CILEx
CILEx is changing…
CEO Linda Ford reviews the highlights of the CILEx year to date, and reveals the exciting initiatives planned for 2018.
About the author
Linda Ford is CEO of CILEx.
Member services
We have spent 2017 building on much of the work started in 2016. The contact centre established last year has gone from strength to strength: dedicated to responding to your individual enquiries; improving our membership processes; and developing our use of social media and the web site.
You can now engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, with a relaunch of our YouTube channel this December. New ‘How to’ videos provide guidance on a range of topics from registering on qualifications to making an application to be a judge.
In April, we launched myCareer, a development tool to help you access support as you progress through your career. Whether you need help identifying your next job role, creating your CV, practising for interviews or even how to approach a judicial appointment application, myCareer offers tools, tips and guidance to assist.
CILEx celebrates the fact that our membership is broad and diverse; we recognise that you have different aspirations, levels of experience, and training opportunities, so we have created a place where you can uncover and explore what it is you want, how you can achieve your goals and realise your ambitions. If you haven’t already, login to myCILEx and explore this exciting new member benefit.
The Branch network has continued to develop during 2017, and in the summer three local branches got together to host a Branch Ball in the grounds of the Manor. The event was an opportunity to recognise some of our branch members, who do amazing work as volunteers to support our members locally. The role and needs of branches is something we plan to explore further with you in 2018, and we will be asking for your views and ideas as to how we can improve local networks and regional presence.
In October, we welcomed all of our new Graduates and Fellows to Milton Keynes for a great day in celebration of their achievements. Once again, all those that attended made for a wonderful atmosphere and the stories of achievement were inspirational.
2017 has seen our qualifications team busy delivering over 14,000 exams, including the first e-assessments for the Tech Level, a qualification established for young people interested in working in the law. We look forward to seeing the first achievers for this programme in 2018.
Development of Trailblazer apprenticeships has continued to be a focus, and the first final assessments for both the paralegal and Chartered Legal Executive pathways will be conducted in 2018. The implementation of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017 has put this very high on the agenda for many employers, and along with CILEx Law School we have seen significant demand.
Considerable effort has been deployed in developing a robust evidence base to inform how CILEx qualifications structure and associated membership grades should change in the future to meet the needs of members and the demands of the evolving legal services market. More than 4,000 CILEx members took part in the member survey and, at the time of writing, a dozen key account CILEx employers, educational centres and graduates have also taken part in in-depth qualitative interviews as part of this work. The final report will be produced in January, and will form a solid basis for subsequent consultation with you, our members, and our stakeholders in 2018.
With an increased focus on raising the profile of CILEx within schools nationwide, we have partnered with the Lawyer Portal to promote the benefits of the CILEx route to school leavers through their website and events. Over 2500 young people have now registered on the portal, giving them access to a wealth of material explaining how to access the profession and to learn more about CILEx employers and practitioners, giving us a great platform to promote the CILEx route.
We have seen substantial progress towards more Chartered Legal Executives holding judicial appointment, with the launch of our Judicial Development Programme. The first group to enrol on the programme have benefited from access to judge mentors, coaching and support to prepare them for the application process. Excellent attendance at our development days for those interested in a judicial career is a positive indicator for many more members to join the programme in 2018.
The policy and governance team has considered more than 50 consultations issued by CILEx stakeholders in 2017, submitting substantial responses to more than half of those.
Our processes for member engagement and informing the development of our policy positions based on the reality of members’ practices and experience have been enhanced by the ongoing launch and the use of our Specialist Reference Groups (SRGs). There are now groups covering: crime practitioners, civil practitioners, family practitioners, court users, personal injury practitioners, regulatory affairs, Wales, conveyancing practitioners, private client practitioners, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender practitioners.
As well as dealing with consultations, these groups have assisted in engagement with other major initiatives such as HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s courts reform programme. We hope that many more of you will sign up to SRGs in 2018, building bigger networks based around practice interests and helping us target our engagement and communications around your interests and area of practice.
This last year has seen significant activity to reform our governance framework. CILEx Council had identified that greater focus was needed if CILEx, as an organisation, was properly to discharge its various roles: as a representative body acting in the interests of its member; as a chartered body acting in the public interest; as a qualification awarding body; as an Approved Regulator under the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007; and as a commercial education provider through its law school. An independent review was commissioned and undertaken, which identified where CILEx could make a number of improvements and achieve best practice in corporate governance. Its recommendations suggested areas where, structurally, CILEx could be enhanced, and which competencies that structure should incorporate to meet the challenges of the future.
January 2018 is a significant milestone, with our new governance structure coming into effect through the introduction of an overarching Group Board, with an independent Chair retaining oversight of the CILEx brand, the financial well-being of the group and its overarching strategy, and discharge of its public interest duty as a chartered body.
The Professional Board will provide greater attention and focus on acting in members' interests, developing our membership benefits and support services and ensuring that our qualifications meet the needs of employers and future practice, giving you access to a full range of career choices and job opportunities.
The new structure also ensures that we can meet the expectations of government and the public, demonstrating clearer separation between CILEx Regulation (and its Board) - as the ring-fenced regulator of Chartered Legal Executives, discharging its regulatory duties under the LSA - and the Professional Body.
The new structure is also designed to allow CILEx to benefit from commercial opportunities through its Law School and through a new Group Services company providing infrastructure support for all companies in the Group.
The introduction of independent members into the structure to complement the perspective and experience offered by our professional members provides access to a wider range of knowledge, experience and expertise, strengthening our ability to respond to future challenges, risks and explore new commercial opportunities.
In October, we consulted with you regarding changes to the Journal and I am delighted with the level of engagement. Over 3,300 members responded to the survey, with over 500 of you providing additional comments. The results highlighted both the level of value you place on the Journal and your preference to continue to receive some information in printed form.
In the light of this feedback, we will continue to provide a printed edition, changing the frequency of issue to quarterly. The printed journal will continue to provide access to topical features, thought-provoking articles, and updates from the President, key stakeholders and head office. Improved online provision will provide us with more opportunities to ensure that you receive updates, announcements and information relevant to practice areas, and your individual interests, in a more timely, targeted and innovative manner.
Some of your comments queried why there wasn’t an option to continue with monthly printed editions and whether moving to a less frequent hard copy publication would result in a fee reduction. The answer to both these questions is simple: the cost of production, print and postage is substantial (approximately £450,000 per year). These costs cannot be funded through the practising certificate fee, the use of which is restricted to the cost of regulation and permitted purposes as defined in the LSA. It is not, therefore, viable for us to continue to finance the cost of monthly print editions without detriment to other member services.
I am, however, committed to continuing to deliver a journal and to improving the information and communications you receive from us, and I believe that we can achieve this through a combination of quarterly, printed editions complemented by additional online content linked to individual preferences, interests and needs. Engagement and communications I would like to thank you, our members, for both your continued support of the institute and your engagement through our new stakeholder reference groups (SRGs), member surveys, and the various branch events and roadshows I have attended during this year.
It has been a pleasure and an education meeting so many of you and learning more about your experiences, the challenges you face and how CILEx can better support you. Your feedback is vital to allow us to continue to improve the services and support we offer, and I hope to be able to meet many more of you in 2018.
2018 is all about creating a more responsive member experience, with our communications, services and support tailored to individual needs and preferences.
To do this we need to understand more about you, what you want from your professional association and how we can improve what we offer. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to have your say and to influence the shape of things to come. My commitment to you is to listen and to ensure that the decisions we make at CILEx head office are informed by your views and feedback.
Look out for details of our ‘CILEx is Changing’ campaign in 2018, which will provide information on exciting new initiatives, opportunities to get involved and have your say, consultation events and more details about our vision and plans for the future.