The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) received the Privy Council’s agreement this week to amend its Royal Charter and introduce the title—the first formal recognition of paralegals as a distinct profession.
CILEX has now launched a public register of CILEX Paralegals and CILEX Chartered Paralegals.
CILEX president Yanthé Richardson said: ‘This is a significant step to support people who have built careers in the legal profession in non-traditional ways.
‘Recognition of their abilities and experience is long overdue.’
However, Law Society president Richard Atkinson expressed concern that the Charter change brought CILEX closer to its aim of switching regulator from CILEX Regulation to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)— the SRA Board agreed to this last summer. Atkinson said the Law Society has ‘repeatedly opposed’ the switch ‘due to the negative impact it will have on consumers, the wider public interest and the regulatory objectives’.
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