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The purpose of Pride
CILEx public affairs officer, Richard Doughty, reflects on CILEx’s presence at the annual Pride events:
Each year, CILEx members join members of other legal professions for London’s annual Pride march. This year, more than 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) lawyers and supporters took to the streets, along with thousands of others, less than two weeks after the massacre at an Orlando nightclub. The mood was defiant, determined, and hopeful.
CILEx’s presence at Pride is, ultimately, about fairness and the fundamental principle that all are equal under the law. We feel that it is important to state publicly, and in a united voice, that the legal profession stands up for everyone, including those who may be at greater risk of discrimination or unfair treatment. This is in the same way as the profession has supported campaigns for access to justice, the rights of women, the elderly, ethnic minorities, disabled people, or any other group that faces unfair barriers because of the practices and conventions of the society in which we live.
This principle is important to CILEx, not only as a legal institution that believes in the rule of law, but also as an education provider. We know that a good lawyer can come from anywhere: your gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability or any other irrelevant distinction should not prevent you from succeeding in the law. We extend this principle beyond the conventional conceptions of identity, and include one’s upbringing, wealth (or lack thereof ), and previous educational experience. CILEx believes that good lawyers can come from anywhere, and that is why we are proud we offer the most accessible route to a legal career.
When preparing for Pride, I received an e-mail from a long-standing member of CILEx asking me why it was so necessary to be highlighting these differences between people. ‘Can they do the job? That’s what matters’ , they fairly asked. I sympathise with this view; after all, why should any of the rest of it matter? It shouldn’t – but it does.
Forty-two per cent of trans people, who do not live in their preferred gender role, say that they cannot because they fear they would lose their job. Two-thirds of LGBT people who experienced a hate crime did not report it to anyone. From 2008–2013 , one in five LGB people experienced verbal bullying from colleagues, customers or service users because of their sexual orientation. And, in 2016, three-quarters of LGBT people have lied about their sexuality or gender identity to protect themselves.
Can one reasonably expect a person to do their job if they are in those circumstances? If you are not able to be truthful with your colleagues, if you are not safe, valued or respected in the workplace or in wider society, these things can inhibit or prevent you from performing to the best of your ability or achieving your full potential.
For those people who are in that position, they need to know that the legal profession is open enough for them to turn to for help. This is why we marched in London Pride this year, and why, in a few weeks, we will be marching in Cardiff and Manchester too: in defiance; in determination; and in hope.
Introducing new Council members
Allison Thompson writes:
I started work, in 1978, for a legal practice in Durham as a conveyancing secretary. After a number of years, I had the opportunity to become a conveyancing executive and, thereafter, continued on the then ILEX course and qualified in 2009. I am now employed at Swinburne Snowball & Jackson Solicitors in Consett.
On a day-to-day basis, I deal with commercial landlord and tenant transactions, including drafting and negotiating leases, sale of commercial transactions and residential sales and purchases. I am experienced in dealing with acquisitions and sales of development sites, private client matters, including the preparation of wills, the completion of lasting powers of attorney and applications to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a deputy. At the present time, I am a deputy for a number of clients.
Rachel Stevens writes:
I am a Chartered Legal Executive in Keoghs LLP, working in counter fraud services. Before working at Keoghs LLP, I worked for Weightmans LLP and Stephensons Solicitors LLP.
I completed a law degree at Liverpool John Moores University, and I discovered CILEx when working at Weightmans. I completed my Level 6 exams and qualified as a Fellow.
I joined the CILEx Greater Manchester branch as a committee member in 2013, and became the chairperson of the branch in 2014. I am enjoying my third year as chairperson. I am currently a Council member of the Manchester Law Society.
I was awarded ‘Chartered Legal Executive of the Year’ at the Manchester Legal Awards in both 2015 and 2016. I am a trustee for the North West Legal Support Trust.
In my not so humble opinion...
This new column features the reflections of an anonymous Chartered Legal Executive working in a large, busy practice:
As a young, ambitious, A-level student, I was over the moon to learn of the opportunity that the then ILEX could offer. Wanting me to aim high and succeed in life, those around me encouraged me to consider going to university. And before learning of CILEx, I admit that it felt like the only path to success, but the very idea filled me with dread and worry. How on earth would I afford to go to university? And then there was CILEx: hooray!
My A-level law teacher just so happened to play the part of a careers adviser in our college library too and told me all about it:
1 I could go to work and earn a wage.
2 My employer was likely to pay for the course.
3 With 1 and 2 above, I could earn and learn debt free.
(Although, number 3 was not entirely true: at 22, I bought my first house (a whole 10 years ago!) , but in my view this is a great and exciting debt.) If I had chosen the university path, I’m sure that I would still be struggling to save and pay off student loans, and possibly living with my parents, like many of my friends still do! It’s hard out there!
I love CILEx; it has really opened doors for me. I took on my first fee-earning job at 22, and began to earn good money. The more I studied and got through my exams, the more my salary increased. By the time those exams were done, I had enough fee-earning experience under my belt to then be exempt from having to fee earn for a further two years before being allowed to call myself ‘a [Chartered] Legal Executive lawyer’ : a proud moment!
Looking back, I realise just how much I had earned that status. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those exams. At the time, I was so focused on qualifying, the daily graft of a full-time , fee-earning job and part-time study just felt normal.
One of the things I respect so much about my peers is the dedication it takes to reach the end result. The best bit is that qualifying really is just the beginning! We get to shape our own careers and there are no rules!
My only regret is the regret of not shouting louder and being prouder about CILEx during my career. There are still a lot of people out there who are ignorant about CILEx; some don’t understand the qualification, and there are those that look down their nose with disapproval.
I’ve heard things like: ‘It’s the easy route’ ; ‘The exams are easier’ ; ‘Legal execs are not as good as solicitors’ . What rubbish! Who are they to judge? I’m in no position to judge the other route: ie, the solicitor route via the traditional university route. I suppose my point here is that neither are they!
Most Chartered Legal Executives study alongside full-time jobs. How many solicitors have worked full time, while studying at university? I expect probably not as many as we CILEx folk, but as I say, who am I to judge? Food for thought though!
Is a CLAF a viable way to enable access to justice?
Simon Garrod, CILEx’s director of policy and governance, writes:
In ‘Personal injury funding: betting on the wrong horse?’, (2016) July CILExJ p6, Roger Smith was dubious about the possibility of the introduction of a contingent legal aid fund (CLAF); however, could it now be made viable, starting small and gradually evolving?
The idea of a CLAF in this jurisdiction has been around for a long time. While there is no legislative barrier to its creation, a CLAF has not emerged and the main issue remains one of practical viability:
- How would it work in practice?
- Where would the start-up funding come from?
- What areas of law might it apply to?
- Could it compete with conditional fee agreements (CFAs)?
There are many questions to consider.
It is true that variations of the concept have appeared in various other jurisdictions, and ‘the Hong Kong experience’ is the most frequently cited example. It is also true that other models have been small and ancillary to other provision. Perhaps that is the very type of arrangement that could now start up here, ie, beginning small scale, evolving gradually and, initially, simply offering an alternative or complementary form of civil litigation funding for those who cannot afford to access legal services.
There is certainly a need to be met: public funding has been reduced or removed completely for certain areas of civil work, and we hear regularly about the extent of unmet legal need. The Bar Council has been the main proponent of the CLAF in recent times, producing at least three reports (in 1998, 2009 and 2011). Its 2011 report, Contingent legal aid funds: an outline feasibility study for the General Council of the Bar, concluded that a CLAF was likely to start on a small scale and be specialist; that it could compete with CFAs; and that it could fund the whole of a case or an agreed part of it.
CILEx, the Bar Council and the Law Society have now established a joint working group to examine the viability of a CLAF, and it plans to make recommendations at the end of the year (see page 5 of this issue). In relation to its work, the working group defines a CLAF as: ‘a self-sustaining pooled fund to cover the legal costs of a claimant’s civil money claim, where (i) in cases that win, the claimant’s legal costs are recovered from the losing party and a portion of the damages or other sums recovered by the client is paid into the fund, and (ii) in cases that lose, the claimant’s appropriate legal costs are reimbursed by the fund’ .
The interest and support of government and judiciary is important, as the working group’s consideration will include looking at whether changes to the Civil Procedure Rules, or any other legislation, might be needed to facilitate a CLAF. The working group will also investigate how a CLAF might be initiated, including funding; how it would operate in practice; and what outcomes it would deliver for consumers, lawyers and the justice system as a whole.
CILEx will, like the other members of the working group, be engaging with their members for input in relation to the possible structure and operation of a CLAF. If you wish to be involved in the developing thinking and/or operate in areas of practice where you feel a CLAF might be particularly applicable, we would like to hear from you.
- E-mail us at corporateaffairs@cilex.org.uk
A CILEx past President looks back
As CILEx welcomes its newest President, Martin Callan, past President David March who, in 1992/93, became the youngest-ever national President of the then ILEX, reflects on his presidential year and shares the lessons that a career as a Chartered Legal Executive has taught him.
On 24 July 1992, at the age of 42, I became the youngest President of the then ILEX in the year that celebrated the centenary of what had been the Solicitors’ Managing Clerks’ Association, which then became ILEX. A wonderful day when, at the Manor Hotel, Yeovil, before the full ILEX council and many of my colleagues from the ILEX Somerset branch of which, in 1977/78, I had been the chairperson, I was inaugurated as national President.
Being President and the ambassador of ILEX was a tremendous honour, and I often reflect on this and the 14 years that I spent on council. In my presidential year, I attended 38 functions/dinners; 53 committee/council meetings; and 16 conferences. Several past Presidents had said to me to make sure, wherever I visited, to take the time to see and take in the area. I know why they said this as, like me, they did not get the time to do so!
The presidential year had to take preference over everything, but the oÿce work still came a close second. Costs targets had to be met, hence as soon as a function ended I went straight back home or, if I had to stay overnight, first thing the next morning. In those days, the President did not have the benefit of a capital sum being made available to their firm to employ a locum for the year to relieve the pressure of their workload. I still exceeded my costs target, and I value greatly the support that Battens, the firm with which I had a 46-year association, gave me. The redress on my part was to catch up with my family, who certainly came in third place, and I thank my wife Brenda for the wonderful support she gave to me.
When I advised the Somerset branch that, on 1 March 2015, I was retiring, I made it known that it was through the roots of the branch that I had achieved the opportunity of being President. ‘If I can achieve it, so can any of you’ was my message. There are many past Presidents with whom Brenda and I keep in touch, and a couple of years ago several of us, from the 1980s and 1990s, managed to meet up for a weekend together (see page 44 of this issue).
Hopefully, we will meet again as we became not just great colleagues, but also lifelong friends. We share the great sense of achievement from the individual and collective contributions we made for CILEx.
CILEx Benevolent Fund: do you like our new ad?
Simon Wells, lay trustee and vice-president of CILEx Benevolent Fund, writes:
In (2016) July CILExJ p42, you saw the first in a series of new advertisements which we have created in order to better communicate to members about the support that the CILEx Benevolent Fund offers. The headline, ‘Can’t meet your bills? If you’re a current or former CILEx member, we may be able to help’ , is designed to represent the kind of problems that many people bring to us in a simple, memorable and direct manner. The fact is that probably more than 90% of people who ask us for support are in similar situations: they find themselves in financial difficulties through no direct fault of their own, often as a result of illness, employment issues or the breakup of a relationship.
Over the next few months, we will be running more advertisements that are designed to be similarly direct and to let members know about other aspects of support that we are able to offer. We would appreciate it very much if you could let us know whether the advertisements are effective, and whether there are better ways we could be reaching members.
We are looking for a new trustee to join CILEx Benevolent Fund. Ideally, we would like to hear from a current, working CILEx member. S/he must be able to give up a few hours every month to work with the board of trustees in assessing applications for support, and also take part in regular face-to-face meetings, which usually occur around once a quarter in Central London. The role is unpaid, but you will be able to have a strong say in the future of the charity and the support that it provides to CILEx members. For further details, please contact: recruitment@cilexbenevolentfund.org.uk
If you have any questions about CILEx Benevolent Fund, e-mail : Benevolentfund@cilex.org.uk
#CILExHelp launched
Matthew Brecknock, the membership contact centre manager, describes a brand-new CILEx initiative:
#CILExHelp is an addition to the already impressive social media platform. Members and non-members can now communicate with our specialist advisers during work hours via #CILExHelp; in addition, and to improve our service standards, they will have their tweet responded to within three hours.
Being able to tweet our specialist advisers throughout the working day is integral to delivering an improved customer service and improving your experience with us.
To accommodate the flexibility required for the fast-paced lifestyle of work and study in the legal sector, we listened to your feedback and understood that a further avenue of communication with us is required which is quick, eÿcient and, more importantly, convenient. This feedback encouraged us to develop a new channel of commerce, in addition to the existing twitter page. CILEx is not new to social media, with accounts on all major social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, but this new #CILExHelp initiative offers more in-depth advice than ever before.
Specialist advisers are on hand to support you with joining CILEx, qualifying employment, qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive, continuing professional development and password resets, as well as many other topics, through #CILExHelp. #CILExHelp is the new, improved way of our specialist advisers helping you every step of the way.
For advice and helpful tips, look out for weekly FAQs tweeted from the contact centre.
Legal Charities Garden Party 2016: was the venue really new?
Joyce Arram FCILEx, FRSA, CILEx Honorary vice-president and CILEx Benevolent Fund trustee, writes:
Although the sky was grey, it was dry on the day in June when the Legal Charities Garden Party upped sticks (or should I say stalls/stands?) and moved its venue from the North Lawns at Lincoln’s Inn to Gray’s Inn Fields. So, Gray by name if not by nature (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun!) , and a successful venue it turned out to be, as it appeared that many of the chambers and firms that are based there took advantage of the opportunity to take a stand and entertain their clients and contacts.
The layout of the venue was remarked on favourably, in particular, as our stands were laid out on either side of the Gray’s Inn Fields’ long walk: reminiscent, I thought, of the travelling French markets which come regularly to London and other parts of the country (How long will they continue to do so, I wonder, now that Britain will be literally offshore to the rest of Europe?) .
CILEx were there in force, with a staff contingent, including Helen Whiteman, chief executive of CILEx Regulation; Lynne Squires, development manager; Sharon Bruty, head of communications; Richard Doughty, public affairs oÿcer ; and our editor Val Williams leading the way, supported by the then vicepresident Martin Callan and the then deputy vice-president Millicent Grant, as well as a number of other council members and members of the Chartered Institute. As CILEx Benevolent Fund is one of the beneficiaries of the garden party’s proceeds, a number of the fund’s trustees, ie, Paul Clark, Sandra Barton (a CILEx past President) and myself, were there to support the event. Champagne flowed, as well as other drinks, and food was constantly replenished by the charity’s willing helpers.
As usual at this event, networking between the legal profession’s branches went on in a highly convivial manner. Indeed, as I mentioned to Millie Grant, she made my job of introducing the presidential team to ‘useful people’ redundant as she made contact after contact, promoting CILEx to them all. Well done Millie!
Although it was, as ever, a delight to see so many of our friends in the profession, like Denzil Lush, senior judge at the Court of Protection; Tim Drabble and Sara Chandler, who are both past presidents of City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society, as well as Edward Macey-Dare the current president; Robert Venables, a retired charity commissioner; Joy Van Cooten, with colleagues from the Association of Women Solicitors (she and I tend to meet up in the car park of Tesco’s Colney Hatch branch!); and, of course, Jonathan Smithers, the Law Society’s president, who tells me that, on his retirement as president, he will be off to Tasmania to give advice there, having been headhunted by the island’s legal profession: our loss and their gain!
And no Legal Charities garden party would be complete without the Southern Rag & Jazz Band and the steel band: they too found their way from Lincoln’s Inn over High Holborn to Gray’s Inn, and entertained us with their music.
However, although the numbers attending seemed more than ever, many familiar faces were missing this year: had they all gone to Lincoln’s Inn through sheer force of habit? We will never know! And was Gray’s Inn Fields a new venue? Well, apparently not.
The very first of the Legal Charities garden parties was held at Gray’s Inn on 6 June 1968, so after 48 years it has come home again. Then it supported only the then Solicitors Benevolent Association (now SBA The Solicitors’ Charity). Now it raises funds for not only SBA, but CILEx Benevolent Fund, the Barristers’ Benevolent Association, the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks Benevolent Fund and LawCare.
So, though you may have missed this year’s garden party, do come and join us next year for a convivial evening in delightful surroundings and to support no better good cause than our own charity. But watch this space, as who knows whether it will be at Gray’s Inn Fields again or back at the North Lawns at Lincoln’s Inn. At whichever venue the Legal Charities garden party takes place, I hope to see you there next year.
With great pleasure: doing pro bono work
Mandy Robertson, a CILEx Pro Bono Trust trustee who does pro bono work in a personal capacity, writes:
It gave me great pleasure to - in a pro bono capacity - help a friend, who otherwise would have had no way of getting legal representation. My friend was unfairly dismissed from a job in which he had been employed for a very short time, and this sacking was by way of indirect discrimination as a result of his disability.
I was surprised and shocked that he had approached ‘no-win , no-fee ’ firms which had been unwilling to take on his claim even though I thought that he had a good margin of success. Although I am in no way an employment lawyer (and had said as much to him), I was able to help him complete the forms by explaining the requirements to him, and even sending him links to the forms required to get fee remission. I reviewed his appeal letter to his former employer, and I was able to give him details of organisations that would be able to give him specific advice, which he sought.
My next job was helping him to put together his statement. As I have put together statements in the past - in terms of statements of claim - and I am used to how explanations need to be worded and how exhibits should be attached, I was able to assist with this while he related the facts to me, I typed them up in a way that would be easy for the judge to go through when the case went to tribunal.
The day finally came when my friend had to attend his hearing, and he asked if I would go along with him, as a friend. I made it clear both to the tribunal staff and my friend that although I am a qualified lawyer, I was not there in this capacity but merely as a support. I had even said to my friend what I thought the likely outcome would be and to not aim too high in assessing his own claim, but to slightly lower the original amount he thought it was worth. In assisting with the drafting of the statement, I had researched the caselaw and had referred to the specific sections of the Equality Act 2010 that were appropriate in his case.
I am happy to say that the judge congratulated my friend on his self-representation , and he highly commended the paperwork and bundle of documents that we had put together. The amount we had decided that the case was worth was, indeed, agreed by the judge, and recently my friend received his award notice. He was so grateful for my support, he asked if I could advise a friend of his on a debt collection matter, which I was able to do.
It is so rewarding doing pro bono work, and I would highly recommend it to other CILEx members. It has inspired me to go back to studies and brush up on my employment law knowledge, which I thought I had forgotten even though I studied it when I did my law degree.
I hope that, in some way, this article will inspire other Chartered Legal Executives to maybe take time out of their otherwise busy day to help someone, even if this is simply (where the lawyer who has been approached is not familiar with the relevant area of law) sending them links to relevant documents and organisations where they can get the help they need.
CILEx refocuses on policy and governance with new director
Following the establishment of a policy and governance function as part of the recent restructure at CILEx head office, Simon Garrod joined CILEx as director of policy and governance in June.
Simon brings to CILEx, 17 years’ experience in the legal services sector and 22 years’ experience in management roles in professional associations.
The first of those roles was working within the Magistrates’ Courts Service, where Simon was part of a small team at the Central Council of Magistrates’ Courts Committees representing the managers operating within that service. In those pre-Courts Act days, lay magistrates as well as professional employed staff (justices’ chief executives and justices’ clerks and their teams) had a role in managing the courts in their geographical area.
The projects he was involved in included lobbying government in the face of court house closures, as magistrates’ courts areas were rationalised to become coterminous with the 42 criminal justice areas; providing practical guidance to Magistrates’ Courts Committee members to support their responsibilities and awareness in areas such as equality legislation; and developing and maintaining the corporate website.
Thereafter, Simon spent time working with the Bar, first, as head of remuneration and policy at the Bar Council. He was heavily involved in providing advice, guidance and lobbying in relation to legal aid and in the review of legal services regulation that became the Clementi Review and, ultimately, the Legal Services Act 2007.
He also spent time working directly for the regulator, the Bar Standards Board, as head of professional practice, a key objective being that the development of regulatory policy should not be made in a vacuum, but be informed by the realities of practice. Simon then returned to the representative side of the Bar Council as deputy director where, among other things, he developed the first Bar Council strategy and business plan, and reviewed and recommended changes to the staff and committee governance structure.
Most recently, Simon has also worked extensively with the solicitors’ profession as head of regulatory affairs at the Law Society. There, he led on the society‘s response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s legal services market study, liaising and responding the Solicitors Regulation Authority in respect of reforms to professional indemnity insurance (PII), education and training, professional standards and ethics, and running the biannual regulation survey and annual PII survey.
Simon’s immediate focus at CILEx is to develop the policy and governance team. In particular, this will be concentrated around issues of:
- governance: objectively reviewing current arrangements, byelaws and protocols, benchmarking them against good practice in the sector, with a view to recommending what needs to be changed for CILEx to continue to meet its business and compliance objectives;
- research: creating a function that is the formal focus for grounding CILEx business plans in a robust evidence base; and
- engagement: ensuring that there are effective mechanisms in place to better engage with members and stakeholders to inform the development of policy, membership and education offerings.
Simon commented: ‘Having been a keen ‘CILEx-watcher ’ over the years, I am delighted to be able to now work with the team at such an exciting time. I believe that there are real opportunities for the organisation as the legal services market changes, and CILEx is ideally placed to take advantage of them. A great job has been done to gain Chartered Legal Executives proper, equal recognition with other lawyers; now is a point at which the unique difference that CILEx members offer can be brought to the fore.’
Strategies to consider adopting in your studies
In this new column, Katy Ferris, a year-one law lecturer at Huddersfield University, will provide practical study and revision hints, tips and strategies:
Remember that your main objective is to understand the principles that have been laid down in the leading cases. Learn how to apply these principles to a given set of facts in each of the modules you study.
Start with the relevant section of the material provided by your tutor: this will give you an idea of the points you need to look for. Take one section at a time: do not try to digest several at once. Examine the learning outcomes that have been set: these are the matters you need to master in relation to each topic you are studying.
Read the textbook that has been recommended and referred to in your learning materials. Look, in particular, for the cases on which the author places special emphasis. Textbooks are an important part of your learning: they aim to provide you with the foundation on which to pass the module/unit, but it is your demonstrable understanding of the topic that will determine whether you pass or achieve higher marks. What do we mean by this? You do not just read the textbooks and regurgitate the material off rote in answering a question. Thinking about how the law affects parties and knowledge of the law and legal principles, and their practical application or critical analysis, will make for a more rounded answer.
Read the cases in a casebook (together with any others mentioned in the module/unit guides, particularly the more recent ones). You should, in general, be able to find the case using a casebook or the legal databases that your provider uses. It is hugely important to read the primary materials of the law, ie, cases and legislation. You need to learn as much as possible about each case. Note particularly if it is a Supreme Court or Court of Appeal decision and the essential facts, the ratio decidendi and any important obiter dicta. It is also important to note any other striking features, such as, for example, the existence of a strong dissenting judgment, the overruling of previous authority or apparent inconsistency with other cases.
Pay attention to the impact of other cases in the area: how strong is an authority in the light of subsequent decisions? Now it is time to go back and read the relevant sections of the textbook again, and ask yourself: ‘Does the book’s statement of the effect of the cases correspond with my impression of them?’ If it does not, read the cases again.
You will find activities and selfassessment questions contained in most textbooks, or within the companion online resources. These will not only build up your knowledge of the material, but also provide you with an opportunity to measure your understanding and knowledge of the particular section. Self-assessment questions are designed to test your memory of the material that you have covered. With both forms of exercises, you will find that your knowledge is enhanced if you complete the exercises as you encounter them in the particular topic.
BENEFIT OF STRATEGY 1
By reading and understanding the law, and gaining experience from answering questions from those examples provided in the textbooks or online, you will gain confidence in how to use your legal knowledge to tackle real-life legal problems.
Remember, regurgitating facts you have learned may be an effective short-term measure that assists in passing examinations, but this approach will likely lead to you making potentially costly professional mistakes once in practice.
CPD FAQ
Q: Must I attend accredited courses to meet my annual CPD requirements?
A: We believe that individuals can develop in more ways than by just attending courses. As a result of this, CILEx does not accredit course providers and accepts a wide range of activities as CPD. In addition to attendance at traditional CPD courses, examples of the types of things you can do to meet your annual requirements include: in-house training provider by your employer; online learning activities; work shadowing colleagues in new areas; coaching/mentoring others; developing your knowledge through legal research; and also reading legal publications (like CILEx Journal).
Walk to support access to justice: an update
On Monday 6 June, just under 140 lawyers, advisers and other legal professionals joined forces for a sponsored walk around the riverfront sights of Exeter to raise over £5,000 to support free legal advice in Exeter and throughout the South West.
Under the banner ‘Supporting access to justice in the South West’ , 20 teams of walkers from law firms, barristers’ chambers as well as the voluntary and advice sector came together to raise funds for the South West Legal Support Trust (SWLST) and other local free legal advice charities. Walkers were joined by the President of the Devon and Somerset Law Society, Mark Roome, the High Sheriff of Devon, Angela Mary Gilbert and the chairperson of Devon CILEx branch, Emma Davies.
Congratulating the walkers on their achievements, Emma Davies said: ‘What a fantastic evening. The weather couldn’t have been kinder and I was delighted to see that the event had grown three-fold on last year. I hope that represents a three-fold increase in donations!’
Obituary
Joyce Arram, FCILEx, FRSA, CILEx honorary vice-president , writes:
Kenneth Crawford FCILEx, who has just died at the age of 84, was one of the founding Fellows on the formation of CILEx, or as it was then, in January 1963, the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX). Qualifying as a solicitors’ managing clerk, by examination in 1962, his Solicitors’ Managing Clerks’ Association (SMCA) certificate was signed by the then Presidents of the Law Society and the SMCA.
Ken, as he was known to everyone, went on to become the chair of the North Staffordshire branch of ILEX, and for many years represented that branch at the annual Midlands area conferences. Not surprisingly, when a vacancy arose on the ILEX Council for his area, Ken stood in what was possibly the first election to Council to be contested, and won the election in around 1977. His talents were soon recognised, and he quickly went onto the presidential route, being appointed vice-president in 1978 and then serving as President in 1979/80.
Ken’s career progress was no less meteoric as he progressed through every size and type of English local authority: county, city, borough, urban and rural district, the latter two while also working in private practice as well as acting for a development corporation. His area of expertise was land and property, both domestic conveyancing and commercial, and industrial estate development work.
At the time Ken became President of ILEX, he was working with the legal department of Newcastle under Lyme District Council, and as an indication of the high regard in which he was held the council insisted that he held his presidential inaugural dinner in its prestigious town hall. For ILEX, this was a double first: the first time this event had been held outside of London; and for the first time the inaugural dinner was held in July instead of the usual November, which meant a change in the CILEx Council calendar. Ken’s employers’ invitation set the precedent for the future of holding the ILEX AGM in the summer, and in the constituency in which the incoming President is based, with the president’s inaugural dinner at a venue in the area.
As the news of his death spread among present and past members of Council and his old branch, tributes to Ken have flowed in: all extolling his keen interest in the law and his encouragement of others to progress not only in the profession, but in the institute itself. David March also mentions how Ken as ‘a senior member of Council was the first to encourage him at [my] very young years, having joined Council in 1983 to rise up the ranks within Council’ , and then to go on and eventually become President himself (see page 36 of this issue).
Vivienne Ashworth and I were the first two female Council members (we joined Council in 1976, and Vivienne went on to become our first-ever female President). Vivienne says: ‘Ken was a man of firm principles that he was prepared to fight for. I am not sure they make many like that anymore!’
Diane Burleigh OBE FCILEx (Hons), our immediate past chief executive adds: ‘He was always very supportive of me and the Council during my time as CEO, often being the first with a phone call when we had good news to announce or to give a view. He was not uncritical, which was a good thing: your best friends are your critical ones. He never lost his enthusiasm for his Chartered Legal Executive profession, for his colleagues in law and the legal sector as a whole.’
Throughout his time on Council, Ken was supported in what he did by his wife Jean who, despite her own busy professional life as headmistress of a local school, managed to accompany Ken on many of his visits to branches and area conferences round the country. Jean particularly recalled the happy time the pair of them had on a past presidents’ weekend at Hinkley.
Ken’s funeral was held in Helensburgh parish church, where a service of thanksgiving for his life was held immediately following, at which Ken and Jean’s son, Graham, made mention of Ken’s ILEX involvement and the positions he had held on Council, and in the legal profession. Those of us who knew him and Jean but were unable to attend in person, paid our own tributes to Ken by taking time to reflect on our recollections of him and his time on council at the same time as the service was taking place.
CILEx’s condolences go to Ken’s widow, Jean, and their son Graham, who now lives in Australia, together with our thanks for Ken’s contribution to CILEx’s history and his influence on the legal profession and the law.
- My personal thanks go to those past presidents, Council members and senior officials of CILEx, who have contributed to this tribute.