Is a legal executive a lawyer?

Dec 23, 2022

Written By Dhevina Maaran

What is a legal executive? What does this role entail? What are some of the differences between a legal executive and a solicitor? This article aims to answer all these questions by taking an in-depth look into the role of a legal executive.

What is a legal executive?

In the UK, ‘ lawyer’ is a general term that is used to describe anyone with a licence to practise law. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a chartered legal executive falls under this category. However, there is no such position recognised in Scotland.

Legal executives can choose to specialise in a specific area of law. Some areas which legal executives choose to specialise in may include:

- Family law

- Criminal litigation

- Commercial law

- Employment law

- Public law

- Conveyancing

Legal executives may also choose to undergo the qualifications needed to become a legal executive advocate. This would mean that they can go to court and represent clients in civil, criminal, and family proceedings.

What’s life like as a legal executive?

A legal executive, much like a solicitor, is likely to work in a firm. They might work in or head a specific department within a law firm. There is even potential for them to become partners at a law firm. On the other hand, a legal executive can also choose to be self-employed.

The role of a legal executive may differ slightly depending on where an individual works, but generally a legal executive may do the following:

- Explain legal matters to clients

- Conduct legal research for ongoing cases

- Draft contracts, and other legal documents such as wills

- Help solicitors with ongoing cases and other legal work within a firm

- Keep up to date with recent legal developments

- Prepare legal documents

- Attend meetings in court

Qualifying as a legal executive

There are several routes that one can pursue in order to qualify as a legal executive. In order to become a legal executive, one must undertake the qualification set by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). While the qualification to become a solicitor covers a broad range of legal practice areas, the qualification to become a legal executive is narrowed to a specific legal specialism.

It is not mandatory for one to obtain a law degree in order to pursue a career as a legal executive. It should be noted that without prior legal experience or degree, the route to qualifying as a legal executive can take up to four years. For individuals who have graduated with a law degree, the time it takes is considerably shorter.

Non-law Graduates

For individuals without a law degree or who have not attended university, the first step to becoming a legal executive will be completing the CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice. This course will act as a strong foundation of legal knowledge, which will be needed to succeed in the future. The course itself covers a range of legal practice areas.

Upon completing the first stage, the next step will be to undertake the Level six Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice. This course prepares individuals by teaching them professional skills as well as core legal information.

After successfully completing the Level six course, individuals who wish to qualify will have to undergo a three year stint of qualifying employment. This is the final stage of qualification, and upon completion will mean that an individual is eligible to become a qualified lawyer.

Law Graduates

Individuals who have completed a qualifying law degree or a law conversion course are eligible to qualify using the CILEx Fast Track Graduate Diploma. This route will mean undertaking only two modules from the Level 6 course mentioned above, as well as the professional skills portion of the course.

This route is considerably shorter and generally takes around nine months to a year of study.

Benefits of qualifying as a Legal Executive

One of the many benefits of choosing to undertake the routes to qualifying as a legal executive is that it is affordable when compared to the solicitor’s qualifying exam. This is in part due to the fact that individuals can undertake their qualifying courses and modules while working part-time. This means that individuals can earn a salary while working towards their qualifications.

Furthermore, if one is particularly interested in a specific area of law and would like to qualify as a lawyer who does work in that area, a legal executive role is perfect. Instead of learning about broader areas of law, qualifying as a legal executive gives people the chance to specialise in an area they are passionate about.

The role of a legal executive is not that different from that of a solicitor, but it is definitely an interesting career path to choose. When considering a career in law, a chartered legal executive is a route that perhaps not many consider. However, a job as a chartered legal executive is enticing and should not be so easily overlooked.

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