Tracy DaCosta, a legal executive, has become a partner with her law firm under reforms allow the creation of legal disciplinary partnerships (LDPs). It is the first time that a legal executive has been made a partner in a law firm.

Ms DaCosta, who works with Verbatim Property Lawyers, a firm in Woodford Green, North London, was able to join with a solicitor in partnership under the changes brought about by the Legal Services Act 2007.

A former full license holder of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, she has been a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (Ilex) since 1994 and specialises in property law.

An Ilex spokeswoman said: "In the present economic climate, a female legal executive lawyer becoming a partner in a particularly hard-hit area of the law, especially given she did not go to university, is an impressive achievement. It shows that the legal world is changing and becoming perhaps not as elitist or traditonal as it was."

She added: "More than 60 per cent of qualified legal executives lawyers cannot afford to study full-time at university so these changes might mean an end to discrimination for legal executive lawyers."

Since 1985, Ms DaCosta has worked in the City of London, both for the Guildhall and in private practice. She also worked in-house for Woolwich Plc, local authorities and law firms in Greater London before setting up Verbatim five-and-a-half years ago. She is now going into partnership with a solicitor to expand the practice.

She said: "This is a positive way forward for Verbatim Lawyers as it will bring greater expertise to the firm in different areas of law."

Mark Bishop, the president of Ilex, says: "More law firms are expected to announce legal executive partners in the coming weeks. Ilex traditionally has a high proportion of female members and Tracy is the first of what we hope will be many more.

"Partnership is recognition of the growing importance of legal executives in the legal workplace. Members such as Tracy have been performing at partner level for many years and now their skill and expertise can finally be acknowledged through partnership.”

Ilex allows someone to train as a lawyer without going to university: students study through flexitime, at evenings and weekends while working within a law firm.

Students will earn on average £20,000 a year while studying and can earn anything up to £92,000 on qualifying. Their level is on a par with solicitors. About 75 per cent of people who chose to study in this way are women.

The Ilex spokeswoman added: "What's more it only costs £3,500 for the whole course - unlike studying at university which is full-time and leaves students on average £30,00 in debt afterwards, and with no guarantee of a job. So it's a great means of becoming a fully fledged lawyer, at a fraction of the cost of a conventional law degree."

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