Graduate Case Studies

Peter Eyre, F.Inst.L.Ex.

“Having already completed a degree, I couldn’t afford to return to full-time education, so the ILEX route was the ideal solution for me.”  

Peter Eyre is an ILEX Fellow. He works for the Welsh Assembly Government as a Commercial Property Lawyer. Before he started studying with ILEX he had already completed a degree in Business Studies at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff .

His degree had included some legal elements which Peter found interesting. That  interest in the law led him to consider a change in direction and take up a legal career. Conversations with work colleagues led him to ILEX. His employer at the time encouraged him to take his interest further and subsequent employers have supported his studies. He graduated as a Fellow of the Institute in January 2007.

Peter said: “What attracted me to ILEX was the ability to study while I was earning and gain practical experience at the same time. Having already completed a degree, I couldn’t afford to return to full-time education, so the ILEX route was the ideal solution for me.”  

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Joanne Davies

“Your career is opened up to so many different avenues with Ilex – it’s unbelievable”

Joanne graduated with a 2.2 in law from the Swansea Institute. and is studying with ILEX.

"I decided not to pursue a career as a solicitor as I couldn’t afford to do the LPC, which is another reason why I decided to undertake the ILEX diploma. At the moment I am two steps below a solicitor. When I get the ILEX qualification I will be just one step below. It was a good opportunity to further my career, as well as having another qualification.

"I started doing the ILEX diploma while I was doing my degree. It was a two-year course: the first year was portfolio-based and covered all aspects of law, which I found quite interesting. In the second year I had one lecture a week, and at the end of the year there was an exam. I found it quite difficult  because at the same time I also had exams for university.

"You have to really study for it – there are so many grey areas of law. There is a lot of work to be done. It takes a while, like every degree, but the rewards are fantastic. Your career is opened up to so many different avenues with ILEX - it’s unbelievable.

She is currently a paralegal  working for 1-Legal solicitors. "Work is quite happy for me to step up and become a legal executive.

I currently deal with clients who have new claims,"says Joanne , ."I find out what happened, and get as much information as possible from them. I then type the details up, and pass it on to a partner, who decides if they’re going to take the claim on. If the client doesn’t have legal expenses cover, we arrange for an insurance policy with a “no win no fee” agreement.

"I send out a CFA (conditional fee agreement) and I then pass the claim on to whoever’s going to be dealing with it. For road traffic accidents, I check the vehicle. If necessary, I arrange for more photos to be taken. We deal with all types of personal injury claims: personal injury covers road traffic accidents and employer liability. We also have departments that deal with industrial disputes, and a team that specialises in conveyancing.

"I really enjoy dealing with clients on the phone. I even like chasing people up. There is something different every single day, which is great. For me the most challenging part is when I’m doing something new. For example, I might have a new claim form that needs completing. Things like that I find the most challenging, but also the most fun."