Legal executive
Legal executives specialise in certain areas of law and carry out similar tasks to solicitors.
Also known as: Legal executive practitioner, chartered legal executive
- Starter salary£33,000 a year
- Experienced£60,000 a year
- Typical hours39 to 42 a week
What you'll do
As a legal executive, you could:
- advise clients on legal matters
- research information and prepare legal documents
- draft contracts
- specialise in a legal area like property or employment law
- represent clients in disputes
- keep up to date with legislation
You may have to work under the supervision of a solicitor for certain legal tasks, depending on the level of qualification you hold. If you are a legal executive practitioner, you can carry out a lot of work unsupervised.
Working environment
You could work in an office, at a police station or in a court.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- excellent written communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a legal executive
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You could study for a law degree then complete:
- a CILEx Graduate Qualification (CGQ)
- 3 years' qualifying employment
The CGQ is a fast-track programme, which leads to qualification as a legal executive practitioner. A practitioner is a qualified lawyer who carries out legal tasks.
If you have a non-law degree, you can complete a master's in law or Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) before applying for the fast-track programme.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
College
You could take a course in law before looking for a job, or moving on to an apprenticeship or university study.
Courses include:
- law
- access to law
- T Level in Legal Services
You could also apply to do the CILEx Professional Qualification (CPQ) Foundation stage , either at college or if you're working in a legal setting.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship like a Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
You could then move onto a Chartered Legal Executive Level 6 Apprenticeship or Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate Level 7 Apprenticeship.
The level 6 and level 7 apprenticeships take between 5 and 6 years to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
Work
You can work for a legal practice, a legal section of a company or in a government legal department, and study for a CILEx Professional Qualification (CPQ) , part time or by distance learning.
There are 3 stages to the CPQ:
- Foundation
- Advanced
- Professional
You will need to meet the work experience requirements to complete the Advanced and Professional stages.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could take on more complex cases and build up a client base. You could lead a team of legal executives and secretaries, or become a practice manager in a law firm.
With further training, you could qualify as a solicitor or barrister, or become a judge.
Registration
- you'll need to register with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to start your training
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0