Licensed Conveyancer v Legal Executive
A licensed conveyancer and a legal executive are both legal professionals who can provide assistance with property transactions in the UK, but there are some key differences between the two:
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Qualifications: Legal executives are qualified lawyers who have completed the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) qualification, which involves both academic study and practical experience. Licensed conveyancers have completed a specific conveyancing qualification, such as the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) qualification.
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Scope of Practice: Legal executives have a wider scope of practice and can provide legal services in a variety of areas, including conveyancing. Licensed conveyancers are specialists in conveyancing and property law, and are therefore limited in the types of legal services they can offer.
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Supervision: In general, legal executives must practice under the supervision of a qualified solicitor, as they are not authorised to practice as solicitors. However, there are some limited circumstances where a legal executive may be able to practice without supervision. For example, if a legal executive has been granted rights of audience by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), they may be able to appear in court without a solicitor present. Additionally, a legal executive who has been granted the status of a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate by CILEx may be able to provide advocacy services without a solicitor present. Whereas, Licensed Conveyancers are able to practice independently and do not require supervision by a solicitor.
- Regulation: Legal executives are regulated by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), while licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
- Cost: Legal executives may be more expensive than licensed conveyancers, as they offer a wider range of legal services and often work in full-service law firms.