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Legal executive (England and Wales) : Employers and vacancy sources

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Case studies

Legal executives, like solicitors, work in a broad range of legal environments. Job advertisements increasingly call for either a legal executive or a solicitor, with many requesting specialist knowledge of a particular area of law. At the time of writing (Nov 2009) the recruitment climate for legal executives is good.

Legal executives are predominantly employed by firms of solicitors and tend to work in medium to large-sized firms, including:

  • high street practices, dealing with legal matters in the local community;
  • medium-sized firms, combining private client and commercial work;
  • large commercial firms catering for business clients.

Within all these firms, legal executives have their own specialised function.

Legal executives may also be employed by local authority in-house legal departments, where they might be involved in litigation and advocacy in relation to any aspect of the council's work. This type of work is particularly community focused, which requires strong social skills.

There are also employment opportunities in the Civil Service (see Civil Service Jobs Online ) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) , dealing with issues of public legal concern.

Legal executives also work within the legal departments of large industrial and commercial organisations, such as private utilities and financial institutions, dealing with commercial issues, such as finance, employment and property, and they may work on legal issues for charities.

Legal executives are receiving increasing recognition from employers as cost-effective lawyers in their own right, but they do not have independent practice rights.

Sources of vacancies

You can also apply to specialist recruitment agencies such as BCL Legal Recruitment , write speculatively to local firms, or approach The Law Society of England and Wales in your area for further assistance.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.

 
AGCAS
Written by Janet K. Willis, University of Manchester
Date: 
November 2009
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