CILEx Law School offers vocational training by distance learning in law and legal practice. Many of our students are law graduates and those holding a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) who are working towards qualifications for exams set by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

The CILEx Graduate Fast-track Diploma (GFTD) is the qualification for law/GDL graduates to complete the academic part of the Chartered Legal Executive training route. Success in the GFTD, coupled with qualifying employment as specified by CILEx, leads to qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive. As a Chartered Legal Executive you can become a partner in a law firm, or a senior lawyer in the legal department of a commercial or public sector organisation. Exams are set at Level 6 and provide in-depth knowledge of your selected area of legal practice.

Studying the CILEx GFTD instead of the Legal Practice Course is an increasingly popular route for law graduates. Whereas you need to obtain a training contract to qualify as a solicitor, the employment element of the Chartered Legal Executive qualification is based on achieving work-based learning outcomes. Unlike the solicitor route, these don’t need to be achieved within the context of a particular type of employment contract. This means that the GFTD, as well as being much cheaper than the LPC, is also much less of a gamble.  

CILEx Law School offers the GFTD by distance learning and it can be adapted to fit around your other commitments, so you can study at a pace to suit you. Indeed we would recommend that you look for paralegal work within the legal sector to start building up your work-based learning portfolio alongside your studies.

Employability

Our courses are run by distance learning and most students are working whilst studying. In fact 60% of students are sponsored by legal sector employers to do their GFTD course. If you are already working as a paralegal ask your employer about this.