The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has announced the appointments of incoming chair Eileen Milner who will take over as CILEX Chair in January 2025, and Yanthé Richardson who has now begun her year-long term as CILEX President.
As of January 2025, Eileen will take over as CILEX Chair from Professor Chris Bones who will be stepping down after six years in the role.
Initiatives launched during Chris’ tenure included: the launch of the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) in 2022, amendments to the Judicial Appointments Order 2008 that last year opened up more senior judicial roles to CILEX Lawyers, the passing of the Powers of Attorney Act, containing changes permitting CILEX Lawyers to certify copies of Powers of Attorney and securing parity of funding between apprentices qualifying as solicitors and those qualifying as CILEX Lawyers, for the first time.
Incoming CILEX Chair Eileen Milner said:
“Taking on the role of CILEX Chair is both an honour and a responsibility I take very seriously. It is an opportunity to build on the significant progress CILEX has made under the chairmanship of Professor Chris Bones which has been founded on seeking to ensure that the public benefit mission of the organisation is fulfilled through further strengthening the role and status of CILEX lawyers in our legal landscape.”
She added that CILEx remains ambitious to do more to open up new routes into the legal profession and is ‘confident that collectively we are well equipped to do so’.
New CILEX President, Yanthé Richardson, is a principal director at top 100 law firm Foot Anstey and leads a team specialising in transactional new-build development conveyancing work. Looking forward to her year in office, Yanthé is focused on supporting CILEX members to succeed in their roles and inspiring the next generation of CILEX lawyers and paralegals. She said:
“This is a pivotal point in our long history, with achieving equality of opportunity for our members and efficient, effective regulation at the top of the agenda. I will be prioritising support for CILEX lawyers and paralegals in furthering their careers, working with employers to help support their current and future CILEX members to progress.”
“I want to see more firms like mine where there are no barriers for CILEX lawyers. I want our members to have the potential to go all the way to the top in their organisations if they have the skills and the desire to do so.”
The CILEX board has also appointed five new non-executive directors: Candice Thorpe who joins as Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee; Lucy Winskell as Chair of the Regulatory Compliance Board; Maura Sullivan as Chair of the Finance Committee; Steve Chantry as Chair of the Sales and Marketing Advisory Board, and; Tim McIntyre Bhatty, Chair of CILEX’s Education Board.
Eileen Milner is chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and the Children and Families Trust for Bradford and District. She was previously Chief Executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency, responsible for skills, apprenticeships and technical education as well as the regulation of colleges, independent training providers, academies and free schools. Prior to that she was Chief Operating Officer at the Care Quality Commission and has also worked at senior level in the commercial sector in both the technology industry and public service advisory work.
Yanthé Richardson began her legal career at 17 working in a legal aid firm, first as a secretary, then later as a paralegal before qualifying with CILEX. She practised family law before transferring to property law and working her way up to her current leadership role at Foot Anstey. She represents CILEX on the Land Registry Advisory Council and the Digital Property Market Steering Group and was recently appointed to the New Homes Quality Board code council.
