Making it legal (From York Press)

Making it legal

9:57am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Letters

AN ARTICLE in The Press of January 28 headlined “500k cheat jailed” said the subject was a legal executive who had no formal training.

While the term “legal executive” can be used to describe staff within a legal organisation, I would like to help the public in their understanding of legal executives. Legal executives are fully qualified and trained lawyers.

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives provides formal legal training and regulation of chartered legal executives. We have been established for nearly 50 years. Our organisation produces legally qualified lawyers who practice in law alongside solicitors and barristers.

Ms Harris was not a legal executive registered as a member of our organisation. While she may not have had any formal legal training, chartered legal executives most certainly do and study to achieve their qualification to enable them to practise in law.

Many of our chartered legal executives are running their own businesses, are partners in solicitors practice and can also apply to become judges in the courts and tribunals. We are very much an active group of lawyers within the legal services.

I would be happy to provide further information and can be found on the internet.

Patricia White, Chair of the York and North Yorkshire Branch of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.