There are currently no certification requirements for paralegals except in the state of California. However, it is recommended that you obtain your paralegal certification in order to secure employment. A paralegal certification, while voluntary, is valuable as it shows potential employers that you are a qualified paralegal job candidate. One of the main paralegal certificates includes the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) established by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Another is the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) which is administered through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). You may read more about them and paralegal certificated in general from the following articles: There is a lack of professional recognition in the paralegal profession. This is due mostly to the lack of certification standards for paralegals. You don't have to take the CLA or any other exam to work as a paralegal, certification of any sort is currently voluntary. Since there is no standard requirement or general certification for the paralegal profession, many non-profit and educational organizations have sprung up across the country offering their version of a paralegal certificate. There are over 800 paralegal programs offered in the U.S. , but only about 30% of these are approved by the American Bar Association Regardless of whether or not certification is required, a paralegal certificate is valuable for pursuing a career as a paralegal. Therefore, if you plan to be a professional paralegal, it may be worth your time to get certified. If you choose to seek certification as a paralegal from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), you may become a Certified Legal Assistant (CLA), otherwise known as a Certified Paralegal (CP). Upon certification, you may choose to use whichever designation you wish, they are the same. In order to meet the requirements, you must complete the NALA's minimum course requirements and pass the CLA exam. NALA's CLA program was established in 1976. Well over 12,000 paralegals (since July 2005) have earned the use of this designation. It is recognized throughout the U.S. as a means of identifying competent paralegals. To be eligible for the CLA examination, the individual must meet one of the following requirements. 1. Graduation from a legal assistant program The program must be.... -Approved by American Bar Association; or -Associate degree program; or -Bachelor's degree program in legal assistant studies; or -Post-baccalaureate certificate program in legal assistant studies; or -legal assistant program consisting of at least 60 semester hours (900 clock hours) where at least 15 semester hours (225 clock hours) are substantive legal courses. 2. Bachelor's degree in any field plus one year's experience as a legal assistant. 15 semester hours of substantive legal assistant courses is considered equal to one year's experience as a legal assistant. 3. High school diploma or equivalent plus 7 year's experience as legal assistant (must be supervised by member of the Bar), plus 20 hours of continuing legal education credit completed within a 2 year period prior to the examination date. The CLA exam is a 2-day exam covering federal law and procedure. It contains over 1,000 questions. It is usually offered 4 times a year at most major cities. You must pass 5 sections to pass (40% do so on the first sitting). The CLA recertification frequency is every 5 years and you must take CLE credits to stay in good standing. Once you've passed the CLA and are certified, you may seek advanced certification from NALA in a specialty area. Testing for these specialties began in 1982. The areas of specialty include; Bankruptcy, Civil Litigation, Corporate/Business, Criminal Law and Procedure, Intellectual Property, Probate and Estate Planning, and Real Estate. 4 hour written exams test in specialized knowledge of practice area. Testing dates and deadlines are the same as CLA exam. There are over 1,100 CLA Specialists. CLA and CLA Specialists and CP marks may only be used by those who have authorized use of these credentials. The NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations) was formed in 1974. This Federation is a leader in the Paralegal Profession. In 1996, the NFPA initiated the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (also known as PACE). Individuals who take and pass this exam are granted permission to use the designation Registered Paralegal (RP). Without passing the PACE, you may not use the designation RP. Qualifications for taking PACE include: * 4 years worth of paralegal experience that took place before December 31, 2000 - or ... * An associates degree from an accredited (or ABA approved) paralegal program in paralegal studies; along with 6 years worth of paralegal experience - or ... * The completion of a paralegal program along with a bachelor's degree along with 2 years worth of paralegal experience - or ... * A bachelor's degree in any course of study along with 3 years worth of paralegal experience.