Is CILEX actually credible?

[Lollipopslife17]

I have currently got a BTEC Diploma and done 1 year of a 3 year course International Relations & Politics. It seems I will not be able to continue this degree for reasons beyond my control. I am just wondering if

• studying to be a legal executive is a good option?
• what other field can one work in with a CILEX chartered legal executive qualification? I do not necessarily want to be a solicitor.
• is CILEX chartered legal executive qualification on the same level as a university degree?

No its not the same level as a degree and it doesn't qualify you to be a solicitor. It qualifies you only to be a legal executive.

However if you do extra CILEX papers after the actual CILEX qualification it can exempt you from a law degree, allow you to do the LPC and either by training contract or qualifying employment whilst learning become a solicitor.

As a legal exec you will not earn as much as a solicitor and although some firms may gove you good quality legal work many will still just give you the 'grunt' work.

*give not gove!!!

I can't think of any other jobs other than in a legal firm or legal dept of usually public sector entities where CILEX would be of use.

Allthebest have you done CILEx yourself?

I have. It is credible, you do earn as much as a solicitor (I earn more than a solicitor in my field) and you don't get the grunt work.

I don't work in a law firm, I work for a finance company, managing my own team.

Take a look at the CILEx website for the opportunities doing CILEx actually opens up. It's an excellent and cost effective way to gain a qualification that is valued in many fields, not only law firms.

I am a solicitor and my honest opinion, whether rightly or wrongly, is that CILEX is not valued as highly as being a qualified solicitor within the sector. I am not sure why that is that attitude and maybe it will change over time but for the most part I find they are still viewed along the same lines as a paralegal.

Yes MissLittleMissIcan'tbeBothered I do have personal experience as I qualified though the CILEX/FILEX route and then went on to the do the extra papers and my LPC to become a solicitor precisely for the reasons I gave and EmmaC78 confirms - generally you are simply not valued as much as Solicitors. Indeed although initially I went back to a firm where I had worked as a legal exec I was treated very differently when I moved on to a new firm where I went in as a solicitor and people there never knew I had a legal exec background.

There are a few legal execs who earn good money but again this is unusual and not the norm. It may depend what type of firm you are at. I even know of some solicitors who only earn about £50K or even less is some high street type practice so I suspect in those type of firms the gap may be less. The same can be said for in house solicitors. they generally earn less than those in private practice unless it is a mega company. However my experience is of London firms and decent sized (top tier banding) regionals where I know the salaries have a greater differential between solicitors and legal executives.

I am also not saying that legal executives are intellectually inferior in any way and indeed Level 2 papers are similar to degree level but will just not really be recognised as such by many people.

It is good that you have managed to find an area which is paying as much as solicitors but I assume you mean on the in house type salary rather than private practice.

My advice to someone already working within a law firm who wanted to continue to work as a fee earner with a view to qualifying as a solicitor would be to go that route especially if your firm will pay your fees.

I have a friend who works as a family legal executive and if, fingers crossed I won't need to, I ever needed a divorce lawyer it is a family joke that I get her in the divorce!!

I was merely expressing my opinion to the OP who needs to take on board that whilst there are some lovely forward thinking people out their in the profession there is still a perception that needs to be overcome.