CILEX (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) has unveiled its five-year strategy with a promise to build a legal profession equipped for the future, open to all aspiring lawyers with the talent to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.
After successfully challenging the Mazur judgment – a ruling that had a significant impact on many of its members – in the Court of Appeal earlier this year, CILEX says it will campaign for regulatory reform ‘to improve outcomes, increase effectiveness and strengthen CILEX’s position as the third branch of the legal profession’.
Seeking greater recognition for CILEX Lawyers, the professional body will work to open more doors to members, prioritising support for them throughout their careers, as well as creating a ‘vision for justice’ that factors in technological advances, increased pressure on public finances and the decline of legal aid.
The strategy outlines four strategic goals:
- To create a proud professional community;
- Drive change and elevate CILEX’s profile;
- Provide excellent education for a growing profession; and
- Build firm foundations for a sustainable future.
CILEX will produce a growth plan informed by analysis of the legal services sector’s ‘current and future workforce needs, member aspirations and workforce opportunities’ as well as exploring the potential for new CILEX offerings and opportunities for international growth.
CILEX CEO Jennifer Coupland (pictured in banner), said:
“At a time of rapid technological advancement, growing workforce pressures, court backlogs and increasing demand for legal services, the sector faces significant challenges and cannot afford to rely solely on traditional routes into law to meet those challenges.
“Modern legal services require multiple routes to qualification, flexibility and a workforce that is skilled, diverse and equipped for the realities of contemporary practice.”
The accessibility and flexibility of the CILEX route to qualification mean it is one of the most diverse professional bodies in the sector. Women make up 77% of its membership, while 16% are from an ethnic minority background and 77% attended state schools.
The new strategy reiterates CILEX’s longstanding commitment to social mobility, with a focus on inspiring the next generation by ‘raising aspirations and providing the right opportunities, in the right way and at the right time, to enable people to maximise their potential’.
Coupland added:
“CILEX has a vital role to play in shaping that future and is committed to pressing for the regulatory reform required to make that happen, opening up further opportunities for our members. If we are serious about wanting a diverse and inclusive legal profession, accessible to all, then CILEX Lawyers are the test case for what is possible.
“We do not underestimate the challenges ahead, but we are ambitious for our members, confident in the value they bring, and determined to ensure that CILEX continues to champion opportunity, recognition and excellence across the legal profession.”
To benefit public understanding of the CILEX profession, CILEX will also work with its members and CILEx Regulation to simplify membership grades, titles and qualifications as well as access to practice rights and certificates.
View the CILEX strategy 2027-2031
Download a copy of the new strategy for CILEX, here.
