Qualify as a solicitor through the ilex

Aside from the standard law degree option, ILEX (Institute of Legal Executives) is another option to qualify as a solicitor. Although this route takes longer than the usual degree route, qualifying as a solicitor can be beneficial to those who already have foothold in a legal environment. It may also come as a surprise but in a lot of cases, legal executives supervise solicitors (especially newly qualified). The only difference is legal executives tend to specialise in one particular area of the law whereas a solicitor has a wider, more general training.

Type of work
As previously mentioned, Legal Executives tend to specialise in one or two areas of the law, here are a few examples of the types of work carried out.

- Conveyancing
- Wills and trusts
- Personal injury
- Family law
- Employment law
- Immigration law
- Litigation

Levels of membership
Student: No legal qualification or less than 3 years legal experience

Affiliate: Those with at least one Level 3 qualification, relevant level 2 qualifications or 3 years legal experience.

Associate: Completed Level 3 qualifications or graduate with law degree. You are required to complete 8 hours of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) per year.

Graduate: Completed Level 3 & Level 6 qualifications (Including Graduate fast-track diploma) or hold LPC / BTPC. You are required to complete 12 hours CPD per year.

Fellow: Complete Completed Level 3 & Level 6 qualifications (Including Graduate fast-track diploma) and completed minimum work period (5 years in legal environment - 2 years must be after completion of qualifications) or hold LPC / BTPC.

Costs
Costs involved to qualify through ILEX are radically less than if you were to go through the degree route. Typically, the cost of qualifying through the full ILEX route would be in the region of £6,000 (depending on where you study) over 4 years part time.

How to qualify
Full ILEX route
Essentially, there are two ways you can qualify as a solicitor under the ILEX system. The first route is for those who do not have a law degree. People who have no law degree must complete the full ILEX course, Level 3 Diploma in law (A-level standard) and Level 6 (Honours degree standard) otherwise known as Part 1 and Part 2.

Graduate fast-track diploma
If you have a qualifying law degree within the last 7 years, you will be able to apply for the Graduate fast-track diploma. This means you are exempt from the Level 3 qualifications and allows you to continue to Level 6 qualifications. Those who have completed the LPC / BTPC are exempt from Level 3 & 6 qualifications and may also apply to become a Graduate member.

Exemption from Training Contract
One of the benefits of qualifying as a solicitor through the ILEX route, is that you may be eligible to be exempt from a training contract. To be eligible, you must have completed both Level 3 & 6 qualifications or through the Graduate fast-track diploma. Secondly, you must have completed the minimum work period. Thirdly, you must become a Fellow (FILEX). Once you have met the criteria, you are eligible to be exempt from a training contract and continue to complete the LPC.

NOTE: If you have already completed the LPC / BTPC before becoming a fellow (completing both qualifications and the minimum work period), you will not be exempt from the training contract and must complete the training contract before qualifying as a solicitor.

Overall, ILEX qualifications are valued by employers as this means that you can be a valuable fee earner once you have completed Level of your exams. In many instances, law firms tend to pay for membership fees although some firms may be willing to pay for both membership and examination fees.