paralegal certified or certified legal assistant is a paralegal title in the United States that meets certain educational and work experience requirements and has graduated from a number of available certification exams. The main function of paralegals is to assist lawyers in providing legal services. According to the American Bar Association: "The legal assistant or paralegal is a person, who qualifies by education, training and/or work experience employed or detained by lawyers, law offices, corporations, government agencies or other bodies and who undertakes specifically substantive legal work which is delegated where a lawyer is responsible. "Since certification programs are voluntary in most states, paralegals can look for field work without getting certified. In addition, the requirements for certification may vary by country.
Video Certified Paralegal
American Bar Association Definisi Asisten Hukum/Paralegal
In the United States "paralegals" and "legal assistants" are often used interchangeably. At the ABA Annual Meeting of August 1997, ABA's policy-making body, House of Delegates, adopted the current definition of "legal/paralegal", as recommended by the Standing Committee for Legal Assistants. The current definition reads as follows: A legal or paralegal assistant is a person, who qualifies by education, training or work experience employed or held by a lawyer, law office, company, government agency or other entity and who performs a special job delegated substantive law in which a lawyer is responsible.
The definition of "legal/paralegal assistant" currently supersedes the definition adopted by the Board of Governors of ABA in 1986. He added the term "paralegal" because the terms "legal assistant" and "paralegal", in practice, are used interchangeably. The preferred term generally depends on the part of the country from which it originated. The current definition simplifies the 1986 definition and more accurately reflects how the current legal assistant is used in the delivery of legal services.
Despite the position of the American Bar Association in this regard, there is no overall legal consensus regarding the specific tasks of paralegals/legal assistants and some law firms and legal departments still maintain paralegals and legal assistants as separate job titles.
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Paralegal Certified vs. Certified Paralegals
According to the American Bar Association, there is a difference between "certified" paralegals and "certified" paralegals and the terms are not interchangeable. Certified Paralegals have passed professional exams and certified paralegals have completed paralegal programs or other preparatory education through academic institutions. Certified paralegals are generally eligible to take one of several certification exams after graduating from an approved paralegal program.
Sometimes, paralegals mistakenly refer to themselves as "ABA Certified Paralegals" referring to the certificates given to them after completing the paralegal school. This is very different from certification. The certificate from the paralegal school is the Graduation Certificate. The paralegal school attended by these paralegals has been approved by ABA. Of the approximately 1500 or so paralegal schools in the US, only about 280 have been approved by the ABA. Schools must meet certain qualifications set by ABA and pay in advance and annual fees to maintain their approval status. When a student completes a 4 month, 2 year or 4 year program, they are awarded a certificate of completion but are not certified. *
Source Paralegal Certification National and State (United States)
Certificationby National Association of Legal Assistants
CP or CLA are post-nominal credentials in the United States earning income from paralegals that have passed the Certified Paralegal Exam and have met additional educational and experience requirements for certification as a CP or CLA. CP and CLA credentials are recognized by the American Bar Association and State Bars.
To become a CP in the United States, candidates voluntarily pass the Certified Paralegal Exam (CP Exam). The Paralegal Certified Program - the oldest in the United States - was established in 1976 and is managed by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). CP stipulation is a certification registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office (No. 78213275)
The terms "certified paralegal" not owned by NALA or other organizations (such as the term "Certified Public Accounts" are not owned by any organization that offers accountant certification). This term is not owned by NALA, only certification marks (picture and sign information available through US Patent Office: http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4802:l0lqo1. 2.1 and via NALA).
According to Legal Assistant Today magazine, CP Exam has a graduation rate of 45-50%.
Once the paralegal obtains CP credentials, he is entitled to participate in the Advanced Paralegal Certification program. The credentials given after successfully completing the program are "ACP" credentials. CP must complete an ACP course and pass an exam demonstrating continued knowledge in the specific training area or practice area where the course is taken Certification
by the National Federation of Paralegal Association
The National Federation of Paralegal Association, or NFPA, offers two certification programs. Their Advanced Paralegal Competency Exam (PACEÃ,®) was established in 1996. The Competence Exam Preliminary Paralegal (PCCE (TM)) was established in 2011. A paralegal who completed the certification process through NFPA obtained Paralegal Registered Credentials (RP) for completion of the Trial PACE and Core Listed Paralegal (CRP) to complete the PCCE Exam. The Preliminary Competence Exam Paralegal (TM) (PCCE (TM)) was developed to assess early, entry-level knowledge, skills, and paralegal skills. The PACE exam consists of hypothetical questions that test general knowledge applications, paralegal experience, and critical analysis gained only by higher levels of education and actual work experience. CRP and CRP credentials are recognized by the American Bar Association and State Bars. Certification
by National Association of Legal Secretaries
The Association for Legal Profession, or NALS, formerly the National Association of Legal Secretaries, offers the Professional Paralegal Exam established in 2004. A paralegal who completed the certification process through NALS gained Professional Paralegal (PP) credentials. PP credentials are recognized by the American Bar Association and State Bars. Certification
by the American Paralegal Alliance
The American Paralegal Alliance (AAPI) awarded the appointment of the American Alliance Certified Paralegal (AACP). AACP credentials are recognized by the American Bar Association and State Bars.
Country Certification Specific
The American Bar Association recognizes the national certification set out above and the state-specific voluntary certification of:
- Florida Bar
- North Carolina State Bar
- Ohio State Bar Association
- South Carolina Bar
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Although California does not authorize paralegals in general, California law (AB 1761) makes it unlawful for people to identify themselves as paralegals unless they meet certain requirements. Paralegals must also complete continuing legal education every two years to perform services legally or identify as paralegals.
Comparing the Main Certification Exam
A comparison chart for national-level paralegal certification is available on the NFPA website.
Ethics
All certification bodies require applicants to complete ethical specific checks to become certified. Most exams require knowledge of the American Bar Association's Professional Conduct Rules. NALA also has its own Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibilities.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
All certification bodies require applicants to take continuing legal education courses to update their certification. Credentials may be revoked from certified paralegals that fail to meet recertification requirements. Paralegals then have to retrieve the certification exams again to use credentials.
References
External links
- NALA.org
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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