm while studying part-time.

The verdict

So, the simple answer is no, legal executives do not necessarily have a degree, nor would you need one if you wanted to become an executive. However, there are some benefits to having a degree, mainly that the process you must undertake to become a legal executive is considerably shorter.

However, when you take into account the three years a graduate spends at university, neither route takes a longer time to travel down.

So, the ultimate question is which route would you prefer? Which one suits you the best and appeals to you the most? If you have an answer to these questions then this is more than likely the route you should follow, it’s probably the one best for you.

If you don’t have an answer yet, look at it as a positive, either route could be perfect for you. Some things to consider are: education costs, time it takes to qualify, and whether you learn better via hands-on experience or education.

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