CILEx National Awards 2019

CILEx needs you!

In a call to action from CILEx HQ, Lynne Squires urges members to nominate their inspiring peers - or indeed themselves - for a CILEx National Award.

About the author: Lynne Squires is head of business development at CILEx.

In September 2018, almost 20 years to the week after joining CILEx as a student member, I was privileged to be able to attend the inaugural CILEx National Awards ceremony. To be able to play a small part in celebrating the amazing achievements and excellent business practices of CILEx members and stakeholders was truly special (see the article by Ian Hunt, winner of the 2018 CILEx National Award (Legal Expert Award - Private Client) on page 42 of this issue).

The National Awards were launched as a means to celebrate the excellence of CILEx members and the growing support of legal sector organisations and training providers; in addition, the National Awards assist CILEx HQ showcase the quality - and breadth - of the specialist legal competence that our members possess and acknowledge the tremendous support and recognition received from 100s of employers around the country, support that has allowed many individuals to follow their career aspirations and secure a career in the legal profession.

January 2019 marks the 15-year anniversary of my being a CILEx employee, and I want to take a moment to indulge in a bit of personal reflection. I am grateful to CILEx for the opportunities that my decision to enrol onto a night-school class has offered me. Every now and then, I ÿnd myself looking around a room, seeing people listening to what I have to say, and think to myself: ‘You know, all this comes about thanks to starting that evening class: what a life changer!’

I was very fortunate: my (law ÿrm) employer introduced me to ILEX, as it was back then. They encouraged me to join the Institute and to enrol on my ÿrst course, I had no idea that this vocational route was even available. The partners supported my professional development not only ÿnancially, but also by allowing me time off to study, by introducing additional legal work - under supervision - at the right time, which helped to put what I was learning into context, and by fully acknowledging, and celebrating, each and every milestone that I achieved.

Despite having a truly supportive employer and being eight months away from my own CILEx Fellowship, I chose not to stay in practice when the opportunity to work for CILEx arose. I headed to CILEx determined to make the opportunities that CILEx offered more well known and better appreciated and respected. Some days are still easier than others, and reading negative or out-of-date views still lights the same ÿre in me as it always has. 

"The award has given us a real boost, and we will endeavour to capitalise on our current success and further expand the branch. "
CILEx Regional Branch of the Year Award: Devon Branch, Gemma Rowe, Branch Chair

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This year’s CILEx National Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday 5 September 2019 at Madame Tussauds, London, and hosted by Claudia Winkleman, one of the best-known broadcasters in the UK.

Over the years, I have - quite literally - met thousands of CILEx members and prospective members; each with their own special story of how they came to be working in the legal profession or why they are/were looking to pursue a career in law. We are all fortunate to have discovered this amazing route into law. No doubt, like you I am immensely proud of my (GCILEx) membership and of my profession. I hope that you are as determined to help make sure that every opportunity available to CILEx members is pursued, and every single achievement celebrated.

When discussing the National Awards with members last year, many commented that they did not feel that they could nominate themselves. This was not because they felt that they failed to meet the criteria (they more than met the criteria), but they just did not want to self-nominate.

Nominations are, of course, critical to the success of the National Awards: how better for us to showcase the CILEx route than to celebrate those who have followed or are following it, or who support the pathways into a legal career that CILEx offers.

I urge you to consider nominating yourself, your colleague(s), training provider or employer for an award. Your professional journey is important: share it with others, and use it to assure those who are thinking about the CILEx route into the legal profession that this pathway offers the opportunities they seek. I believe, dare I say it, that this will help silence those who suggest that somehow CILEx members fall short, or have less challenging careers, or are lesser legal professionals because they choose a non-traditional route into law.

"I am hugely honoured to have won the Legal Expert Award, and I am looking forward to continuing to further my knowledge and to continuing to represent vulnerable people in the area of family law.."
Legal Expert Award: Philippa Morgan

Your success stories, your career journeys and your training and recruitment practices are such an important means of promoting access to the legal profession, real life stories which encourage others to investigate all options when considering their career goals and how to achieve them.

Work with us, tell us your story and together we will celebrate the present and inspire the future.

CILEx National Awards 2019

The CILEx National Awards were launched, in 2018, to celebrate the exceptional talent, innovation and achievements of CILEx members, supporters and stakeholder partners.

Building on last year’s success, CILEx is pleased to announce that nominations for the CILEx National Awards 2019 will open on Monday 4 February 2019.

These exclusive awards will recognise individuals, organisations and teams that are providing exemplary service, advice and support to those seeking access to justice. The awards celebrate the innovative recruitment and professional development practices that are widening access to a career in the legal profession to a more diverse audience.

CILEx is delighted to once again formally celebrate what we have always known: that we support and represent a wealth of talented people and organisations. We will be acknowledging the hard work and dedication of those who are leading the way in an ever-changing, forward-thinking, professional legal services sector and whose work closely aligns to our mission, our vision and our values.

Why you should get involved:

We encourage CILEx members, supporters and stakeholders to nominate themselves and their colleagues and employers, and help us to recognise and celebrate their success and the contribution they make to promoting the profession.

  • Be recognised for your exceptional specialist technical knowledge and experience
  • Receive formal recognition from CILEx, your peers, employers and legal sector representatives for the excellent work that you do
  • Acknowledge and celebrate the professional development opportunities made available to you, and your colleagues, by your employer
  • Stand out from peers and competitors, and raise your professional proÿle
  • Recognise and reward the hard work of colleagues, employers and peers who deliver excellent results for your clients, business and the public
  • Raise awareness of your status as an exemplar employer, showcase how you have set benchmarks for others to aspire to
  • Celebrate your contribution to widening access to justice, and to the legal profession.

Nominations will open on Monday 4 February and close on at midnight on Sunday 31 March 2019.

The CILEx National Awards 2019 categories

Individual Awards

CILEx Apprentice of the Year

CILEx Learner of the Year

Joyce Arram Memorial Award for Advancing the Legal Profession

CILEx Legal Expert Award

CILEx Legal Expert Award - Property

CILEx Legal Expert Award – Private Client

CILEx Supporting Lifelong Learning Award

CILEx Visionary Leadership Award

Organisation/Team Awards

CILEx Law Firm of the Year Award (Micro/Small/Medium/Large)

CILEx Promoting Access to the Profession Award CILEx Diversity & Inclusion Award

CILEx Innovation & People Development Award

To be awarded by CILEx

CILEx Employee of the Year

CILEx Regional Branch of the Year Award

CILEx Lifetime Achievement Award

"We were extremely proud to be commended for our commitment to embracing ‘the benefit of recruiting, retaining and supporting the development of a diverse workforce’. This is due to our firm-wide dedication to our diversity and inclusion programme ‘TrowersIncludes’. "
Diversity & Inclusion Award: Trowers & Hamlin

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