New grading system

Under the Legal Services Act 2007, fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) can be partners in law firms. They can also apply for certain judicial posts, including that of deputy district judge in the magistrates’ courts.

Since 14 October 2009, legal executives who had not become Fellows are graded as: ILEX affiliates, where members hold at least one ILEX level 3 unit qualification, a relevant legal qualification at level 2, or at least three years’ experience in mainly fee earning work; ILEX associates, where they have completed their ILEX level 3 professional diploma in law and practice, or are graduates with qualifying law degrees; and ILEX graduate members, where they have completed the Ilex level 6 professional diploma, or have a Legal Practice Course or a Bar Vocational Course qualification.

ILEX president, Judith Nichols, says: “Once they have completed their first stage of ILEX academic training and become an associate, employers can charge fee-earning time as level D litigation assistant fee scale. Once they have passed their second stage of academic training and become a graduate member they can be charged out at level C litigation assistant fee scale, which is currently up to £222 an hour in London or £158 nationally.”