By Royal Appointment

I was pleased to celebrate 22 years in the Tyndallwoods’ Private Client Team this year but I was also very proud eight years ago to stand on the stage in Bedford to accept my scroll and to be admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

This week the Institute has been granted a Royal Charter.  The Charter will come into effect towards the end of this year, once it has been sealed with the Great Seal, and the Institute will change its name to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

Royal Charters granted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, have a history dating back to the 13th century but are rarely granted nowadays.  New Charters are normally reserved for bodies that work in the public interest and which can demonstrate pre-eminence, stability and permanence in their particular field.

The Institute said chartered status has the added benefits of :

• Promoting and maintaining high standards of ethical conduct, efficiency and training;
• Enhancing and maintaining public confidence in the work of legal executives and the commitment they have to their clients;
• Promoting in the public interest co-operation and mutual assistance amongst other parts of the legal sector; and
• Readily identifying legal executives and other ILEX members to the public, ensuring that legal practices are client focused;

This great achievement further highlights that not all legal service providers are the same.  When considering choosing a legal service provider you should ask:

1. What qualifications and experience does my advisor have?
2. Are they a specialist in their field of law?
3. Does the firm have any ‘excellence’ or ‘quality mark’ accreditations?
4. Is my advisor regulated?
5. Is my advisor insured?

I am excited to soon be known as a ‘Chartered Legal Executive’.

Nicola Beggan
F.Inst.L.Ex.
Private Client Team

Private Client Team Profile