The Institute of Legal Cashiers and Administrators, (ILCA)

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The ILCA membership

The ILCA is the non profit making professional body dedicated to the education, support and promotion of excellence for specialist financial and administrative personnel working within the legal community.

For those who don't know, a Legal Cashier is someone who deals with the accounting and finance functions of a solicitor's practice. The term 'Legal Cashier' is the most widely recognised within the legal community but variations include:

legal accountant
financial controller
accounts manager
practice manager
partnership secretary (amongst others).

The role of the legal cashier has developed over the years and now encompasses a plethora of administrative duties including:

marketing
personnel management
health and safety etc.

The ILCA therefore extended its title in 1990 to incorporate the term 'Administrator'.

We welcome you to our website and hope that we can be of assistance.

Non-members are reminded that they are unable to access the secure membership areas.

Why should you join?

Along with the traditional importance of accurate financial information, the growing relevance of computer technology, sophisticated management accounting and modern methods of practice administration mean that today's law office personnel must remain up-to-date with all the latest developments, while at the same time maintaining the highest professional standards.

The ILCA is the only organisation dedicated both to helping achieve this and at the same time encouraging the development of its members' skills through educational courses, training seminars, publications, exhibitions, advisory service and other membership facilities, as well as close liaisons with other sections of the legal community.

With successful legal practices being run on the lines of efficient businesses and the law office personnel market becoming increasingly competitive - can you or your staff really afford not to be members?

Who should join?

Membership of the ILCA is open to anyone not less than sixteen years of age who has a professional interest in law office accounting and administration, including:

All cashiers and bookkeepers working in the accounts and financial departments of solicitors practices, licensed conveyancers offices, and corporate business/local authority legal departments.
Law office managers, administrators, partnership secretaries, financial controllers and practice managers
Solicitors - especially managing partners and sole practitioners
(ILCA courses are accredited for Law Society CPD hours)
Legal software suppliers and computer consultants
Members of the accountancy professions, including trust accountants and staff who audit law firms

Benefits of membership

	Advisory Helpline legal practice issues.		Career development recognised qualifications
	Register of Vacancies regularly up-dated		Legal Abacus magazine informative articles
	Workshops, conferences and exhibitions		Specialised annual supplements
	Web Site secure and interactive		Code of ethics guidance in your workplace

Membership of the ILCA brings with it a wide range of benefits both to the practice and the individual member, including:

Annual subscriptions are deductible for Income Tax purposes.

Disclaimer:
The ILCA cannot ensure the accuracy of information given and is not legally responsible for errors or omissions.

Membership categories

The ILCA's Membership is divided into five categories:

ORDINARY MEMBER - this is the entry level to the ILCA. The qualification for admission as an Ordinary Member shall be, firstly, that he or she is not less than sixteen years of age, secondly, that the Executive Council be satisfied that in its view he or she has received a general education to an adequate standard and thirdly, that he or she intends to pursue and study the profession and learn the basic principles of legal cashiering.
DIPLOMA MEMBER - this is the first of the ILCA's higher grades of membership and is attained by the successful completion of the examination plus two years experience in legal accounting. Qualifying members may use the designatory letters ILCA (Dip).
ASSOCIATE MEMBER - this is the second of the ILCA's higher grades of membership and is attained by the successful completion of three examinations plus six years experience in legal accounting. Qualifying members may use the designatory letters AILCA. Only members who have passed the Diploma Examination may sit for the Associateship examinations.
FELLOW MEMBER - this is the highest grade of membership and can only be attained by Associate members undertaking the Fellowship examination. Successful candidates may use the designatory letters FILCA.
AFFILIATED PROFESSIONAL MEMBER - this category is for members of relevant professional bodies - such as chartered/certified accountants or solicitors. Affiliated Professional Members may enjoy the full range of ILCA benefits but, as with Ordinary Members, they are not permitted to vote at AGM's.

Ethical code

To help members maintain a high professional standard of integrity and reliability the ILCA has produced a Code of Ethics. A summary of this is set out below:

Members will seek and conform to their proper contract of employment
Members will maintain a standard of performance in their work and will avoid conflicts of interests or misrepresentation
Members charged with any serious criminal offence whether in a private or professional capacity shall be suspended from membership of the ILCA pending a full hearing by the Disciplinary Committee

Click here to view our complete Code of Ethics.

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Join ILCA

You can apply for ILCA membership, complete the application form, download and send the to the ILCA with your remittance: simply choose one of the memberships below:

ORDINARY MEMBER - this is the entry level to the ILCA. The qualification for admission as an Ordinary Member shall be, firstly, that he or she is not less than sixteen years of age, secondly, that the Executive Council be satisfied that in its view he or she has received a general education to an adequate standard and thirdly, that he or she intends to pursue and study the profession and learn the basic principles of legal cashiering.

AFFILIATED PROFESSIONAL MEMBER - this category is for members of relevant professional bodies - such as chartered/certified accountants or solicitors. Affiliated Professional Members may enjoy the full range of ILCA benefits but, as with Ordinary Members, they are not permitted to vote at AGM's.

Join ILCA using our online form To join complete the applicaton form click on SUBMIT then print the application form off and send to the ILCA with your cheque.