How to Become a Certified Paralegal: A Step-by-Step Guide

Certification is a voluntary process. The trade organizations which certify paralegals are recognized for their high standards for membership and their adherence to American Bar Association professional rules of ethics.

NALA is one of several recognized organizations that provide paralegal certifications. NFPA has incorporated several other organizations into its organization and provides a nationally accepted paralegal certification.

All certifying agencies have education and experience requirements before prospective members may take the certification exam. For instance, NALA’s exam requires a college degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor’s degree plus substantive work in paralegal studies, or a high school diploma plus five years’ experience as a paralegal.

Becoming a certified paralegal is not as simple as taking a certified paralegal exam. The prospective applicant must be highly qualified before taking the best exams.

Before taking the exam, you’ll need either a degree, considerable education, or both. These general steps apply to both NALA and NFPA, but other top-tier programs are comparable.

Step 1: Meet the Educational Requirements

The simplest way to meet the requirements is to have a two- or four-year degree in paralegal studies. NALA requires an applicant to be enrolled in or graduated from any paralegal program. This can include:

•  Any paralegal program approved by the ABA

•  An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies

•  A post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies (this must be a certificate program that requires a bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite)

•  Any other paralegal program that consists of at least 60 semester hours, with at least 15 semester hours, are substantive legal courses.

Professional certifying organizations like NALA are testing the legal and practical knowledge of their applicants. Certification by NALA assures prospective employers that these job applicants have similar knowledge and skills. If you’ve completed your degree or graduated from an ABA-accredited program, NALA and other certifying organizations know you already meet their stringent requirements.

Step 2: Gain Substantive Paralegal Experience

NFPA defines “substantive paralegal experience” as:

[F]ull-time employment performing the duties of a paralegal at least 80% of the time….that requires knowledge of legal concepts…customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer.

If you have already graduated and don’t want to get another degree or have paralegal training, you can still qualify for the certification exam. In the paralegal field, practical knowledge is as valuable as any degree. You may have worked as a paralegal already or been a legal secretary or legal assistant. The other route to the certification exam is:

• Any bachelor’s degree in any field, plus one year’s experience as a paralegal

• Any bachelor’s degree in any field, plus 15 semester hours of substantive paralegal courses

• Five years paralegal experience and a high school diploma with 20 hours of CLE in the past two years

You can be a paralegal without the certification; you just can’t be a certified paralegal. If you don’t have all the requirements yet, NALA and many other organizations offer CLE and paralegal courses to help you get up to speed.

Step 3: Select the Right Certification Exam

Which exam you’ll take depends on your experience and what you want to do in the future. Review each organization’s advanced certifications and see the other options available to you.

NALA has several Advanced Certified Paralegal certificates and CLE courses. You must have a Certified Paralegal from NALA to qualify for the ACP credential.

NFPA has the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE) for those with minimal paralegal experience. The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) is for those with degrees and also substantive paralegal experience. NFPA has separate requirements for those in the military, dependent upon rank.

Nothing is barring you from having memberships in several organizations and holding multiple certifications; however, you will need to pay fees for all of them and maintain your CLEs for each certification.

Step 4: Prepare for the Certification Exam

NALA’s CP exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions; if you pass, you move on to the knowledge portion. There are time limits for taking and passing each portion of the test. NFPA’s PCCE is a 125 multiple-choice question test.

All testing agencies have testing courses for a fee, as well as online self-study guides. The paid courses are not required; you do not need them to take the exam. Whether or not you need directed study courses depends on your personal studying style. For instance, NFPA provides an overview of their review course. It covers:

• Paralegal ethics, including conflict of interest, attorney/client privilege, and managing client funds

• Different types of legal writing, such as pleadings, briefs, and memoranda of law

• Substantive law review of tort law, criminal law, family law, and wills and trusts

You should also understand basic paralegal skills like legal analysis, legal documents, and legal research.

If you have the resources and discipline to study these topics independently, you should do so. Courses are also available online at sites like Skillshare. However, If you’re unsure about your in-depth knowledge of law study, you may want to consider paying for a review course.

Step 5: Take the Certification Exam

Organizations offer exams at different times and locations throughout the year. However, both NALA and NFPA offer online testing if you can download their software.

You will need to provide all required documentation, such as transcripts, CLEs, or employment verification, at least 90 days before the exam. If the organization wants additional proof, it could delay your ability to take the exam, so give yourself plenty of lead time. If you miss the testing deadline, you will need to wait for the next exam date to try again.

Once you’ve completed your certification and become a certified paralegal, you’ll need to maintain it by completing continuing legal education hours or CLEs. Nearly all legal professionals, including attorneys and judges, must submit CLEs to their regulating board on a regular basis.

CLEs keep legal professionals up to date on changes in the field, new court rulings, and new laws in their state and practice area. An advantage of having a professional certification is maintaining your CLEs through an agency that tracks your hours and provides opportunities for seminars and courses that count towards your CLE requirements.

Organizations like NALA and NFPA have regular CLE courses online and at their annual conventions. They will also verify outside sources for CLEs, such as ABA-certified classes. Each organization has its own set of requirements. For instance, NALA members must complete 50 CLE hours every five years.

A paralegal is a legal professional like an attorney. Unlike attorneys, paralegals do not answer to a national professional organization like the American Bar Association. They are employees, not practitioners. However, certified paralegals should follow the professional code of ethical conduct required by their certifying organization.

NALA has developed a Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility that mirrors the ABA’s Code of Professional Conduct for attorneys. Paralegals:

• Must not act as attorneys or engage in the unauthorized practice of law

• Must perform only those tasks which are directed by attorneys

• Must protect the confidence of clients, attorneys, and the court

• Must disclose all conflicts of interest immediately

• Must follow the bar association’s code of professional conduct

All paralegals are held to a higher standard than other office professionals because they work closely with the attorneys and clients. Certified paralegals have the expectations of their professional organizations to uphold as well.

Once you have your certification, the organizations have advanced paralegal certifications that let you specialize and focus your skills to make you more valuable to your firm and attorney. Any opportunity to increase your knowledge in a particular practice area improves your career options.

Attorneys utilize paralegals for much of the detailed work in a law practice. Secretaries and legal assistants can do basic correspondence and filing. Paralegals can carry out legal writing, like briefs and pleadings, interview clients, and perform discovery. The more you can bring these skills to bear in a legal specialization, the more the attorneys appreciate your work.

NALA has Advanced Certified Paralegal courses in specializations such as:

• Discovery and e-Discovery

• Personal Injury

• Family Law, including Adoption, Child Custody and Support, and Property Division

• Trial Practice and Criminal Litigation

Adding one or more of these specializations to your resume improves your legal knowledge and shows your attorney your dedication to your practice. If it’s time to look for a new job, these certifications may help your resume stand out from everyone else’s application.

If you’re in school and unsure how your paralegal career should go, directing your career toward a paralegal certification can open more doors than a degree alone. If you’ve already been working as a paralegal, having your certification gives you an edge over all the other paralegals in your field.

Visit the organizations here and ask for more information about certification programs. Other organizations and certifications can be found online and at college and university career centers.