What Does a Chartered Legal Executive Do?

A Chartered Legal Executive (sometimes called a CILEX Fellow or CILEX Lawyer) is a qualified lawyer regulated by CILEX Regulation. They do much of the same legal work as solicitors but usually specialise in one area of law from earlier in their career. This guide explains what CLEs actually do, where they work, how their day is structured, and the routes that let you qualify as one, including the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship that lets you earn a salary throughout.

Advising Clients

Taking instructions, explaining legal options in plain English, and guiding clients through a matter end to end. CLEs develop deep expertise in their specialist area and are often the main point of contact on a case.

Drafting Documents

Preparing contracts, wills, statements of case, settlement agreements and letters of advice. Within their specialism, CLEs draft the same documents as solicitors and often work with a high degree of autonomy.

Managing a Caseload

Running cases from start to finish inside one practice area. Because CLEs specialise earlier, they often carry larger caseloads than newly qualified solicitors in the same department.

Supervising Paralegals

Reviewing junior colleagues' work, signing off files, and training paralegals in the day-to-day of the specialism. Senior CLEs often run teams of paralegals and trainees within a department.

Advocacy in Some Courts

Fellows with the right certificates can conduct advocacy in the County Court, tribunals and certain applications in the High Court. Advocacy rights are awarded by CILEX Regulation in specific practice areas.

Signing Off Files

Once qualified as a Fellow, a CLE can sign off their own cases without solicitor supervision. This independence is a key difference between a paralegal and a qualified CLE.
What Is a Chartered Legal Executive Do

A Day in the Life of a CLE

A Chartered Legal Executive’s day looks similar to a solicitor’s in most respects. The main differences are depth versus breadth: a CLE is usually deeper in one specialism from earlier in their career, while a trainee solicitor rotates through seats to build breadth.

A typical day for a CLE in a family law department might start with a client meeting about a financial order, followed by drafting court papers, a call with opposing counsel, research on a recent case update, and file management in the afternoon. These are the main building blocks:

  • Client calls and meetings within your specialist practice area
  • Drafting documents: contracts, court papers, letters of advice
  • Legal research on case updates, statutory changes and precedent
  • Negotiation with solicitors, CLEs and in-house counsel on the other side
  • Supervising paralegal work and signing off routine files
  • Occasional advocacy in tribunals or the County Court if you hold the rights

Where Do Chartered Legal Executives Work?

CLEs work in almost every setting that solicitors do. The profession grew out of law-firm clerks who wanted a formal qualification, and today Fellows are found in private practice, in-house legal teams, the public sector and specialist conveyancing or probate firms.

The most common employer types are:

  • Private practice law firms: high street, regional, national and specialist firms
  • In-house legal teams inside banks, insurers, charities, councils and large companies
  • Public sector: local authorities, HMRC, government departments, CPS
  • Specialist practices: conveyancing-only firms, probate firms, family-law specialists
  • CILEx-led firms (since ABS rules allow CILEX Fellows to own law firms from 2014)
How Do You Qualify as a chartered legal executive
chartered legeal executive cilex routes

Areas of Law CLEs Practise

CLEs can specialise in almost any area of law. Historically they’ve been concentrated in family, probate, conveyancing and private client work, but the profession has diversified and CLEs now practise across the full range of legal services. The specialism you choose affects your pay, your day and whether you’re in court.

These are the most popular CLE specialisms:

  • Family: divorce, children, cohabitation, financial orders
  • Private client: wills, trusts, probate, inheritance and tax planning
  • Conveyancing: residential and commercial property, leases, landlord-tenant
  • Litigation: small-claims, debt recovery, employment tribunals
  • Employment: contracts, redundancies, tribunal advocacy
  • Commercial: contracts, company law, dispute resolution
  • Criminal: assisting solicitors on defence and prosecution work
  • Immigration, personal injury and human rights are also common specialisms

How Do You Qualify as a CLE?

The Chartered Legal Executive route runs through CILEX. You complete the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) or one of its predecessor diplomas, then spend three years in qualifying legal employment before applying for Fellow status. Many people qualify while working full time, which is why the CILEX route is popular with career changers and paralegals.

Here’s the full journey, stage by stage:

  • Check entry requirements: four GCSEs 4-9 including English for the Foundation stage
  • Enrol in the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) or the old Level 3 Diploma
  • Complete the Foundation stage (Paralegal level): 3 core units plus practice area specialisms
  • Move to the Advanced Paralegal stage: further academic study and workplace competencies
  • Complete the Lawyer stage: level 6 academic work plus specialist practice area exams
  • Gain at least 3 years of qualifying legal employment (2 years can run alongside study)
  • Apply to CILEX for Fellowship, supported by a referee from your workplace
  • Admission as a Fellow of CILEX, entitled to use the Chartered Legal Executive title
Cilex Level 6 Qualification

Explore the CLE Routes

There’s more than one way to qualify as a CLE. The Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship lets you earn a salary throughout, the graduate diploma route compresses the academic stages for law graduates, and the non-graduate diploma route is open to school leavers and career changers.

Compare CLE Routes