Get into law 2015

2015

Xxx Get into law

What lawyers do The CILEx route to qualifying Qualifications for Legal Secretaries Ways to fund your course Interested in an apprenticeship?

Help with getting your first job Achieving on-going progress in your career cilexjournal.org.uk

Get into Law 1

Start on your next CILEx courses with the experts

Xxx Flexible courses within a structured framework Whatever your chosen start date, you will receive a structured programme of study activity, detailed timetabling advice and continuous support from our academic team, to keep you on track for exam success.

Excellent course resources and study support CILEx Law School specialises in delivering courses by distance learning and our expertise is second to none. Our extensive course resources and dedicated teaching support will help you to ensure a successful exam result.

“The irony is that I feel like I get more support doing this course as distance learning than I’ve ever had on full-time courses in the past! The whole team have always been really helpful – you must be rushed off your feet all the time! Definite value for money.”

Unlimited choice of CILEx units

Get off to the best start Once enrolled, we invite you to attend an optional induction day if you haven’t studied with us before, or if you have studied with us at Level 3 but not at Level 6. You will learn how to get the most from the course resources and from your study time. You should enrol at least two weeks before your selected induction date so that you have time to look through the course materials before attending.

A variety of payment options An instalment option is available for self-funding students, discounts are available for multiple-course packages, or you can elect to spread the cost and increase your flexibility by enrolling on one course at a time.

Call our Customer Service Team on 01234 844300 for more course information or for advice on subject selection. Apply via our on-line shop at www.cilexlawschool.ac.uk CILEx Law School, College House, Manor Drive, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7AB.

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Provisional Induction Programme Summer/Autumn 2015 Level 3 9 May Manchester 13 June Kempston 15 August London 2 September Kempston 5 September Birmingham 19 September London and Manchester 26 September Bristol 10 October London 21 November London 28 November Leeds Level 6 16 May London 16 May Birmingham 27 June Manchester* 11 July Birmingham* and Leeds 5 September London 19 September Birmingham 26 September London* and Manchester 3 October Bristol 10 October London and Manchester* 17 October Leeds 21 October Kempston 31 October Birmingham 5 December London

*Graduate Fast-track Diploma students

Unlike most colleges, we offer courses for all CILEx units, so you can select the subjects that will give you the best advantage in your career.

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Xxx Marketing and Advertising Sharon Bruty MIRP Amanda Brewitt MIRP www.cilexrecruitment.org.uk Editorial Val Williams Tel: (01234) 845721 Fax:(01234) 841999 Kempston Manor, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7AB DX No: 124780 Kempston 2 www.cilexjournal.org.uk

CONTENTS So, you’re interested in a legal career? This is what you’ll find out about here: BEING A LAWYER �������������������������������������������������������������������������4 THE RIGHTS STUFF �����������������������������������������������������������������22 We highlight some of the main areas of law in which CILEx

So, what is a Chartered Legal Executive entitled to do?

members work

LEGAL APPRENTICESHIPS ������������������������������������������������24 SO, YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT GOING DOWN Opportunities for paralegals and aspiring lawyers with CILEx THE CILEx ROUTE �����������������������������������������������������������������������6 Where can you work as you’re doing it?

CASE STUDIES ������������������������������������������������������������������������������26 CILEx members talk about what brought them into law

FLEXIBLE PATHWAYS ���������������������������������������������������������������8 and where it has taken them So, how does it actually work?

GETTING YOUR FIRST JOB ����������������������������������������������28

KEY DATES AND DEADLINES ����������������������������������������12 This article aims to get you in shape

CITY & GUILDS/CILEx LEGAL STUDIES ���������������14 SUCCESSFUL CAREER PROGRESSION �����������������29 Including information for Legal Secretaries qualifications

What role does ‘employability’ play in career progression?

FUNDING YOUR CILEx COURSE ������������������������������16 HERE TO HELP ������������������������������������������������������������������������������30 An outline of financial support available to help CILEx students

A day in the life of an RDO and meet some of the people behind the scenes

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS ��������������������������������������������������20 One sister took the CILEx route; the other took the more

REACHING OUT �������������������������������������������������������������������������32

traditional route

Support available if you are in financial hardship

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Get into Law 3

Being a lawyer

Law touches every part of life – and even extra-terrestrial life (there is a law dealing with what happens in outer space).

Whether you want to fight miscarriages of justice, get involved in the business of football, advise the biggest companies in the country or just have a good job working in your local community, there are legal roles out there for you. Below, we highlight some of the main areas of law in which CILEx members work

Civil Litigation ‘Civil’ is the word used to describe work that isn’t criminal or family law, and ‘litigation’ means there is a dispute that needs resolving, ultimately through the courts if an agreement cannot be reached before then.

Civil litigation covers a wide range of areas such as personal injury claims, debt recovery, housing and employment.

Litigation is ‘contentious’ work, and in some of these areas of law there is also ‘non-contentious’ work, where there is no real dispute, such as advising on what should be in an employment contract.

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Conveyancing Conveyancing is the word used to describe buying or selling property, whether houses and flats for people, or offices, factories and shops for businesses. There is a range of other disciplines in property law more generally, such as landlord and tenant matters, and litigation.

Corporate/Commercial Law This is work for business of all sizes and covers a very wide spectrum. It could be helping one company buy another, negotiating agreements with suppliers, or dealing with the protection of a business’s intellectual property (such as their trademarks and unique designs).

Criminal Litigation This is either working for the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuting people charged with crimes, or for the law firms which defend them.

Family Law This is all about family and relationships.

Divorces and the issues around them, such

as what happens to the children and the division of the couple’s money, form a major part of the work as, increasingly, do issues for couples who aren’t married. Adoption and domestic violence are other important areas here.

Private Client This is a broad term used to describe work for private individuals, particularly writing wills, probate (the legal process that allows people to deal with someone’s money and property after they die) and estate administration (the process of distributing that money and property). It also covers related work such as tax and trusts.

Public Law Public law deals with the exercise of power by public bodies such as government ministers and departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, UK Visas and Immigration, prisons and many others. This could be, for example, helping someone with their welfare benefits or with their claim for asylum.

Alternatively, you could be working for the public body that is on the other side.

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CILEx qualifications in Law and Practice Kingston College has over 25 years experience of delivering CILEx qualifications in Law and Practice.

Enrolling now for September 2015.

Open Evening For Prospective Students Thursday 23 April 2015, 5-8pm Kingston College, 1st floor Committee Rooms We are pleased to offer: • Apprenticeships in Legal Services with job vacancies in both law firms and local authority legal departments • Level 2/Level 3 Legal Secretarial Diploma full and part time (with a well-developed work experience programme including placements at Magic Circle law firms (Freshfields, Clifford Chance) and local legal offices) • CILEx Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Law & Practice • CILEx Level 6 Single Subject Certificate • CILEx Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law & Practice and CILEx Level 6 Graduate Fast-track Diploma

At Level 6 we offer a wide choice of subjects detailed below: • • • • • • • • • •

Professional Skills Units: Client Care/Legal Research, Land Law and Conveyancing Contract, Tort, Civil Litigation Criminal Law and Criminal Litigation Family Law and Family Practice Company Law and Company Practice European Law and Public Law Employment Law and Employment Practice Equity and Trusts The Law of Wills and Succession and Probate Practice

All our students benefit from regular visits to Courts, the Houses of Parliament, law firms, the Old Bailey, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Inns of Court and Supreme Court. Our courses also have well-developed work experience programmes.

24 plus loan may be available from September 2015 For more information please email clare.mcgloin@kingston-college.ac.uk or call 0208 268 3070. cilex advert 2015.indd 1

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/kingstoncollegecilex 09/03/2015 11:45

Get into Law 5

So, you’re excited about going down the CILEx route Where can you work as you’re doing it?

Law firms There are over 10,000 private law firms in England and Wales, ranging from solicitors working on their own from home to global businesses with thousands of people dotted around the world.

CILEx members tend to work in ‘high street’ law firms – the type of local practice that works for people and small businesses in a particular area, offering the kinds of everyday legal services they will need.

You also get: Niche firms: these are generally quite small practices that specialise in a particular industry or specialist area of law.

Regional firms: these are larger practices with a spread of offices across a bigger area that are more geared towards businesses, but still also work for individuals. Some are national businesses with offices in major cities around the country.

City firms: these are generally big businesses in London that work for large companies and wealthy individuals.

Alternative Business Structures Until recently, only lawyers could own and run law firms, but the introduction of ABSs has changed all that. These are new types of legal businesses that non-lawyers can own and run, and allow some of the best-known brands in the country, such as the Co-op, to offer legal services to their customers.

Some of these businesses promise innovative changes to the way legal services are delivered and could be exciting places to work, offering a range of new jobs, such as legal project manager or legal analyst, that hint at how the legal market may develop in the future. See www.sra.org.uk/absregister

In-house This is when you are employed by a company or a public authority to provide them with legal support. This is a different challenge

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from being in a law firm or an ABS, as you have only one ‘client’ and are part of a team looking to achieve the organisation’s goals.

A role in-house provides the opportunity to really get to know an organisation from the inside and to extend your range of skills beyond the legal. In fact, there are plenty of examples of in-house lawyers leaving the legal work behind and taking on other roles, even becoming chief executive of a massive corporation.

There are various places where lawyers work in-house:

Useful resources

Recruitment websites There are specialist legal recruitment websites, such as the CILEx Recruitment website, which lists jobs as well as having a directory of employers and employment agencies www.cilexrecruitment.org.uk Employment agencies There are specialist legal sector employment agencies. The CILEx Recruitment website is a useful starting point (see above).

Local government: a good number of CILEx members work in the legal departments of local government (ie, public bodies such as local councils) providing advice to the authority on a wide range of legal matters such as family law, housing, planning and licensing (so that bars, for example, can sell alcohol).

Other public bodies: aside from local government many public bodies, including the government itself, employ lawyers. The aim is to help the authority to do its job and deal with mistakes that may occur, or complaints that may be made.

Commerce and industry: larger companies often employ their own lawyers to reduce the amount of money they spend on private law firms, and also so that they have an in-house resource they can tap into.

Directory of legal firms Examples include The Legal 500 www.legal500.com/books/l500 and Chambers UK Guide www.chambersandpartners.com

Prosecuting authorities

Find a Solicitor – Law Society www.lawsociety.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/

This mainly means the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a government body which prosecutes those charged with crimes, but there are some others around.

There is a special category of CILEx member called an ‘associate prosecutor’.

These work for the CPS and, without needing to be a solicitor or barrister, are allowed to conduct an increasingly wide range of work prosecuting people in court.

Thinking outside of the box Not all opportunities to work in law are found in law firms. A thought provoking list can be found on the CILEx careers website www.cilex.org.uk/careers/careers_home/ system_pages/about_cilex.aspx Databases Two useful databases to see where legal staff work are: Find a CILEx Authorised Practitioner online www.cilex.org.uk/about_cilex_ lawyers/cilex_practitioners_directory.aspx

LinkedIn LinkedIn is more than just a professional networking site as it also lists jobs, volunteering opportunities and company information. LinkedIn groups, including CILEx, contain job vacancies.

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Fast track your career in ADR with a CIArb Qualification The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) is a leading professional membership organisation representing the interests of alternative dispute practitioners worldwide.

Upcoming courses for 2015: 21 April Introduction to Domestic Arbitration

23 April Avoiding Conflict in Business

12 May Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution

13 May Expert Witness

Our Pathways programme – ranging from Introductory Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma will give you the specialist knowledge and skills you need to get ahead in ADR, whilst also qualifying you for membership of CIArb.

9 June Train the Trainer

25 June Introduction to International Arbitration

Contact us today to find out more Do you have a dispute?

Contact Waj Khan at CIArb DAS Become a CIArb Member Contact CIArb Member Services

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 12 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2LP, UK T: + +44 (0)20 7421 7439

F: +44 (0)20 7404 4023

E: education@ciarb.org

W: www.ciarb.org

Registered Charity: 803725

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Get into Law 7

Flexible pathways The CILEx professional qualifications offer flexible pathways to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer Since 2008, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has successfully offered both the Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice and, from September 2009, the Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice. Both qualifications are accredited by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

These professional legal qualifications provide the two stages of academic study required to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer. The qualifications are delivered in approximately 70 CILEx accredited centres (including further education colleges, private training providers and blended or distance learning providers) in England and Wales.

In 2014, learners sat over 12,500 units on the Certificate and Diploma in Law and Practice.

Level 3 qualifications There are two separate Level 3 qualifications: the Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice and the Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice, which are set and assessed at Level 3 (equivalent to A-level standard) on the Qualifications and Credit Framework. The qualifications are unit based, credit rated and flexible; providing a broad-based, practical introduction to law and practice units, including professional skills in client care and legal research skills.

All units are stand alone and assessed individually. Apart from a one-hour, multiplechoice Introduction to Law and Practice examination, the law units are assessed by a one-and-a-half-hour closed-book examination. Practice units are assessed by a one-and-a-half-hour examination with pre-released case study materials available to learners approximately six weeks before their examination. The professional skills units are assessed through submission of coursework.

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Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice The Certificate is a specialist qualification of five units and, depending on the units chosen, recognises achievement within one of nine endorsed legal practice areas: conveyancing, civil litigation, criminal litigation, family practice, employment practice, probate practice, elderly client practice, practice of childcare law and residential and commercial leasehold conveyancing. This model enables a learner’s area of work or interest to be recognised and employers’ training needs met.

Certificate and Diploma learners will accumulate those units which count towards the Certificate first and then, if they wish, can carry forward their units to the Diploma.

The Certificate in Law and Practice will usually be completed during a year of part-time study.

Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice The Diploma is the first academic stage of the Chartered Legal Executive qualification, and requires completion of ten units comprising eight Law and Practice units and two mandatory professional skills units in client care and legal research skills. It will usually be completed in two years of parttime study. The qualification offers a broad and flexible introduction to law and legal practice, while helping a learner to develop professional skills in client care and legal research that are necessary for effective working in a legal environment.

The emphasis employers place on the development of professional legal skills in the workplace is reflected in the innovative skills units in client care and legal research. These two units are skills based, and assessment is by CILEx set tasks, administered and assessed by the CILEx accredited centre, and then quality assured

by CILEx.

Flexible approach The Level 3 Certificate and Diploma qualifications enable learners to adopt a flexible approach to their learning. The unitised qualification structure enables learners to take an individual approach to completing their qualification and enables them to meet their employers’ business needs.

Level 3 Certificate and Diploma units • Unit 1 Introduction to Law and Practice • Unit 2 Contract Law • Unit 3 Criminal Law • Unit 4 Land Law • Unit 5 Law of Tort • Unit 6 Employment Law • Unit 7 Family Law • Unit 8 Law of Wills and Succession

Practice units • Unit 9 Civil Litigation Practice (linked to

Contract Law or Tort) • Unit 10 Conveyancing Practice (linked to

Land Law) • Unit 11 Criminal Litigation Practice (linked

to Criminal Law) • Unit 12 The Practice of Family Law (linked

to Family Law) • Unit 13 The Practice of Employment Law

(linked to Employment Law) • Unit 14 Probate Practice (linked to Law of

Wills and Succession) • Unit 15 The Practice of Law for the Elderly

Client (linked to Law of Wills and Succession) • Unit 18 The Practice of Childcare Law • Unit 19 Residential and Commercial

Leasehold Conveyancing

Professional Skills units • Unit 16 Client Care Skills (mandatory

professional skills unit) • Unit 17 Legal Research Skills (mandatory

professional skills unit)

continued on page 10

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Get into Law 9

Flexible pathways

Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice: qualification structure The learner is required to achieve five units in total, consisting of: • Unit 1 (Introduction to Law and Practice) • One Law unit • One Practice unit (this must be linked to the law unit) • Legal research Skills • Client Care Skills The Certificate qualification carries an endorsement that reflects the legal practice area in which it has been achieved, for example, Civil Litigation or Conveyancing.

Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice: qualification structure The student is required to achieve 10 units in total: • Unit 1 Introduction to law and practice • Land Law • Criminal Law • Contract Law • Law of Tort • Client Care Skills • Legal Research Skills • Students must then take 3 other units of which at least 2 units must be Practice units from different legal practice areas, linked to law subjects already studied within the qualification. No Practice unit can be counted as achievement towards the qualification without the linked law unit also being taken.

Level 6 qualifications The flexibility of the Level 6 qualifications is illustrated in the three pathways available to learners: the Level 6 Certificate in Law, Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice and Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice. The Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice (the second academic stage towards qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer) requires completion of six units comprising three law units, a linked Practice unit and client care skills and legal research skills

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chosen from 23 units.

The Level 6 Certificate in Law recognises students’ achievements in a specific area of law, legal practice or skills.

The Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice provides opportunities for qualifying law degree graduates* to gain CILEx Graduate membership on passing a combination of two practice examinations and the professional skills unit in client care.

The Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice (Graduate Fast-track Diploma) provides opportunities for qualifying law degree graduates* to join CILEx as Graduate members by passing a combination of two practice examinations and client care skills.

Level 6 units • Unit 1 Company and Partnership Law • Unit 2 Contract Law • Unit 3 Criminal Law • Unit 4 Employment Law • Unit 5 Equity and Trusts • Unit 6 European Union Law • Unit 7 Family Law • Unit 8 Immigration Law • Unit 9 Land Law • Unit 10 Landlord and Tenant Law • Unit 11 Planning Law • Unit 12 Public Law • Unit 13 Law of Tort • Unit 14 Law of Wills and Succession • Unit 15 Civil Litigation • Unit 16 The Practice of Company and

Partnership Law • Unit 17 Conveyancing • Unit 18 Criminal Litigation • Unit 19 The Practice of Employment Law • Unit 20 The Practice of Family Law • Unit 21 Probate Practice • Unit 22 Client Care Skills • Unit 23 Legal Research Skills

Level 6 Certificate in Law This Certificate enables learners to achieve

recognition for the study of a discrete area of law, legal practice or legal skills.

The Certificate is a qualification in its own right, and enables students to progress and complete the Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice. Learners select and aim to achieve one unit from the 23 units in law, practice and legal skills.

Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice The Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice is the second academic stage of training (after Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice) and is designed for learners who want to become Fellows of CILEx and qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer. The qualification offers learners an opportunity to specialise in an area of legal practice, while at the same time demonstrating knowledge and understanding of a wide range of law subjects and two areas of legal skills.

Learners must achieve: • One legal practice unit plus • Three law units (One of these must be in area of law which links to the relevant practice unit) plus • Client Care Skills and • Legal Research Skills

Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice (Graduate Fast-track Diploma) This qualification is designed for learners holding a qualifying law degree awarded within the last seven years* and can be studied part-time.

The Diploma in Legal Practice enables qualifying law degree graduates to gain employment in the legal sector while continuing their studies after graduation.

To achieve Diploma in Legal Practice learners must achieve: • two Level 6 practice units (one of which must relate to a core law unit studied on their law degree) • Level 6 Client Care skills

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A learner must sit the following law unit:

if they want to sit the following Practice unit:

Law unit

Practice unit

Unit 1 Company and Partnership Law Unit 16 The Practice of Company and Partnership Law

Unit 16 The Practice of Company

Unit 2 Contract Law or Unit 13 Law of Tort

Unit 15 Civil Litigation

Unit 3 Criminal Law

Unit 18 Criminal Litigation

Unit 4 Employment Law

Unit 19 The Practice of Employment Law

Unit 7 Family Law

Unit 20 The Practice of Family Law

Unit 9 Land Law

Unit 17 Conveyancing

Unit 14 Law of Wills and Succession

Unit 21 Probate Practice

Students will then be eligible to become a CILEx Graduate Member and use the designatory letters GCILEx.

Exemptions An exemption enables a learner to claim recognition for achievement from another qualification on the basis of equivalent level and content. For further, more detailed information, please visit: www.cilex.org.uk/ study/exemptions/exemptions_table.aspx.

Exemptions are granted at the discretion of CILEx. If a learner has already passed a law qualification, for example, an A-level in law, a qualifying law degree or other legal qualification*, then they may be able to claim exemption from completing one or more units of the CILEx Level 3 and 6 professional qualifications. This ensures that if an exemption is approved by CILEx, a learner will not have to repeat learning that has already been achieved.

A learner who has passed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is

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exempt from having to take the Level 3 and Level 6 qualifications, and can apply immediately to become a CILEx Graduate Member and use designatory letters. On successful exemption, they are required to complete a period of qualifying employment before applying to become a CILEx Fellow.

Positive feedback from learners Stakeholder consultation from learner surveys completed in 2014 about the attractiveness and relevance of the CILEx professional qualifications indicates that the majority of CILEx learners: • found the examination process easy to understand • agreed or strongly agreed that CILEx qualifications cover all the areas of law and practice that they require • intended to study the required units to complete a full CILEx qualification at the level they were studying • agreed that CILEx qualifications were relevant to their employment and career needs

•a greed that CILEx qualifications are open to students from across socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities and disabilities • agreed that the CILEx route is flexible and meets their needs • believed that CILEx qualifications are good value for money Support from employers is illustrated in that the majority of learners received assistance from their employers with their course and annual membership fees.

The Level 3 and Level 6 professional qualifications enable CILEx to successfully deliver a framework of market-leading legal qualifications and provide the opportunity of a flexible, relevant and unique pathway as a qualified lawyer or paralegal to all. *Current guidance to enquiries about a CILEx application to remove the sevenyear rule for qualifying law degrees and other qualifications

Seven-year rule CILEx is currently considering whether to make an application to remove the seven-year rule for qualifying law degrees and other qualifications. As this will present a change to the requirements for qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer, any recommended change will require approval from the following bodies: the CILEx Education Standing Committee; the CILEx Regulation Board; and CILEx Council. If the removal of the seven-year rule for qualifying law degrees is approved by these bodies, the change is also likely to require approval from the Legal Services Board.

CILEx anticipates that the process required to seek approval for the removal of the seven-year rule for qualifying law degrees and other qualifications may be completed as early as July 2015. However, there is a possibility that it may be delayed until the end of the year.

Get into Law 11

CILEx Level 3 and 6 Professional Qualification 2015/16 Level 3 and 4 Legal Services Knowledge Qualification 2015/16

Key Dates & Deadlines 2015 / 16 January 2016 Examination and Professional Skills

Key Dates and Deadlines

June 2016 Examination and Professional Skills

Noon (UK time) 3 August 2015

Examination Entry Form Available (Professional & Legal Services Qualifications)

Noon (UK time) 18 January 2016

9 October 2015

Deadline for new membership registration forms to be received by CILEx (Registration forms received after this date will not be guaranteed to be processed in time to allow entry in accordance with the exam entry deadline)

29 March 2016

9 October 2015

Deadline for exemption applications to be received by CILEx (Application forms received after this date will not be guaranteed to be processed in time to allow entry in accordance with the exam entry deadline)

29 March 2016

Noon (UK time) 23 October 2015

Examination Entry Closing Date (Professional & Legal Services Qualifications - All unit entries to be received by CILEx)

Noon (UK time) 8 April 2016

Noon (UK time) 30 October 2015

Late Examination Entry Closing Date (Professional & Legal Services Qualifications - All unit entries to be received by CILEx, plus a one off late fee of ÂŁ60.00)

Noon (UK time) 15 April 2016

28 October 2015

Deadline for Reasonable Adjustment Applications in respect of pre-release case study material

31 March 2016

10 November 2015

Pre-release case studies available on the CILEx website (Applicable to Level 3 and 6 practice units ONLY)

29 April 2016

3 December 2015

Deadline for Reasonable Adjustment and Access Arrangement Applications

9 May 2016

14 December 2015

Examination Candidate Admission Permits Available

16 May 2016

4-8 January 2016

Professional Skills Submission Window (For centres to submit Professional Skills assessments to CILEx for quality assurance checks.) PLEASE NOTE: Assessments MUST be received by CILEx during this submission window.

6-10 June 2016

Examination Week 11-15 January 2016

CILEx Level 3 and 6 Professional Qualifications

13-17 June 2016

CILEx Level 3 and 4 Legal Services Knowledge Qualifications

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12 February 2016

Deadline for Special Consideration Requests CILEx Level 3 and 6 Professional Qualifications CILEx Level 3 and 4 Legal Services Knowledge Qualifications

15 July 2016

12 February 2016

Deadline for Credit Requests CILEx Level 3 and 6 Professional Qualifications CILEx Level 3 and 4 Legal Services Knowledge Qualifications

15 July 2016

Noon (UK time) 29 March 2016

Examination Results Released (Online and Offline)

Noon (UK time) 26 August 2016

19 April 2016

Deadline for clerical check/re-mark/quality assurance review requests

16 September 2016

3 May 2016

Deadline for certificates to be dispatched to students (Credit Certificates & Qualification Certificates)

30 September 2016

Get into Law

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Xxx

Study at the University of Wolverhampton Law School

Whether you are a law graduate who wants a fast-track route to becoming a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer, or you are in full-time employment and need a flexible study option, we would like to hear from you.

We are now enrolling for September 2015. For course enquiries and to register your interest contact our dedicated enrolment team by calling 01902 321 081 or by email at foss-pg@wlv.ac.uk.

What we can offer You Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice Graduate Fast-Track Diploma

Why choose Us? Fully accredited courses Saturday delivery to work around your employment Study at our University City campus Part-time flexible courses to suit you Individual units offered Experienced professional tutors Competitive fees Opportunity to gain practical experience volunteering at the University of Wolverhampton Legal Advice Centre

For more information visit our webpage at wlv.ac.uk/law cilexjournal.org.uk

The University of Opportunity

Get into Law 13

City & Guilds/CILEx Legal Studies and Legal Secretaries qualifications Since 2004, CILEx and City & Guilds have worked together successfully to offer Legal Studies and Legal Secretaries qualifications to over 50,000 candidates Legal Studies The Legal Studies units provide learners with a basic knowledge of law which they can either use to gain employment or to enhance their understanding of their current work.

They can also be the basis on which learners can build their knowledge to become a Chartered Legal Executive.

If learners complete the Certificate or Diploma for Legal Studies qualification successfully, they can apply for exemption from Introduction to Law and Practice, the first unit from the CILEx Level 3 Certificate/ Diploma in Law and Practice.

Learners can achieve a full qualification by combining units together. To achieve: • the Award in Legal Studies, learners must pass Unit 201 plus one unit from 202–-210 • the Certificate in Legal Studies, learners must pass Units 201, 202, 203 and 204 plus one unit from 205–210 • the Diploma in Legal Studies, learners must pass Units 201, 202, 203 and 204 plus five units from 205–210

Units 201 The legal environment 202 Principles of criminal liability 203 Principles of contract liability 204 Principles of negligence 205 Law in the workplace 206 Civil litigation 207 Consumer rights 208 Family law 209 Wills and succession 210 Conveyancing On successful completion of each unit, learners will receive a unit certificate and when the units for the particular qualification have been completed, they will receive a Legal Studies qualification certificate. The attractiveness of the Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries is illustrated by Elliot Williams, CILEx Award winner, who works for a London City law firm.

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“I felt so proud when I found out I had won the award, and without my tutor I wouldn’t be where I am today. I can’t believe I was chosen, it just shows hard work and dedication can take you anywhere. I learnt great skills and met some lifelong friends on the CILEx course and I wouldn’t have the job I have now without this course.”

Legal Secretaries The Legal Secretaries units provide learners with the necessary skills to work successfully as secretaries or administrators in a legal or business environment.

Learners can achieve a full qualification by combining units together. To achieve: • the Level 2 Certificate for Legal Secretaries, learners must pass Units 220, 221, 222 and 223 • the Level 2 Diploma for Legal Secretaries, learners must pass Units 220, 221, 222, 223 plus two units from 224, 225, 226 OR unit 201 plus one unit from 202–210 • the Level 3 Certificate for Legal Secretaries, learners must pass Units 320/321, 322 and 323 • the Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries, learners must pass Units 320/321, 322, 323 plus two units from 324, 325, 326, 327 OR unit 201 plus one unit from 202–210.

Units 220 Legal text processing 221 Legal audio processing 222 Working in the legal environment 223 Proofreading in the legal environment 224 Legal spreadsheet processing 225 Legal database processing 226 Legal presentation techniques 320 Advanced legal word processing: text production 321 Advanced legal word processing: audio 322 Business skills in the legal environment 323 Proofreading in the legal environment 324 Legal spreadsheet processing 325 Legal database processing 326 Legal presentation techniques 327 Legal terminology

As with the Legal Studies qualifications, on successful completion of each unit, learners will receive a unit certificate and when they have completed all the units for that particular qualification, they will receive a full Legal Secretaries qualification certificate.

Membership Legal Studies and Legal Secretaries’ learners can become a member of CILEx. The CILEx student grade is for someone who has no legal qualifications.

On successful completion of the Legal Studies and Legal Secretaries qualifications, a learner will be able to become a CILEx Affiliate member and be regulated through CILEx Regulation, which means that they stand apart from non-regulated paralegals.

By joining CILEx, members receive the monthly CILEx Journal, which keeps members up to date on events, legal news, recent court decisions, legal vacancies and much more. CILEx members also have access to a broad range of discounted products and services, to the CILEx Benevolent Fund and to LawCare, offering free health support and advice.

• Further information on the benefits of CILEx membership is available at: www.cilex.org. uk/membership/membership_benefits.aspx • CILEx members are able to join a CILEx branch and further information can be found at: www.cilex.org.uk/branches/cilex_ branches_home/bhp/find_your_branch. aspx • More detailed information on the qualifications can be found at: www.cilex.org.uk/study.aspx and at: www. cityandguilds.com/qualifications-andapprenticeships/business-skills/legal (7657 Legal Studies or 7655 Legal Secretaries), or by contacting CILEx, tel: 01234 844360.

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Now offering Legal Apprenticeships An exciting new undergraduate level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services (HALS) offered in the following pathways:

• Personal Injury Litigation • Commercial Litigation • Debt Recovery and Insolvency A Legal Apprenticeship is ideal for A level school leavers or those already working in the legal sector and want to progress.

Apprentice Benefits: • Earn a salary while you learn • Receive training • Enhance your job specific skills

“The apprenticeship has taught me a lot more about law in general, legal research and client care. It’s been fantastic to learn lots of new skills.

I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone, whether new to the sector or already working within it. It’s a great opportunity.”

Amanda James, Apprentice at Cordner Lewis.

For more information , please call a member of the team on 02920 009511 or visit www.altior.co.uk cilexjournal.org.uk

Get into Law 15

Funding your CILEx course

Financial support available to CILEx students in the academic year 2014–15

CILEx, as a chartered professional body and awarding organisation, realises that, as a studying member, you may face difficulties in funding your legal studies.

If you are thinking about studying for a CILEx qualification, but are concerned about the costs involved, you could qualify for financial help. There are a variety of schemes provided by government, and other agencies, offering financial support and loans for people undertaking training.

Financial support available to help you with your studies is complex, and will depend on many factors, including government priorities. As a learner, your age, where you live and your financial and personal circumstances, the qualification you wish to complete, your chosen mode of attendance (full or part-time) and the status of your CILEx accredited centre will all be relevant factors in being able to access funding for your studies.

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There is a wide range of information available mainly through the internet. This article aims to highlight what funding may be available to help you as a CILEx student.

Government schemes are different in England and Wales, and are subject to review and change.

As a studying member of CILEx, you should consider the following sources of financial support, which are primarily for those studying in the further education sector. There may be other sources of funding and support available on a local or regional basis, including help with childcare and travel costs. You are also recommended to contact your proposed accredited centre for further information.

Key sources of advice

National Careers Service – England Advice, guidance, information and support to help you make decisions on learning, training and job opportunities.

• Visit: https://nationalcareersservice.direct. gov.uk/advice/courses/funding/Pages/ default.aspx

24+ Advanced Learning Loans Advanced Learning Loans provide support for those aged 24 and over to access Level 3 and Level 4 courses in the academic year 2014–15, and will be reviewed for 2015–16 onwards. Eligibility will depend on the qualification, your chosen college or training provider, your age and your nationality or residency status.

In 2014–15, the CILEx Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Law and Practice will be eligible for an Advanced Learning Loan.

In 2014–15, the CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice will not be eligible for an Advanced Learning Loan.

• Visit: www.gov.uk/advanced-learningloans/overview; and visit: www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans/ how-to-claim

continued on page 16

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Get into Law 17

Funding your CILEx course

Financial support available to CILEx students in the academic year 2014–15

16–19 Bursary fund – England This government fund provides help from the government to pay for essential education costs if you are between 16–19 and in further education or training. The bursary scheme is means tested, and can help pay for costs, including transport to your CILEx accredited centre.

• Visit: www.gov.uk/16-19bursary-fund

Access and learner support funds Help with the costs of staying on in further education and training may also be available through access and learner support funds, and is usually administered by local further education colleges. Individual colleges set their own eligibility rules: determining their priority groups and maximum amounts they may award. Financial help may be available for travel, books or childcare. You should contact your college’s student advice and guidance team before you enrol.

Care to learn: help with childcare while you learn If you are a student and a young parent, Care to Learn may help pay for your childcare and related travel costs while you are learning.

• Visit: www.gov.uk/care-to-learn/overview

Professional career development loans Professional career development loans (PCDLs) are available for students, who are 18 or over, settled in the UK, have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the three years prior to the start of their learning programme and intend to work in the UK, the European Union or the European Economic Area when the course finishes.

Because PDCLs are led by demand from students, only a learning provider (ie, a CILEx accredited centre) that has been approached by an individual student, who

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wishes to undertake a course with them, may apply for inclusion on the PCDL register. Therefore, if you are interested in applying for a PCDL, you should discuss this first with your CILEx accredited centre.

The PCDL may help pay for a course, including CILEx Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice and Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice, that lasts up to two years, or a three-year course that includes up to one year of work experience. The criterion is that the course leads to employment or enhances job skills.

• Visit: www.gov.uk/career-developmentloans/overview

Apprenticeships: CILEx Level 3 and 4 Apprenticeships in Legal Services For further information on Apprenticeships, including payment of the minimum wage and funding available to employers, see page 24 of this booklet.

• Visit: www.cilex.org.uk/study/ apprenticeships.aspx • Visit: www.gov.uk/further-educationskills/apprenticeships • Visit: www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/ • Visit: www.careerswales.com

Other sources of help

Support from your employer In 2014, CILEx completed research which indicated that the majority of employers of CILEx students contributed to their employees’ annual membership and course fees.

If you are a studying member with CILEx and you are in employment, you could initially ask your employer, particularly if your employer is accredited with Investors in People, to help you with your study costs.

You could also suggest that employers consider other areas of support, including: • Day release and/or study leave

• Coaching and mentoring • Providing experience in other areas of work in the business If you are going to approach your employer and present a case asking them to support you with your CILEx studies, it is suggested that you outline the potential benefits to the organisation, which may include the following: • Opportunities to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer or work as a paralegal specialising in a particular area of law through unitised and nationally recognised legal qualifications • Flexible, adaptable and cost-effective training where training costs may be tax deductible • Legal qualifications which combine experience in the workplace with academic training, including developing professional skills to meet their business targets • Increasing retention of staff • Enabling support staff to generate business income by converting them into fee-earners on passing CILEx qualifications

Information for students in Wales Wales has its own funding programme and the following websites may be useful.

• Adult Education Funding Guide source, visit: wales.gov.uk/topics/ educationandskills/publications/ guidance/learnerfundingguide/?lang=en • Visit: wales.gov.uk/topics/ educationandskills/ skillsandtraining/?lang=en • Visit: wales.gov.uk/topics/ educationandskills/skillsandtraining/ apprenticeships/?lang=en CILEx will continue to monitor any changes to funding, and you are advised to visit the CILEx website regularly, visit: www.cilex.org.uk/for_centres/support_for_ students/funding.aspx

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YOUR LAW CAREER STARTS HERE We offer a number of courses which are ideal if you would like to start or progress your career in law, or train your staff to move into a fee-earning role.

Courses available: • CILEx with City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Legal Studies • CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice • CILEx Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice (Module based) Our courses are delivered by professionals and academics at various locations throughout Cornwall. We have excellent resources and facilities with the option of daytime and evening courses, where you will gain individual support throughout.

Courses run throughout the year, apply now.

T: 0845 22 32 567 E: enquiries@cornwall.ac.uk W: www.cornwall.ac.uk

We offer the Level 3 Certificate & Diploma in Law and Practice in Liverpool City Centre.

At Level 6, we offer a good range of subjects including The Graduate Fast Track Course and many core law units.

Register your interest through our website and our dedicated team will be in touch with you soon.

Contact Helen Miller helenmiller@thelawacademy.co.uk www.thelawacademy.co.uk 0151 225 0289

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Get into Law 19

A tale of two sisters

Siblings Louise Turner and Georgina Colwell pictured at a themed social event

This is a tale of two sisters, who both became lawyers, but who took different paths into their chosen career. One took the CILEx route, while the other took the more traditional route, doing a law degree followed by the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and a training contract.

Both ended up at the same firm in similar roles, one a family lawyer, the other a criminal defence lawyer: However, one accrued a £20,000 debt that she is still paying off, while the other earned money and experience during her training and is debt-free. In this article, the pair consider the relative merits of their choices and whether they would make the same choices if they had to do it all over again.

Louise’s story

Louise Turner, 33, Chartered Legal Executive and advocate at Edward Hayes LLP and CILEx regional development officer (Southern Counties) Louise, described by her younger sister as the ‘dare devil’ of the two, takes up her

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story from the point she got her GCSE results. ‘I got OK grades, but I went to a very popular school that could afford to be picky about who it took for sixth form. They suggested it would be better for me to go to college instead of sixth form.’

Recognising that she had always been practical rather than academic, it was a choice that she was happy to make. At 16, and with an eye to going into the armed services or the police force, she went to Chichester College to do a two-year BTEC National Diploma in Public Services. During the course, as well as learning about all of the services and doing a fair amount of sport, she studied the basics of law, criminology and politics, piquing her interest in the law.

She completed the course work early and finished two months ahead of schedule.

To fill time while considering her next move, she applied for an administrative job in the general office of the local magistrates’ court, where she processed court files and dealt with telephone enquiries from the public.

But it was her next move that steered her

path towards her eventual profession, when she became a legal aid and licensing officer, dealing with liquor licensing and legal aid applications.

‘I came into contact with solicitors and got to know them,’ she says. Then one day a local solicitor, Christopher Hayes, managing partner at London and regional firm Edward Hayes LLP, offered her a job as his secretary. ‘I was processing a legal aid application and he literally just came up to me and asked if I wanted to work for him,’ says Louise.

Though she accepted the offer, it quickly became apparent to both herself and the firm that the role did not play to her strengths. She says candidly: ‘I had never trained as a legal secretary and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I was probably the worst legal secretary ever. In my first week I was given some dictation to do. I didn’t even know how to work the dictation machine and I played the recordings aloud, so everyone in the office could hear them.’

The firm recognised her ability at dealing with clients, particularly difficult ones, and

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offered her an alternative job as a case worker in the criminal team. While working at the magistrates’ court, Louise had already begun her CILEx training after meeting a mother of two teenage boys, who was halfway through the course. ‘We’d spoken about what I wanted to do in the future, and she suggested I sign up. I suppose I was naïve and just thought “ok then” and did it.’

Louise undertook the CILEx course while working at Edward Hayes LLP, which sponsored her training and gave her time off to revise for her exams. She went to college on day release one day a week, and completed the training in six years. She explains that she could have done it in four, but took some time out.

After qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive, she passed further exams to become a criminal advocate and completed the Law Society’s duty solicitor qualification.

This enabled her to do all the same work that criminal solicitors can do in the magistrates’ court. In addition, during her career Louise has worked on high-profile murder and fraud cases.

She says: ‘I co-defend with solicitors in trials and no one knows the difference – we are doing exactly the same job.’ ‘No one at court has ever asked me whether I’m a solicitor or a Chartered Legal Executive. And no client has ever said they don’t want me to represent them because I’m not a solicitor.

They watch you in court, and if they like you and see you are going to fight for them, they don’t care whether you are a barrister, solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive,’ says Louise. She adds: ‘I’m just as valuable to and valued by the firm as solicitors. I earn the same salary as a solicitor.’

Louise still does police station and magistrates’ court work for the firm, but also works as a regional development officer for CILEx, promoting the route to study that she travelled on. Explaining why she does it, she says: ‘I genuinely believe in the product because I’ve done it, but I don’t think people

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“I co-defend with solicitors in trials and no one knows the difference – we are doing exactly the same job.’ ‘No one at court has ever asked me whether I’m a solicitor or a Chartered Legal Executive.” are aware of it or the possibilities it holds.’

As a Chartered Legal Executive, she says: ‘I could open my own firm and employ solicitors and even become a judge. There are so many opportunities.’

Georgina’s story

Georgina Colwell, 27, family solicitor at Edward Hayes LLP Described by her older sister as the ‘sensible one’, Georgina took the more traditional and well-trodden path towards a legal career.

She stayed on at school for the sixth form, and got A-levels in English literature, English language, music and geography. She took a year out before starting university to earn some pennies to help finance her future university studies.

Like Louise, she had not originally contemplated a legal career, but that changed after she did some work experience at a solicitor’s office in Chichester - Edward Hayes LLP - where Louise was working as a Chartered Legal Executive.

She studied law at Oxford Brookes University, doing paralegal work in the criminal and family departments of Edward Hayes during the holidays. After university, she completed the LPC at the College (now University) of Law in Guildford, before completing a training contract with Edward Hayes and qualifying in 2010, having got six months taken off her training contract requirement due to her previous work experience. Georgina now works in the firm’s family department, primarily working on

public law children cases.

She shares her sister’s view that there are so many different possibilities of how to enter the legal profession, aside the traditional route, than there were previously, with less differentiation of whether you are a solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive.

What the sisters think of their choices So, which route do the sisters think is better and do either have any regrets about the course they took?

‘The routes suited our personalities,’ says Georgina. ‘I liked doing a degree and the academic side. Louise may have liked the social side of university, but not attending the lectures. She is more practical.’ Her sister agrees.

All well and good. But solicitor Georgina had to pay university tuition fees of £3,000 a year and £10,000 for the LPC. Despite working in her year off and during holidays, she says she still qualified with debts of £20,000, which she is still paying off. While Louise says: ‘I don’t have any debt, and have never accrued a penny of student debt.’

Georgina continues: ‘At the time I did it, it was the right route for me and I’m pleased I did it.’ But with increased tuition and LPC fees now, plus the huge competition, she questions whether she would be able to make the same choice now, and whether she would want to take the financial risk.

Louise has no regrets about the route she took either, and says that she would take the same course, especially given the increased practising rights for Chartered Legal Executives. Indeed, she says that she feels sorry for those struggling to get training contracts, and points out that many students who have done the LPC are now switching to CILEx to qualify.

Catherine Baksi is a freelance legal journalist

Get into Law 21

The rights stuff Chartered Legal Executives are increasingly on a level playing field with solicitors or barristers. They can now become judges, coroners, advocates and partners in law firms The term ‘lawyer’ no longer means just a solicitor or barrister. It means someone qualified and experienced in law.

Increasingly, references in legislation are to persons authorised to exercise ‘reserved legal activities’ under Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007 s12. As such, lawyers are referred throughout as ‘authorised persons’. Chartered Legal Executives are authorised persons and fall within the definition of lawyer under the LSA. In general, Chartered Legal Executives are able to undertake many of the legal activities that solicitors do, under the supervisor of a solicitor. Chartered Legal Executives are now firmly recognised as specialist lawyers. In keeping its focus on specialist lawyers, CILEx Regulation is now able to grant additional rights to conduct litigation in civil, criminal and family matters, and provide probate and conveyancing services, as well as immigration advice, independently of solicitors. This means that Chartered Legal Executives could be authorised to practise on their own without being in partnership with a solicitor or under supervision.

The first Chartered Legal Executive Judge, Ian Ashley–Smith, was appointed in 2010 as a Deputy District Judge in the county court.

‘There is now no limit to what we can achieve in the legal profession,’ he said.

In 2013, a second Fellow of CILEx was selected for judicial appointment. Simon Lindsey was appointed Deputy District Judge on the South Eastern Circuit by the Lord Chancellor. The legal landscape is changing fast; Chartered Legal Executives are at the forefront of this change.

Rights of Audience To appear as an advocate for a client in court, you need to have what are called ‘rights of audience’. These are fairly restricted for most Chartered Legal Executives, but you can undertake a further CILEx qualification that will allow you to appear in county courts,

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and experienced Chartered Legal Executives in civil, criminal or family practice and exercise associated chambers and/or open court rights of audience.

Immigration Rights CILEx is already a designated qualifying regulator for immigration practice rights.

However, CILEx Regulation now has a scheme for qualification for CILEx Fellows wishing to provide immigration services independently. The qualification scheme awards the authority to provide immigration advice and services.

Conveyancing and Probate Rights CILEx can now award conveyancing and probate rights to suitably competent members and other legal practitioners.

Settlement Agreements magistrates’ courts, the family court, youth courts, the coroner’s court, First-tier tribunals and, in certain circumstances, the Crown Court.

Chartered Legal Executives employed by local authorities can also exercise certain rights of audience in magistrates’ courts and county courts under the Local Government Act 1972. This may extend to housing management organisations provided they are exercising local authority housing functions.

Commissioner for Oaths A Commissioner for Oaths is a person appointed by the Lord Chancellor with the power to administer oaths (a sworn declaration that a statement is true) or take affidavits (a written statement confirmed by oath used that is used as evidence in court). All Chartered Legal Executives have these powers.

Litigation Rights As mentioned above, CILEx can now award rights to conduct litigation to suitably qualified

The general rule is that a Chartered Legal Executive is unable to sign and advise on settlement agreements unless they are employed by a SRA-regulated practice. The exceptions to the above rule are as follows: a) Settlement agreements made under section 58(5)(c) of the Pensions Act 2008 (The Compromise Agreements (Automatic Enrolment) (Description of Person) Order 2012 SI No 212) b) Authorised persons under the LSA 2007 in relation to the reserved legal activities of a rights of audience or litigation (s203(4) (a) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (substituted by the Employments Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 Sch 21 para 120)); and c) CILEx Fellows who are managers of Legal Partnerships/Practices/Alternative Business Practices (The Legal Services Act 2007 (Functions of an Approved Regulator) Order 2009 SI No 3339).

Fellows who are CILEx Advocates or Fellows being granted litigation rights would arguably fall within exception (b) above.

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CILEx COURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER Described by Chambers as a “West End gem”, the School of Law at the University of Westminster is a well established and highly regarded provider of legal education. Located in the West End of London and close to a wide range of law firms and excellent transport facilities, the School of Law offers a range of degrees, Legal Practice Course (LPC) and professional courses including CILEx.

WHY STUDY CILEx AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER? • We offer a comprehensive range of CILEx qualifications including Level 3 Certificate and Professional Diploma in Law and Practice; Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice; CILEx Graduate “FastTrack” Diploma and CILEx Level 6 Single Subject Certificates.

• Lectures and seminars are delivered by seasoned legal professionals with industry experience, drawn from the ranks of academics, solicitors and barristers.

• You will have access to a full range of learning resources including Lexis Library, Lawtel, Westlaw and the School of Law Library.

• You will have a personal tutor to whom you may address any enquiries or other needs.

• You will have an opportunity to air your views via CILEx Course Committee representatives.

• The CILEx course is run on a part-time evening basis, giving you the opportunity to work whilst studying.

• Our courses are competitively priced.

• Unlike most other CILEx providers, we are a university.

• We have strong links with the CILEx London Branch.

• We provide extra-curricular events specifically for the benefit of our CILEx students.

• We are committed to providing you with a first-class service.

To view more details on our courses, the benefits of studying at Westminster and to download our prospectus for courses starting in September 2015, visit:

westminster.ac.uk/cilex westminster.ac.uk/law

TRUTH LEARNING JUDGEMENT

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Get into Law 23

Legal Apprenticeships:

opportunities for paralegals and aspiring lawyers with CILEx

The chief executive of CILEx, Mandie Lavin, said: ‘The CILEx Apprenticeships in Legal Services launched in 2013 and were the first of their kind. Supported by sector wide employer participation, the apprenticeships are now delivered by ten CILEx accredited centres across England and Wales. CILEx, as a member of the Trailblazer Apprenticeships in Law initiative, will ensure that our apprenticeship offer continues to provide an accessible and affordable route for aspiring lawyers for their career in law.’

The Level 3 Advanced and Level 4 Higher Apprenticeships in Legal Services qualifications have been developed by CILEx, in consultation with employers across the legal sector, to meet the needs of new business requirements within the sector.

The ‘Knowledge’ qualifications assess underpinning knowledge and understanding in specific law and legal practice areas relevant to their title. These qualifications are assessed by a combination of CILEx examination and provider-assessed, and CILEx-moderated, assignments.

The ‘Competence’ qualifications assess workplace competence in relation to the performance of a legal role within the legal office. Learners are required to assemble a portfolio of assessed evidence relating to the units relevant to their job role, which is then externally verified by CILEx.

What is an Apprenticeship?

Suitable for all ages, apprenticeships are a combination of on-the-job training and nationally recognised qualifications studied at a college, training provider or by distance learning, or a mixture of all three. They are made up of a number of essential elements: • A work-based competence qualification • An academic-based knowledge qualification • And, in the case of the Level 3 apprenticeship, functional skills (English,

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with employers paying the remainder. There are no age restrictions to funding in Wales.

Who can be an Apprentice?

Anyone living in England or Wales, over the age of 16 and not in full-time education can be an apprentice. You can become a Legal Services Apprentice if you are: •a school leaver who wants to work in law without having to go to university •a paralegal already working in law wishing to gain professional legal qualifications •a career changer who wants to work in law with no formal legal qualifications

How long does it take?

Maths and ICT, unless the apprentice already has GCSE at, at least grade C) as well as gaining an understanding of employer rights and responsibilities, and personal learning and thinking skills

Apprenticeships in Legal Services Level 3 Advanced and Level 4 Higher Apprenticeships in Legal Services combine both work-based (competence) assessment by a qualified assessor delivered in the workplace and a knowledge qualification to assess knowledge and understanding associated with a job role delivered by a CILEx accredited centre.

The Level 3 Advanced and Level 4 Higher Apprenticeships include nationally recognised qualifications awarded by CILEx. Embark on an Apprenticeship in Legal Services in a wide range of areas of law and practice with a full-time job that comes with a structured training programme.

How much does it cost?

In England, those aged 16–18 qualify for full government funding, and for those aged 19–23, 50% will be paid by the government,

The Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship takes approximately 18–24 months and Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship takes approximately 24–30 months to complete. Both Apprenticeships are available in England and Wales.

Enrol on an Apprenticeship in Legal Services and you will be able: • t o gain valuable and relevant work experience • t o progress with your CILEx qualifications to become a lawyer • t o earn as you learn – all apprentices are employed by a law firm for at least 30 hours a week, and those aged 19 and over are entitled to be paid the national minimum wage • to take paid holiday

What next?

When you have completed an Apprenticeship in Legal Services, you can gain exemptions from, and continue to study, the CILEx Professional qualifications and qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer.

Job roles supporting the Level 3 and 4 Diploma in Providing Legal Services Both Level 3 and 4 learners may be working

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Type of qualification

What’s its purpose?

Name of qualification

Name of qualification

A competence qualification and:

To assess learning completed on the job

CILEx Level 3 Diploma in Providing Legal Services

CILEx Level 4 Diploma in Providing Legal Services

One from the CILEx Level 3 Certificate in:

One from the CILEx Level 4 Diploma in: • Commercial Litigation or •D ebt Recovery and Insolvency or •D iploma in Personal Injury Litigation or •E xtended Diploma in Personal Injury Litigation

This is delivered in the workplace by a qualified assessor A knowledge qualification

To assess knowledge and understanding associated with a job role

• Civil Litigation or • Employment Practice or • Family Practice or • Certificate in Property or • Private Client Practice

under supervision, they may work in a specialist department, for example, civil litigation or family law, personal injury or debt recovery and insolvency, or they may have general legal responsibilities, ie, the type of job role may often be referred as ‘paralegal’ and job titles vary in organisations and with the area of specialism.

Examples of Level 3 job titles may include litigation assistant, junior paralegal, legal assistant and conveyancing assistant.

Level 4 learners are more likely to also be fee earners. Examples of Level 4 job titles may include litigation executive and senior paralegal.

All learners enrolled on the Level 3 and Level 4 Legal Services qualifications are required to become members of CILEx. This brings all the benefits of being a member of an established Chartered Institute, including independent regulation by CILEx Regulation.

Progression and exemption opportunities

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will be available to learners who complete the Level 3 and 4 knowledge qualifications where units are common to the CILEx Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice.

•F or further information on exemption opportunities, please visit: www.cilex.org. uk/study/exemptions/exemptions_table. aspx Learners wishing to continue their studies to become a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer should complete the remaining Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice units and progress onto the CILEx Level 6 Higher Diploma in Law and Practice. After completing both qualifications and meeting CILEx Regulation requirements for work-based learning and qualifying employment, a learner may qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive lawyer.

This article outlines exciting opportunities for learners completing Legal Services Apprenticeships, and the information is subject to review. Therefore, students are

advised to visit the following websites: • www.cilex.org.uk/study/apprenticeships. aspx, which is updated regularly.

• www.cilex.org.uk/pdf/Progression%20 routes%20for%20LS%20apprentices.pdf • www.apprenticeships.org.uk/about-us/ national-apprenticeship-service.aspx • www.gov.uk/further-education-skills/ apprenticeships

For students in Wales The Adult Education Funding Guide source: • http://wales.gov.uk/topics/ educationandskills/publications/guidance/ learnerfundingguide/?lang=en • http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/ publications/130828-apprenticeshipsbrochure-individuals-en.pdf

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Case studies The Apprentice

The School Leaver

The Career Changer

“The most advantageous aspect of my apprenticeship is being able to earn money and qualify without having to take out a student loan or have any debt.”

“My biggest achievement has been finishing my CILEx qualification while raising my newborn twins!”

“CILEx gave me the chance to get my career back on track. I am now a qualified professional doing a job that I enjoy, and I can continue to broaden my skills as my career develops further.”

I completed my A-levels, and after achieving good grades I suddenly had many options available to me. I contemplated going to university to pursue a law degree, but was encouraged by my college to look into Legal Services Apprenticeships. I decided this was the route for me due to it allowing me to gain extensive experience that would distinguish me from other law graduates.

The legal environment is competitive, so as well as having the academic achievements to stand out, I know it’s vital to have the experience to show that you can demonstrate your competence in a practical way. Furthermore, during my time working in a legal environment, I hope to build a network of connections which will be vital in having a successful career in the legal industry.

I am now settled in at the firm, and have recently been promoted to a new department in the new client team; this involves speaking to clients over the phone and face-to-face. I also undertake paralegal tasks for a trainee solicitor, who is part of the occupiers and public liability department, where I assist with drafting and reviewing documents, and attending court hearings.

My first job was as an administrative assistant at a solicitors’ firm. I had finished my A-levels and didn’t want to go to university. The fee earner I worked for was studying for her CILEx exams, and she persuaded me to start studying CILEx qualifications too.

I completed my Level 3 qualification, and then relocated for my dream job at an international law firm (Eversheds). I had just got married and the thought of committing to another few years studying was terrifying and exhausting. However, my supervisor encouraged me to continue, saying it would be worth all of the hard work – I can honestly say that it is!

I passed the Conveyancing units, and was just starting the Land Law module when I discovered I was pregnant with twins! Of course everything was put on hold, as the pregnancy and then having two new-borns was the hardest thing I have ever done.

I have now finished the Level 6, and am self-employed as an estate planning consultant, combining being a mum with part-time work. The CILEx qualifications are tough, particularly at Level 6, but they give you a chance of a great career and I would recommend them to anyone.

I graduated with an Accountancy degree, but soon decided that being an accountant was not for me. I spent a number of years working in executive PA and office management roles, and developed a wealth of transferable skills and experience, but my career lacked direction.

In 2004, I joined my current employer, Gordons Partnership LLP, and initially assisted with facilities and administration before covering two periods of maternity cover for the accounts manager. When the accounts manager returned to work, it was suggested that I should study for the CILEx qualification and begin assisting fee earners with simple tasks.

In 2007, I moved into the civil litigation department, assisting with simple debt collection and company secretarial matters.

Whilst gaining increasing exposure to varied client matters, I continued to study for CILEx’s Level 3 and Level 6 qualifications. By the time I qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2013, I had worked on cases ranging from contractual disputes and enforcements of judgments to HM Land Registry adjudications, identity theft and mortgage fraud, director’s fiduciary duties and restrictive covenants, trade mark infringements, tenancy deposit disputes and property repossessions.

Junior Smith Legal Services Apprentice, Express Solicitors

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Natalie Chapman Estate planning consultant, Self employed

Linda Morrissey Chartered Legal Executive, Gordons Partnership LLP

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The Law Graduate

The LPC Graduate

Practice Rights

“Completing the Graduate Fast-track Diploma [GFTD] will be worth it for the career opportunities it will create.”

“For those considering studying the LPC, I would recommend the CILEx route as more cost effective and flexible whilst providing greater opportunities for those wanting to qualify.”

“I am every bit as capable in my job as a solicitor, and I have much more relevant training and experience.”

I studied law at Teesside University and achieved a 2.1. Like most law students, I thought this would lead to me becoming a solicitor, but gradually I realised that the shortage of training contracts made this unlikely.

In 2012, I was lucky to get a job as a conveyancing executive at Langleys, a leading law firm with offices in York and Lincoln. Knowing I wanted to specialise in property law, this was ideal as Langleys are a recognised national provider of residential conveyancing services.

Langleys mentioned the CILEx route and sponsored me. Additionally, their on-going commitment to training and development included paid study leave, which has assisted me significantly with my progression through the course so far. It is a fantastic option for me because the work I am doing at Langleys will fulfil the qualifying employment element of the Chartered Legal Executive qualification.

It can sometimes be a challenge balancing a busy career and family commitments whilst studying, but completing the GFTD will be worth it for the career opportunities it will create.

After completing my Legal Practice Course (LPC), I began working as a paralegal at a solicitors’ firm in their property department.

I was introduced to CILEx through a colleague, who was studying to become a Chartered Legal Executive, and after carrying out some further research, the CILEx route really appealed to me. I realised that I could continue to work in an area of law which I really enjoyed, whilst gaining a recognised practising qualification at the same time.

I believe CILEx offers an ideal route for those who know which area of law they wish to practise without having the worry of securing a training contact. With a training contract, there is no guarantee that you will be working in the electives of your choice or have a secure job after completion.

Working with Chartered Legal Executives has proven to me that there is greater opportunity for CILEx members to progress with their careers as they are given much more recognition within the legal sector.

Becoming a member of CILEx has given me the confidence to move forward with my career in an area of law chosen by me.

I qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in December 2014, and was keen to get my own practice rights soon after. I started putting together my probate practice rights application as soon as my Fellowship application was accepted.

I submitted the probate portfolio and, in February 2015, was approved as an authorised Probate Practitioner. This inspired me, and I am now seeking a second set of practice rights in conveyancing.

I believe I am every bit as capable in my job as a solicitor, and I have much more relevant training and experience than most junior solicitors have in the year after their final exams. Now I am a Probate Practitioner too, and have proved my experience and skills in wills and probate, which is more than a solicitor will have done.

As I have gradually gained qualifications and experience, my job and the business has grown with me. This has given me a seamless transition from legal secretary through paralegal to fee earner. I now have a large conveyancing and probate caseload and mostly work independently, except where forms require a signature from a conveyancer: at least I can now sign my own probate paperwork!

Liam Douglas Conveyancing Executive, Langleys Solicitors

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Oliver Lutner Conveyancing Executive, Terry Jones Solicitors

Ruth Hendry Chartered Legal Executive Probate Practitioner, Hugh Anton-Stephens

Get into Law 27

Getting your first job Getting your first legal sector job can feel like you are running a marathon.

This article looks to get you in shape Job-hunting strategy

you as a professional seeking opportunities in the legal sector. Keep it up to date and include an appropriate photograph of yourself.

Proofread applications for spelling, grammar, punctuation and sense. If possible, get someone to check what you have written.

The first thing you need to do is develop an effective job hunting strategy. This involves:

Self-analysis • analyse skills, competences and achievements

Preparation

Knowledge

• a portfolio of key documents • CVs, LinkedIn and covering letters • proofread and check applications

Knowledge • understand job descriptions and job specifications • know the legal sector job market, including trends in this sector

Proactive approach • develop networks and contacts • build your work experience up in stages

Self-analysis A key part of producing CVs and making applications is analysis of your skills and competences. Look at the following skill sets: People skills: leadership, teamwork, influencing and negotiating, customer skills and communication Self-reliance skills: self-awareness, self-management, initiative and resourcefulness General skills: numeracy, adaptability, problem-solving and planning Specialist skills: including IT skills and commercial awareness What skills can you identify from your educational and work history? You could also draw upon examples from sporting activities, community projects, voluntary work or participating in theatrical productions.

Often, legal services providers work to demanding timescales. Think of examples of where you have had to deliver a task to a

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set deadline and how you can demonstrate that you are robust enough to cope with a demanding work environment.

In a similar fashion, list your achievements. An achievement can be academic or work related. Successfully writing the achievements section of your CV is perhaps the most difficult part of your CV. Two useful techniques are the STAR technique and the ‘What/so What?’ formula.

For further details see the CILEx Careers website: www.cilexcareers.org.uk

Preparation A major part of job hunting is being prepared and having a portfolio of resources to hand containing: • A list of skills, competences and achievements • LinkedIn profile • Covering letter template • Portfolio containing CVs, qualification certificates, proof of identity documents, recommendations and commendations Make sure your CV is up to date, not just in content but also in approach. Tailor your CV to each application. Don’t use the same CV for every job. This is also true for your accompanying covering letter. For further information see the CILEx careers website.

LinkedIn is now as important as your CV. Make sure you have a profile which reflects

Understand job descriptions and accompanying specifications. Look at the job description and specification of a role such as legal assistant. Compare it with your skills, competences and achievements list.

Use the CILEx Careers website to find out about the different types of employers in the legal sector: www.cilexcareers.org.uk If you are applying to an organisation, make sure you are informed about their aims, values and objectives. Don’t just look at their website, but also look at their presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Make sure you are aware of trends in the legal sector and their implications. The CILEx Journal carries articles on changes in the legal sector: www.cilexjournal.org.uk

Be proactive Job openings are not always advertised, so it is important to be proactive not reactive in your job hunt. This is particularly true when you are looking for your first legal sector job as it isn’t always possible to obtain a legal sector job or the role you want first time. In this case, you may need to build legal sector experience through a series of roles, paid or unpaid. By putting these experiences together, you will strengthen your application to enable you to get the job you want.

Networking Network to develop contacts for work openings and insights into the legal sector.

For tips on networking see the CILEx Careers website: www.cilexcareers.org.uk

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Successful career progression Getting a job in the legal sector is an important first step in your career in the legal profession. Equally important is ensuring that you continue to progress.

This article looks at the role employability plays in career progression Employability goes beyond getting a job.

It involves building capacity not only to function in a job, but being able to move between roles and jobs; thus, remaining employable throughout your life.

Negotiating with your employer In order to progress, you must become comfortable with discussing your career with your employer. See performance reviews as an opportunity for you to air concerns or share any goals. The number one tip is to be prepared. The level of effort you have put into the preparation will be evident at your performance review, and will enable it to be a more productive meeting.

This starts with you keeping a record of your performance throughout the year, noting down examples of achievements and areas where you could improve. Bringing facts and examples to your performance review will support you in presenting how well you have performed in your job.

Communicating your value Learning to communicate your value in the workplace is key to career progression.

Don’t assume that because you are good at your job, people will automatically see your worth.

In order to communicate your value you need to know your achievements. Think about how to ‘package’ it. What does your company value? What evidence do you have to demonstrate your value? One way of doing this is to carry out a stocktake of your achievements periodically.

Achievements An achievement consists of three components: • Using a particular skill • Carrying out a particular activity • Getting a measurable/quantifiable result/benefit A useful technique is to use the ‘What/so what?’ formula, a two-step

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process that asks: What did I do? and So what? What was the quantifiable result?

Another useful tool to analysing your achievements is the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). For further information on these techniques see the CILEx Careers website.

Keep communicating Finally, keep communicating your value.

It’s not a one-off or annual process; it’s something you need to do on a day-to-day basis to move forward in your career.

Develop a portfolio. Collect testimonials and/or case studies to showcase the difference you make. Have examples to hand. You need tangible ‘proof’ of how you deliver value: something of substance that goes beyond words and promises.

Think of the ways you can use to communicate your achievements, and don’t limit yourself to just one channel as certain channels will resonate with some people and not others. For example, sharing your ideas in a workshop can gain you recognition without you having to blow your own trumpet.

Communicating your value will influence how people perceive you at work, which is vital to a successful career. The way you represent yourself to individuals, employers and business connections is often referred to as your personal brand.

One of the benefits of creating a personal brand is that it makes you examine your strengths, key attributes and the image you want to project. By defining, developing and projecting a professional personal brand, you will aid career progression and enhance your chances of promotion. This applies equally whether you are in the early stages of a career or have been in your career for some time.

CILEx qualifications One of the key areas of negotiation you will have with employers is in respect

to your progression through the CILEx stages of training. Successful completion of each level will demonstrate an increase in knowledge and expertise.

Your employer may have a structure which has set progression points, where you can see clearly where you are and what you need to do for each stage.

However, this is not always the case, and it is important that you are aware what your CILEx qualification offers to an employer.

A useful guide is the CILEx User Information Materials for Employers: Levels 3 and 6 Qualifications, which shows the workplace duties you can carry out with each level of qualification.

Download a copy from the CILEx website.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) CPD is crucial to maintaining employability as it ensures that your skills and knowledge are up to date. Reflection and planning is crucial to successful CPD. At the beginning of the CPD year, you should reflect on your current situation and identify areas in which you would like to develop your knowledge or skills over the forthcoming year. You should then plan how you are going to achieve the objectives you have identified. Thinking through your CPD and having a plan of action will aid any negotiations you have with your employer. In the same way you plan your CPD, you should also plan ahead in respect to your career.

Plan ahead If there is a particular job role you aspire to, obtain a job description and job specification for this role and see how you match up. Are there any gaps in your experience, qualifications or skills? What can you do to fill these? Can you use CPD to assist with your career?

Get into Law 29

Here to help …

a day in the life of a Regional Development Officer

CILEx Regional Development Officers (RDOs) work from a home office, travelling around their region representing CILEx, raising its profile, and that of its membership, and seeking out new members. Here Lynne Squires, development officer for Wales, describes a ‘typical’ day in her life There is not really a typical day, as my workload shifts along with the academic year. A day at the office will start off with a short commute: walking from my kitchen to the office upstairs. To many, this may seem like the perfect job, and in many ways it is, but, of course, I am oversimplifying things.

Sometimes, a work day will begin at a chain hotel, somewhere in Mid or North Wales, with the mountains and the sea outside the bedroom window … Oh, hang on, I am supposed to make this job sound like work aren’t I?

I will start again…

So, a typical day: like most people I probably start the day with a hot drink, the BBC news on the TV or radio, browsing e-mails, Twitter and the news from the comfort of my bed. What? You don’t do that?

Third time’s a charm…

Having arrived at my desk at 8:45 am, I review my diary. I will already have the day’s activities mapped out and the necessary information packs prepared. The content of a pack will vary depending on the meetings or events I have planned that day. For example, I could be giving a CILEx presentation to group of sixth-form students in the morning, and an HR/training manager and their team in the afternoon.

Having already deleted the spam and junk mail (while browsing content and watching the news with my first cuppa ‘pr paned’ as we say here in Wales), I turn

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With a job as varied as mine, I’d be hopeless if ever asked: ‘Where were you at 2pm on 15 March?’ … or even last Tuesday! I’d have to ask for my diary, and after checking would, of course, be able to reel off plenty of detail. my attention to e-mail and correspondence that needs to be responded to first. These could range from an enquiry from a law firm employee, who has been advised to study law and practice with CILEx, perhaps during a recent appraisal or as a result of a professional development request.

I may have replies from legal sector employers, that have received my request for a meeting, to confirm mutually convenient dates. I may receive minutes to review or responses to requests for information in preparation for the next meeting or event. I represent CILEx on a number of regional committees such as the Legal Wales Foundation, Reaching Justice Wales and the CILEx Wales Forum.

Responses will be sent, appointments made and queries answered. My diary will be updated. I use an electronic diary, which is backed up centrally, a huge relief I assure you. I no longer have the worry of losing a paper diary, and not knowing where I’ve been or where I am going!

With a job as varied as mine, I’d be hopeless if ever asked: ‘Where were you at 2pm on 15 March?’ … or even last Tuesday!

I’d have to ask for my diary, and after checking would, of course, be able to reel off plenty of detail. NB: I am not adovcating the use of a diary just for future alibis! My tip for trainee lawyers is that excellent diary and office management skills are essential.

If I am attending a careers fair, the process is relatively straightforward. Drive to the venue, unpack all of the necessary

materials from the boot of the car. Find the allocated table, put up the stand, lay out the promotional literature (not forgetting the free pens) and wait for the arrival of the delegates. Careers fairs keep you on your toes: you have to be prepared for all kinds of questions and have answers that are succinct, polite, accurate and up to date.

It is not enough to know about the CILEx course, and pitch it to visitors like a market trader selling apples. People will have different work or academic experience and ability. My job is to manage the interaction, and their expectations, so as to make sure that every person I speak with gains personal value from our conversation and walks away understanding more about the CILEx route, and, hopefully, planning to follow it.

An RDO has to have a working knowledge of, among other things: the education system; the local job market; the national job market; specific legal roles; alternative routes to law; UCAS; job hunting; CV preparation; interview techniques; business development; career prospects; and funding. You have a huge responsibility: the people coming to see you are seeking advice and guidance, anything you might say could affect their lives and their futures.

An employer visit often requires a discussion about recent CILEx developments. Members of CILEx will know that over the last few years these updates have come thick and fast: Chartered status; eligibility for partnership; redesigned courses; judicial appointments; work-based learning; apprenticeships and, more recently, practice rights and entity regulation.

Some evenings I end the day sat at my desk, on others I will find myself joining the M4 for the journey home. Life as an RDO is varied, challenging, rewarding and never fails to inspire me to work hard for the members that I represent and those that I am yet to meet.

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JEN EGGINTON FCILEx Advocate E: jegginton@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7765 001 939

Greater London Home Counties

JAMIL KARKACH LL.B(Hons), ACILEx E: jkarkach@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7962 007 925

East Midlands

LOUISE TURNER FCILEx Advocate E: lturner@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7826 514 896

Southern Counties

CHRIS HOSKIN FCILEx E: choskin@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7881 286 267

North of England

ANNE-MARIE DHILLON BA(Hons), GCILEx E: adhillon@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7793 124 792

West Midlands Cheshire

LYNNE SQUIRES BA(Hons), GCILEx E: lsquires@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)7795 062 905

Wales

For enquiries outside the above regions, please contact: Pauline Scrivener Regional Development Manager

E: pscrivener@cilex.org.uk T: +44(0)1234 845 729

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Reaching out

About the CILEx Benevolent Fund (‘the Fund’) The Fund is an independent registered charity that aims to provide relevant guidance, information and support to current and former members of CILEx in England and Wales, who find themselves in an unavoidable financial hardship. Funding is not currently received through membership subscriptions, but rather the Fund relies on donations from CILEx members and branches as well as public bodies. The Fund should, therefore, be viewed as a last resort.

What help is available?

money to help your fellow members. The Fund can claim back tax on your donation, so your gift of £10 will become £12.80.

easyfundraising

CILEx

benevolent fund

A range of assistance is available. For example, small, one-off financial grants can be offered to cover an unexpected, necessitous bill; to purchase equipment to ease a disability; or to help with respite care.

The Trustees also provide guidance on state benefits and other resources available for those who need financial advice such as debt consolidation.

the costs of joining CILEx; discharge of outstanding judgments; HM Revenue and Customs tax bills; IVAs; bankruptcy; any legal fees; or the general costs of living.

The Fund is also not able to provide loans to applicants.

What help is not available?

How can you help?

The Trustees are not able to consider applications for assistance with CILEx subscription fees; student course fees;

Individual donation forms can be found on myCILEx at: www.cilex.org.uk. By donating £10 or more to the Fund, we can use your

easyfundraising is a free service where CILEx members can raise monies for the Fund when shopping online. Choose from over 2,000 of the UK’s best-known retailers, including many popular names such as Amazon, M&S, Argos and John Lewis, and when you shop using the links on the easyfundraising site, up to 15% from every purchase you make is donated to the Fund.

easysearch You can now raise funds when you search the web. Use easysearch every time you search the web, and 50% of the fees paid by easysearch’s advertising sponsors will be donated to the Fund. Use easysearch instead of Google or any search engine, and you can make a real difference to the Fund. n To help raise funds with easyfundraising, please visit: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ causes/cilex n To help raise funds with easysearch, please visit: www.cilex.easysearch.org.uk

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CILEx

CILEx Pro Bono Trust CILEx Pro Bono Trust is an independent charity (registered number 1145776) set up with the support of CILEx. Our key goal is to work in partnership with other facilitators and providers of pro bono legal services in order: • to increase the engagement of CILEx and other lawyers and trainees in pro bono work • to support the pro bono work of CILEx and other lawyers and trainees • to raise awareness of the pro bono work of CILEx and other lawyers and trainees In particular, we aim to harness and develop the huge resource represented by the pool of hard-working and talented CILEx lawyers and trainees by developing pro bono schemes for which they will be eligible, or helping them participate in existing schemes.

Pro Bono Trust

n If you would like further information about CILEx Pro Bono Trust, or wish to join the mailing list, please visit: www.cilexprobono.wordpress.com

Get into Law

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Chichester Business School REGISTER NOW FOR 2015/16 CILEx COURSES BOOST YOUR CAREER with the Chichester Business School and our wide range of CILEx qualifications.

Students benefit from learning as part of a group, in a supportive environment delivered by professional lecturers and lawyers.

COURSES AVAILABLE CILEx Level 3 Certificate in Law & Practice Year 1: Thursday afternoons 1.15pm - 5.15pm

CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law & Practice Year 2: Tuesday afternoons 1.15pm - 5.15pm

CILEx Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law & Practice Monday & Wednesday afternoons (day & times may vary) Level 6 modules offered for 2015/16 include in order of priority those below.

Note: Unlisted modules which are requested by seven or more students, may also be run.

Please contact Admissions for more information or to apply.

LAND LAW (L6)

CRIMINAL LAW (L6)

FAMILY LAW (L6)

CONVEYANCING (L6)

TORT LAW (L6)

CONTRACT (L6)

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT (01243) 786321 | www.chichester.ac.uk Chichester Business School | Westgate Fields | Chichester | West Sussex | PO19 1SB

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Chichester Business School is part of Chichester College

Get into Law 33

nus.org.uk

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STUDY LAW AT NORTH SHROPSHIRE COLLEGE Part-time Professional Courses CILEx L3 Certificate in Law & Practice CILEx L3 Professional Diploma in Law & Practice

ENROLLING NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2015 24+ Adult Learning Loans available Contact Declan Tuer Course Leader

01691 688000 or D.TUER@WNSC.AC.UK

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