CILEX hosts party conference events on social mobility and the justice system
CILEX held events at both Labour and Conservative party conferences to discuss how to fix the broken justice system and improve social mobility in the profession.
The Labour party event saw shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry and shadow Lord Chancellor Steve Reed discuss improving diversity in the profession and the judiciary, alongside CILEX chair Professor Chris Bones and Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation.
Mr Reed described the legal profession as an “unreformed bastion of privilege” that faces a “crisis of legitimacy” if this is not addressed. He recognised CILEX’s role in increasing diversity in the profession and called for more transparency in the judicial appointments process to ensure judges were more representative of society.
Ms Thornberry reiterated her support for opening up opportunities for CILEX members to become Crown prosecutors, making it clear that if CILEX professionals have the skills, knowledge and experience, they should be allowed to progress.
At the Conservative Party event, Ms Atkinson and Professor Bones were joined by justice minister Rachel Maclean. Ms Atkinson acknowledged the work being undertaken by law firms to improve social mobility in the profession through data collection, outreach programmes, mentoring and bursaries, but argued this was “not delivering the outcomes in access and success to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds”.
Professor Bones stressed the importance of creating “a legal system that reflects the society it serves”, highlighting the barriers faced by CILEX members. Ms Maclean reiterated the government’s commitment to further opening up the profession to CILEX members and promised further updates from the Ministry of Justice as part of the next Judicial Diversity Forum.
Matthew Huggett takes over as CILEX president
Employment law specialist Matthew Huggett has taken over as the 59th president of CILEX with a promise to champion the CILEX route into a legal career and prioritise improvements to the working lives and career opportunities of CILEX members.
Mr Huggett began his legal career in his 30s and worked for manufacturers’ organisation EEF (now known as Make UK) for over 20 years before joining Carbon Law Partners in 2018. He represents clients in employment tribunals and advises employers on matters such as discrimination, dismissal, restructuring, equal pay and contractual disputes.
Speaking at the CILEX AGM in July, Mr Huggett said the legal profession “would have been entirely closed to me if CILEX had not existed” and that for many like him, it simply was not possible to fund a legal qualification or take time out of employment to undertake studies.
“This is one of the reasons that CILEX has such an important place,” he said. “Talented individuals from all walks of life have access to the legal profession through CILEX. We are the only branch of the legal profession that can genuinely say this.”
One of Mr Huggett's key priorities is to improve the working environment for CILEX members after last year’s membership insight survey found many faced discrimination and a lack of respect from employers, despite their qualifications and experience.
“Today, we continue to face challenges. CILEX members are still, in many instances, treated poorly in comparison to our other legal colleagues in the profession… CILEX members are often battling and challenging a system, fighting a status quo which does not always provide us with parity in comparison to other lawyers. We want to change that.”
To hear more from Mr Huggett you can read his Journal column.
Record pass rate as Foundation students sit CPQ
August saw publication of the latest CPQ assessment results, with 83% of students passing assessments as part of the first stage of the new qualification.
In total, 294 students from across England and Wales sat assessments forming the first step in the Foundation stage of the CPQ, which is aligned to the role of paralegal/case handler.
Nine of the cohort have now completed the further assessments and practice experience needed for the CPQ’s Foundation stage and have qualified as CILEX Paralegals and can go on to study for the CPQ Advanced qualification.
Advanced stage results were also published, with an overall pass rate of 57%. Those who complete the Advanced stage qualify as CILEX Advanced Paralegals. As Trainee CILEX Lawyers, they can go onto study the CPQ Professional stage.
CILEX chief executive Linda Ford congratulated all those students receiving positive news: “Those passing assessments have been successful in the first step of their journey towards a rewarding legal career and progressing to the next stage of the CPQ. Gaining both legal knowledge and practice-based experience provides them with a competitive edge in the legal market and makes them an attractive proposition for employers.”
The results showed relatively small differences between the performance of candidates on a range of diversity characteristics: 84% of White candidates passed compared to 75% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups; 73% of men passed compared to 85% of women.
CILEX Foundation supports members through the squeeze
CILEX Foundation, the independent charity designed to support members of CILEX and their families, has continued to offer support over the last year, running three programmes designed to widen opportunity, provide financial reassurance and deliver access to career development for members.
The CILEX Lawyer Scholarship Programme made nine awards at the end of 2021, worth £12,500 each, covering all CPQ fees for exceptional candidates with considerable potential but who would otherwise be unable to afford the course. Three of these scholars received the Millicent Grant Award, recognising the challenges experienced by those from under-represented or diverse communities.
The CILEX Foundation is proud to be able to offer scholarships again in this year.
Applications for the CILEX Bursary programme were also accepted for a second year, benefitting existing members who demonstrated a desire to progress their careers by undertaking CILEX-accredited courses, such as transferring to the CPQ pathway.
Finally, members have been able to use the CILEX Foundation’s financial health checks in the form of money advice and budget reviews, income maximisation and debt management advice through its partnership with Auriga Services. This service is free to access for CILEX members and complements the award of welfare grants made in instances where a member is experiencing unexpected money difficulties.
His Honour Judge Marc Dight CBE, chair of the CILEX Foundation’s board of trustees, said: “We are proud of the level of financial assistance we can offer our members and prospective students. The scholarship programme in particular stands out among other charitable offers as it provides reassurance that the full qualification is funded, giving the learner security that funding will not be withdrawn or reduced.
“This guaranteed learning package enhances the employability of the candidate, giving them real value in the legal workplace. CILEX professionals are not immune from feeling the pressure of current financial uncertainty, and our aim is to improve the prospect of members whose work or studies could be disrupted by personal money worries.
“This year, we have been assisted by a fantastic panel of volunteers from the CILEX Fellow membership, who imparted their vast experience of being CILEX Lawyers ‘on the ground’ and who added real value to our shortlisting processes.”
The CILEX Foundation is an independent charity, which aims to support members of CILEX and those aspiring to study the CILEX route to law. To support the charity with a donation or speak to us about ways you can support us, including volunteering opportunities, click here.
Lawyers unite to celebrate 50 years of Pride
The legal professions of England and Wales – solicitors, barristers and CILEX lawyers – united this summer to commemorate 50 years since the first Pride march took place in the UK.
CILEX, the Law Society and the Bar Council marched for the first time in more than two years at Pride Cymru, at the flagship Pride march in London, and at Pride in Manchester.
CILEX’s then president, Caroline Jepson, said: “We are proud to be marching alongside colleagues from across the legal profession in this special 50th anniversary year, recognising the important contribution LGBT+ professionals make and the vital work undertaken by those defending LGBT+ rights.
“We stand for a legal sector that is open and accepting and have long championed diversity in the profession. We are dedicated to supporting our LGBT+ members and advocating for LGBT+ rights, cementing the progress of the last 50 years and combatting discrimination where it persists.”
Lynne Squires returns to CILEX to strengthen links with employers
CILEX’s former head of business development, Lynne Squires, has returned to CILEX in a new programme director role, with a view to strengthening the organisations links with employers.
Ms Squires, who joins CILEX from the Access to Justice Foundation, takes on responsibility for the direction and development of CILEX’s corporate partner and affiliation programme.
She will be working with employers and the CILEX team to better understand their current and future requirements, identifying and implementing appropriate solutions for corporate partners’ workforce development needs.
Ms Squires said: “I trained with CILEX and received a great deal of support from my employer, from paying my fees and giving me time off for my studies, to helping me progress in my career. I saw how important it was for members to have employers who understand CILEX and the benefits CILEX training can bring.
“This motivated me to join CILEX and in my new role I want us to work even more closely with employers, to gain their insight, to improve the products and services we offer them and to help them partner with CILEX to build a workforce fit for the future.
“Last year’s membership insight survey showed that many members feel they are not adequately supported by their employers but there are plenty of firms out there who are keen to improve, and to make changes to ensure they train, attract and retain talented CILEX professionals.”
Essex law firm announces qualification of CILEX trio
Essex law firm Birkett Long, has seen three Chartered Legal Executives qualify into the firm’s wills, trusts and probate team: Leah Woodnott, Chloe Walker and Katie Hayden.
Ms Woodnott and Ms Walker both started out as legal secretaries before working their way up to paralegal roles. Studying while working full time was “challenging at times”, Ms Woodnott said, but she was proud to have qualified, saying: “I have always felt supported by my colleagues and they’ve been happy to provide advice as well as keep me motivated. Now I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career.”
Ms Walker said she also appreciated the support given by the firm and that the hard work put into her studies over the last seven years had “finally paid off”.
Ms Hayden completed the Graduate Fast Track Diploma with CILEX after she joined Birkett Long with a law degree from Exeter University. She said she “loves the varied caseload and working so closely with clients” and explained she felt quite emotional about qualifying: “It’s been a really tough journey but I am relieved to have made it to this point in my career.”
Congratulations to all three CILEX members.
Public affairs update
CILEX continues to work on members behalf to influence government policy and lobby for the removal of the remaining barriers to practise and progression.
CILEX welcomed the new Lord Chancellor and justice secretary, Brandon Lewis, to the role, writing to him as well as the new education secretary, Kit Malthouse, and levelling-up secretary Simon Clarke, to introduce CILEX and request meetings. CILEX thanked Dominic Raab, for his support of CILEX during his tenure at the Ministry of Justice and wrote to another former Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland, welcoming his continued service as Welsh secretary. Both have been strong supporters of CILEX Lawyers.
Following work by CILEX with Labour’s justice team in recent months, Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry has adopted CILEX’s ask to remove the restriction that Crown prosecutors are required to be generalist lawyers, rather than specialist lawyers. Speaking to The Guardian, she publicly pledged to remove restrictions on Crown prosecutor positions.
CILEX’s response in support of Labour’s plans was picked up by the New Law Journal and Legal Futures