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I am afraid anon 22.17 has incited this post but I would also be interested in the background of the majority of those passing comment.

I am a non graduate CILEX, I am also a Partner in a top 100 firm and have a judicial appointment.

Dealing firstly with the question of judicial office ; these are rigorous competitive appointments, there is a level playing field, any appointment be it Solicitor, Barrister or Legal Executive is based on merit alone. CILEX who cannot compete with other branches of the profession will not be appointed.

If, however, they do compete successfully who is to say that they do not deserve to be appointed.

Legal Executives and Paralegals are not the same any more than Solicitors and Paralegals are the same.. The point which appears not to have been mentioned is that in my experience the majority of Paralegals have a law degree and often LPC. CILEX is often a route to qualification as a Solicitor; any suggestion that that they or CILEX are intellectually less qualified is very much open to question.

The idea that CILEX are paid less I am not convinced about, historically CILEX could not be partners, firms had often suppressed solicitors pay in the face of the partnership carrot. Without that carrot well regarded CILEX were as a consequence often paid more.

The reality is that most successful firms now operate as a meritocracy, the traditional distinctions, I am afraid, mean very little to our clients and trying to hold to them is to be in denial of the true challenges that confront the legal profession/s.