ILCA Press Release - 23rd January 2008

MORE CASHIERS QUALIFY WITH ILCA

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It is estimated that staff in more than 1,000 law firms are now qualified by ILCA Examination to maintain Law Society standards in their firm’s accounts offices, a number which has increased following the recent set of externally moderated examinations.

Of the 64 candidates who sat the examinations in London and Manchester, 77% were successful of which 16% achieved Distinctions. Membership of the ILCA has grown to nearly 2,900 since the Institute was founded in 1978.

Richard Halberstadt is the ILCA’s External Moderator, formerly with the College of Law specialising in professional conduct issues.  Although now retired, he continues to act for the College of Law by setting the professional conduct aspect of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.

The ILCA offers qualifications at three levels, Diploma, Associate, and Fellowship. The Diploma is a three-hour examination and is intended to test the immediate working knowledge of the legal office environment.  The Associate level has three separate papers, each of 3 hours, covering Accounts, Financial Management, and Legal Practice & Procedure. These are designed to test career students on a deeper understanding of the many legal and accounting topics they will meet in working life.

The Fellowship level, (by thesis) is the ILCA's highest qualification and allows Associates to follow a specialised course of study on a subject approved by the ILCA's Training and Education Committee. Examinations at all levels are held twice a year and the venues are usually London and Manchester.

For legal staff who want to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in law office management and accountancy practice, the ILCA also runs a series of one and two day workshops. As well as workshops on general aspects of a legal cashiers' work, there are workshops on more specialist subjects including: Solicitors' Account Rules (SARs); VAT for Solicitors; Step One - Elementary Legal Accounting; Step Two - Intermediate Legal Accounting, Credit Control, and a Beginner’s Guide to Legal Aid. All ILCA courses carry 6 CPD hours per day and it is not uncommon for practice managers and law-firm partners to attend some of these workshops.

Further information regarding the ILCA can be obtained from the executive secretary Mrs Margaret Macdonald on  020 8302 2867 or exec.sec@ilca.org.uk or www.ilca.org.uk