Apprenticeship Level 4
Paralegal
3 years’ qualifying employment
Legal executive
CILEx Level 6
CILEx Fast Track
Training contract
Solicitor
LPC
Barrister
Pupillage
BPTC
09
Paralegals Paralegals have traditionally worked alongside solicitors in law firms as support staff, although in practice many paralegals do the same work as their trainee or newly- qualified solicitor counterparts. Paralegal roles provide a good route into the profession for students and graduates, either as valuable work experience before applying for a training contract or as a way to fulfil the SRA’s qualifying requirements without undertaking a formal period of recognised training. As of September 2016, there will be a Trailblazer Paralegal Apprenticeship. For more detail, see ‘Paralegals’ on p.7.
Solicitor Solicitors give advice and assistance on matters of law; they are the first point of contact for those seeking legal advice and representation. CILEx chartered legal executive It is also possible to practise law as a chartered legal executive – a qualified lawyer (though not a solicitor) who is trained to specialise as an expert in a particular area of law. The route to qualification is to complete CILEx 3 and CILEx 6 (or CILEx Graduate Fast Track for those with a law degree) and three years’ qualifying employment. For more info, go to www.cilex.org.uk.
Legal apprenticeships A legal apprentice is someone who joins a law firm straight from school, rather than going to university, to work in a role similar to that of a paralegal and gain qualifications that contribute toward becoming a chartered legal executive. As of September 2016, it is possible to embark on a six-year Trailblazer Solicitor Apprenticeship. For more detail, see ‘Apprenticeships’ on p.6 or visit LawCareers.Net (www. lawcareers.net/morelaw/ legalapprenticeships).
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