To get certified as a legal assistant or paralegal, you need to meet education or training requirements as mandated by a voluntary professionals' association and pass the association's exam. After certification, you need to take continuing education classes or workshops to maintain your certified status.
Certified Legal Assistant or Paralegal Education and Training
A legal assistant or paralegal handles many tasks within a law office. In fact, as a legal assistant or paralegal, you will carry out many of the same tasks as a lawyer, with two major exceptions: you cannot dispense legal advice or represent a client in court. In most cases, your job will involve handling a lot of paperwork and managing clients.
While it is not always an employment requirement, being certified allows you to provide proof of your skills and can enhance your chances at securing employment. There are three recognized organizations that offer certification options for legal assistants and paralegals.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutParalegalsLegalAssistants">Important Facts About Paralegals/Legal Assistants</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td>Online Availability</td><td>Full coursework online; internship onsite</td></tr>
<tr><td>Specializations</td><td>Family law, litigation, immigration, estate planning</td></tr>
<tr><td>Common Courses</td><td>Ethics, wills and estates, litigation, legal research</td></tr>
<tr><td>Continuing Education</td><td>Required every five years for NALA or NALS recertification; every two years for NFPA</td></tr>
<tr><td> Median Salary (2021) </td><td> $56,230 (<i>for paralegals and legal assistants</i>)*</td></tr>
<tr><td> Job Outlook (2021-2031)</td><td> 14% (<i>for paralegals and legal assistants</i>)*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---NationalAssociationOfLegalAssistantsNALAForLegalAssistantsAndParalegals">National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) - for Legal Assistants and Paralegals</h3><p>The NALA offers the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) or Certified Paralegal (CP) certifications. The organization also offers advanced certifications in certain legal specialties.
</p><p>To sit for the CLA/CP exam, you need one of these educational backgrounds:
</p><ul><li>American Bar Association-approved certificate or degree
</li><li>Associate's degree in legal assistant or paralegal studies
</li><li>Any bachelor's degree plus a paralegal certificate
</li><li>Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies
</li><li>NALA-approved equivalent
</li><li>Any bachelor's degree plus a year's experience as a legal assistant
</li><li>High school diploma plus seven years' experience
</li><li>Current paralegal student nearing graduation
</li></ul><h3 id="section---NationalFederationOfParalegalAssociationsInc.NFPA">National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA)</h3><p>This organization offers the Registered Paralegal (RP) certification for qualifying legal assistants. Candidates must have education from a school, college or university that's accredited by a mainstream accrediting organization. RP certification also requires work experience as a legal assistant, in one of these combinations:
</p><ul><li>Paralegal studies associate's degree or a paralegal education program approved by the American Bar Association, plus six years' experience
</li><li>Any bachelor's degree plus three years' experience
</li><li>Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies plus two years' experience
</li><li>Four years' experience on or before December 31, 2000
</li></ul><h3 id="section---NALSTheAssociationForLegalProfessionals">NALS (The Association for Legal Professionals)</h3><p>This organization began as the National Association of Legal Secretaries, but it's now simply referred to as NALS. It offers certification as a Professional Paralegal (PP). The following backgrounds qualify someone to take this certifying exam:
</p><ul><li>Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies
</li><li>Any college degree or a paralegal certificate plus one year experience
</li><li>Five years' experience as a paralegal/legal assistant</li></ul>
