myCILEx

Welcome to myCILEx

CILEx’s exclusive members area

myCILEx provides you with information on the work CILEx is doing on behalf of its members.
For the latest branch events in your area, visit: www.cilexbranches.org.uk

 

CILEx Annual Report and Accounts

The Annual General Meeting took place, on 19 July 2018, at Norton Park Hotel, Sutton Scotney, Nr Winchester, SO21 3NB, where the 2017 Group Accounts were adopted.

An electronic copy of the Group Accounts can be viewed and downloaded at:
www.cilex.org.uk/about_cilex/business-plan/annual-report

Copies of the Annual Report, in paper and other formats, are available on request from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, Kempston Manor, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7AB, or e-mail: sharon.bruty@cilex.org.uk

 

CILEx privacy policy

CILEx is committed to protecting the privacy of all personal information obtained from you during visits to CILEx websites. Our aim is to safeguard the security and privacy of your personal information whilst providing all the information you need to successfully complete any application or request for information. By using the CILEx websites, you indicate your consent to the collection and use of such information in accordance with the following Privacy Policy.

Cookies

Cookies are small files which are stored on the user's hard drive for the purpose of identifying the user agent (web browser) and ensuring that web pages are correctly served to older versions of web browsers.

For administration of its website, CILEx may use session cookies: a session cookie is a temporary file stored in a web browser that is deleted when either it expires or the browser is closed.

No privacy or personal information is stored in a cookie from this website.

If you would like further information, please read the complete CILEx cookie policy.

Collection of data

CILEx is committed to respecting the personal data you supply to us. The information we collect will be relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used, and we will do our utmost to ensure that such data will be accurate, complete and kept up to date. Whenever personal data is obtained from you, you will have access to information as to how that data will be used. CILEx does not sell, trade or rent your personal information to others.

Use of data

The information we collect will only be used for the purposes for which they are originally submitted. We will not disclose your details to third parties, except where required to by law or where those parties are conducting CILEx activities on our behalf, consistent with the information we have registered with the Information Commissioner.

In those circumstances, we ensure that the data is only processed in a manner compliant with the Data Processing Act 1998 and subject to a formal dataprocessing agreement. At such times, we also ensure that you may exercise your right to prevent engagement with a third party by opting-out of the relevant activity.

You may choose not to receive CILEx communications by writing to our Membership Department at: Kempston Manor, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7AB*

 

 

CILEx Group tests its Business Continuity Plan

If your business is office-based, do you know what you would do if a situation occurred which meant you could not access your premises? Do you have a business continuity plan? Sharon Cooper, corporate compliance manager at CILEx, writes:

Here at CILEx, we have been reviewing our Group Business Continuity Plan to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

A number of representatives from the CILEx companies and teams recently gathered to carry out a desk-top exercise to test the newly revised plan. The exercise was designed to practise how the group would cope in the event of an emergency occurring.

A fake emergency scenario was given of an explosion in the Manor car park, which had resulted in the site being evacuated and, following assessment, structural damage to the Manor.

The team worked through the plan, and how they would handle the situation. Although the test only lasted for a couple of hours, the responses to different timescales within the plan - from 10 minutes after the explosion to returning to the building 10 weeks later - were discussed. Issues ranged from how would staff get home if they were unable to access their cars and how we could ensure that business as usual continued without the use of all our premises to what would we do if traumatised staff did not want to return to the Manor.

The exercise was delivered successfully by all parties involved, and solutions were found. The lessons-learnt review after the event has helped CILEx refine and strengthen its Business Continuity Plan, ensuring that we are well prepared should a major incident occur.

 

#LegalPride

CILEx members once again joined forces with solicitor and barrister counterparts to march at Pride in London 2018. The march was led by the then CILEx president Millicent Grant, along with Law Society president Christina Blacklaws and Bar Council chair Andrew Walker QC.

The legal professions marched with the message that all are equal under the law, and will do so at other Pride events around the country, including Leeds, Manchester and Cardiff.

The then CILEx President Millicent Grant said: ‘Pride has for many years been a part of the CILEx calendar. It is important to celebrate the diversity of our members, while making a visible show of our profession’s openness and acceptance of everyone – not in spite of, but in celebration of, their differences.

‘Marching together, and chanting about our values, presents an image of acceptance that I and CILEx have always tried to convey.’

 

50 years of the Legal Charities Garden Party

Joyce Arram FCILEx, FRSA, honorary vice president of CILEx and a long-standing CILEx Benevolent Fund trustee, writes:

It is incredible to believe it, but the annual Legal Charities Garden Party celebrated its half century this year and, in so doing, the garden party went back to its original venue: Gray’s Inn. On reflection too, I have been to practically every one of these bar approximately half a dozen or so. And like me, attending and entertaining us over all those years has been the ‘Southern Rag-A-Jazz’ Jazz Band and a steel band. I am convinced, their original musicians not looking a day older than they were 50 years ago! Spooky!

An innovation this year - and no doubt to celebrate the special event - was a Champagne Bar complete with tables and chairs, which meant that some people got no further than this and spent the whole evening enjoying this treat. Those that resisted this temptation found their way to CILEx stand, and so there was not a time when we lacked visitors coming to say ‘hello’.

CILEx headquarters was well represented, as usual, with the chief executives of both CILEx and CILEx Regulation (Linda Ford and Helen Whiteman respectively) in attendance, along with Sharon Bruty and Amanda Brewitt, and the former chairman of trustees, Paul Clark. Also present were a number of other members of the CILEx team, and of course our then President, the intrepid Millie Grant, who spent the entire evening doing sterling work networking with all the right people who needed to know about us.

Making his first visit to the garden party was our new President, Philip Sherwood, who travelled all the way from Winchester.

Our regular visitors - Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hons); Tim Drabble; Edward Macey-Dare; Joy Van Cooten; and Denzil Lush, who is a retired senior judge of the Court of Protection - all visited our stand along with Coral Hill, the current president of the City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society (the perennial hosts of the garden party), who is also head of external relations (LLB) at the University of Law.

Our Benevolent Fund, along with the other legal charities - benefit from the proceeds of the event, which is why it is so important that it is well attended. As the garden party’s strapline says: We are ‘Lawyers helping lawyers’.

 

OBITUARY

Donald Winton 1924–2017

Donald Winton, who passed away on 29 November 2017, devoted his working life to the law until his retirement, in 2008, at the grand age of 84. He entered the legal profession, in 1938, at the age of 14, with a local solicitor, Denton Rowe, in Hendon.

On his discharge from the RAF, in 1947, Donald took the decision to try and ‘work his way through the ranks’ in the legal profession. He obtained employment with Kenneth Brown, Baker, Baker, and it was there that he determined that matrimonial law was going to become his specialist field. Between 1950 and 1957, he changed jobs a number of times before moving on to Wrentmore & Sons, where he stayed for 13 years, till 1970.

For the next seven years, he worked for Ward Bowie as a senior managing clerk, His next firm was Gordon Dadds. Sadly, Donald’s first wife died in 1979. Shortly after this, he reluctantly left Gordon Dadds and moved to a provincial firm in Pinner, Keith Flower & Co. In 1993, at the age of 69, he was made redundant.

He obtained a further position, again with a local Pinner firm, Galbraith & Co. He remained there until, in 2000, at the age of 76, redundancy again called.

Donald recalled, one day, passing a local firm, Pearl & Co, and on a whim going in to ask the senior partner, David Pearl, whether he had or would wish to have a matrimonial consultant. After initial hesitation, David Pearl was persuaded to take Donald on, where he continued to work until he was 84.

It was, therefore, fitting that in his final working year, in 2008, Donald was put forward at the prestigious Law Society awards as a candidate for the then Legal Executive of the Year Award.

He was truly delighted and honoured to receive a highly commended certificate. Donald had been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for many years. He will be missed.

 

RETIREMENT

John Keryakoplis

John Keryakoplis qualified as a Fellow in 1982. He worked for two local authorities in Yorkshire, and for three authorities in Cheshire - from 1978 until 2009 - including Chester City, Cheshire County Council and East Cheshire Council, and finally in Denbighshire as a commercial property lawyer. John retired, on 31 March 2017, after working, for most of the time since 1973, with local authorities and, for a short period, as a locum.

 

Lincolnshire CILEx Branch launched

The event was held at the beautiful Collection and Usher Gallery in Lincoln, on 20 April, and attended by the then CILEx president Millie Grant.

 

First-ever CLE appointed vice chair of Resolution

Juliet Harvey of Birketts in Ipswich has become the first Chartered Legal Executive to serve as vice chair of Resolution. The announcement was made at Resolution’s annual general meeting in May, and Juliet will serve for two years as vice chair before taking up her position as national chair in 2020.

Speaking about the impact that membership of Resolution has had on her own practice, Juliet said: ‘I’m concerned about what’s happening in our field, and I hope I still have a job by the time I come to retire. It must be more challenging for those starting out now: there appears to be a real squeeze on family law, so I do worry. I’d say stay in touch with Resolution because they keep ahead of the curve, and keep their members involved on all the changes that are coming up in the profession.’ See also pages 40–41.

 

Walk to support access to justice!

The Legal Support Trusts support local advice services which help to facilitate and support access to justice for the poorest, most vulnerable and most disadvantaged members of society. CILEx will be supporting these afterwork walks. You can help to raise funds for local advice services by signing up as teams, or as individuals, to walk and raise money to support access to justice. Please register your team or your name with your Regional walk organisers.

Eastern events

London and South East events

North East events

Wales events

For further details, visit: www.CILEx.org.uk/membership/events/legal_walks_2018

 

Gearing up for the first ‘Justice Week’

The legal profession is gearing up for the first-ever ‘Justice Week’, a new initiative to put justice and the rule of law at the centre stage of public and political debate.

Taking place between 29 October and 2 November 2018, the week will promote a vibrant mix of research, public events and digital media content, bringing together politicians, the media, industry, the third sector and the public to tackle the key challenges our justice system is facing today.

Building on the achievements of National Pro Bono Week, the launch event will explore what the public thinks about our justice system and how the media reports on justice issues. In addition, the specific focus on pro bono provided by National Pro Bono Week will continue this year in the form of Global Pro Bono Week, which takes place from 21 to 25 October 2018.

Whether you have run events for National Pro Bono Week before, or if this is your first time running such an event, get in touch so that we can make sure that it is included in the Justice Week timetable.