Obiter hears that skills minister Matthew Hancock rather put his foot in it at last week’s launch of the higher apprenticeship in legal services.

The minister waxed lyrical about new possibilities for non-graduate entry into the legal profession, while seemingly unaware of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and its route to becoming a solicitor. CILEx chief executive Diane Burleigh (pictured) was seen to bristle.

However, she didn’t have long to wait to put the record straight. At a Westminster event on apprenticeships hosted by Supreme Court president Lord Neuberger, Burleigh welcomed the opportunity to speak as it had become clear ‘some people did not know’ what the estimable CILEx has to offer.