The Legal Services Board has approved a new route to becoming a chartered legal executive.
Currently, to become a chartered legal executive (also known as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives – CILEx), applicants are judged on an outline they provide of their examinations and work experience, normally supported by a reference from their current employer.
Applicants also currently have to undertake an aggregate of five years of qualifying employment.
This replacement process will involve a more structured work-based learning scheme where applicants against eight competencies, broken down into a series of 27 learning outcomes.
The new process could cut the time it takes to qualify by reducing the qualifying employment requirement to three years.
The Legal Services Board (LSB) have welcomed the introduction of the new process.
Thelma Brown, the IPS board member who led the work, said: “IPS’s decision to introduce the new scheme reflects our wish to give further assurance to the public of the very high quality of chartered legal executives, who combine high academic qualifications with practical experience.
“This development marks our commitment to place public protection at the heart of regulation. It is very pleasing to note the LSB’s endorsement of both our approach and our methodology.”
CILEx members will be able to apply under the new scheme from 24 June 2013, and IPS will be producing detailed guidance in the next few weeks.
