Legal Executive Job Description
Legal executives typically work in the U.K. since the only qualification program for this position is the Institute of Legal Executives, which is located in the United Kingdom. Many of these qualified lawyers, however, chose to come to the U.S. to carry out their work in either the local or national government, the legal department of a firm, or to work for a private company.
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Education
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Only those who are Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), which is located in the UK, are technically allowed to call themselves "legal executives." Currently there are about 22,000 legal executives in the worl,. 9,000 of these individuals are currently completing their qualifications to become a "Fellow". In order to become an official "Fellow," these individuals must pass examinations created by the Institute of Legal Executives. They must also work in the legal field for five years while being supervised by a solicitor.
Skills
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Legal executives must have excellent communication skills to work with clients. They must have developed interviewing skills. These professionals must be able to work well under pressure. They must have strong analytic, problem-solving skills as well as be able to pay attention to detail. Additionally, since they bill directly to a client, they should have some business skills or hire someone to take care of billing for them.
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Duties
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Legal executives prosecute or defend proceedings in legal cases such as personal injury or debt. Another common duty they have is to draft wills and act as executors and administrators of estates. Often they advise clients in regards to criminal proceedings or in employment disputes. Furthermore, they carry out procedural legal work to aid in transferring land between clients. Legal executives are hired by clients to argue on their behalf. Through this, they must file paperwork and explain complex legal documents to customers. Additionally they must analyse legal information and interview witnesses. They attend court in order to aid solicitors in cases. Another duty of these professionals is to act as a commissioner of oaths when swearing in legal documents. They may also perform miscellaneous tasks related to the legal field as designated by their employer.
Specialties
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Many legal executives choose to specialize in a certain area. The most common areas for this are family law, probate, convayancing, and civial and riminal litigation,
Salary
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According to a November 2009 survey from Salary Wizard, the median annual salary for a legal executive is $282,905 per year; 25 percent bring in less than $218,962 per year, but 75 percent earn over $358,647 each year.
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References
- Photo Credit young lawyer image by Alexey Stiop from Fotolia.com
