Report comment

@12/1/19 03:16, ANON, when I last read the article (and preceding posts) it was not about whether Chartered Legal Executives' fees should be cheaper to reflect them as lesser lawyers for them to attract clients, or have I missed/misinterpreted something here? I somehow do not believe we would have been awarded a Charter if we were not recognised as qualified Lawyers and making a major contribution to legal services; or did our Sovereign get that wrong, or perhaps even though we have had the Charter for some 7 years there are still persons who do not know about this or understand its significance - but that is another argument I presume!?) ?? To suggest that the public will and do only use CLE's for legal services if they are cheaper because they need to be, is absolutely absurd! I am not concerned about competing in the legal services market, in actual fact, I, like many of my CILEx Practitioner counterparts, manage cases right through to dealing with trial - I do not need to instruct anyone else which does actually reduce costs considerably for my clients. I am more than happy to stand up and be counted (hence not choosing to be ANON) as proof CLE's are on par with Solicitors. The majority of my opponents are Solicitors who instruct Barristers, we work together because in the day to day conduct of cases and in the court room, under the Legal Services Act, I am equal to my opponents, and treat them with the respect that I expect to be reciprocated. My clients are interested in what I can achieve for them, that I work in their interests, it doesn't come down to whether I am cheaper, although in the long run I am because there is no double standard on costs. My clients are not interested in my status in the profession they know my firm and I are regulated legal services. I do not have to reduce my fees (and would not at your suggestion either) because I am not a diluted version of a lawyer or any step down at all below a Solicitor or Barrister. Why should the profession still maintain such snobbery, when we are all serving the same purpose? I agree with @ 08:33 we should work together to provide better legal services than fight amongst ourselves in a profession which each individual has their reasons for entering regardless of background, or what route we took to train or qualify. CILEx is most certainly the most socially mobile option to become qualified in law, without that route for me personally I would have had no means of being able to qualify and have like many in the profession, not just CILEx members, worked very hard to qualify in law and deliver legal services to the public - we all have our role to play!