Attorney’s Quick Guide to Paralegal Credentials

Attorneys looking for a paralegal to hire full-time, part-time or on a contract basis will  be faced with a variety of titles and credentials.  Paralegals are not a licensed profession, but credentials are offered by the national paralegal organizations on a voluntary basis. This is a quick reference guide to the most commonly used  national paralegal titles and credentials. This list does not include state-specific credentials.

CP or CLA – Stands for Certified Paralegal or Certified Legal Assistant (credentials are synonymous).  The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) has the oldest paralegal certification credential, starting in 1976. There are approximately 15,000 CLA/CPs.  The CLA/CP exam is a rigorous two-day exam divided into five sections.  This credential must be renewed every five years with 50 hours of CLE.

ACP – Advanced Certified Paralegal is also offered by NALA.  Paralegals must first have CLA/CP status, then demonstrate advanced knowledge in a specific practice area. The ACP certification is a curriculum based format.  NALA currently offers ACP in the following areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution; Business Organizations; Contract Management; Criminal Litigation; Discovery; Land Use; Personal Injury; Social Security Disability; Trademarks; and Trial Practice.

RP – Registered Paralegal is the credential offered by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA).  NFPA began offering the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) in 1996.  The PACE exam requires experience in the paralegal field prior to sitting for the exam. 12 hours of CLE are required every two years to maintain the credential. There are currently around 600 RPs.

CRP –  CORE Registered Paralegal  is a brand new credential offered by NFPA for the first time in June 2011.  The Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE) is for entry-level paralegals.

PP – Professional Paralegal is offered by The Association for Legal Professionals (NALS, formerly the National Association for Legal Secretaries).   Although the PP exam was established in 2004, NALS has been offering certification programs for legal professionals since 1960.  PPs are required to have 75 hours of CLE every five years. There are almost 500 PPs to date.  NALS  also offers Specialty Certificates for PPs who have obtained 50 hours of CLE in one or more of the following specialty tracks: Litigation/Civil Law; Corporate Law; Estate Planning/Family Law;  and General Law.

AACP – American Alliance Certified Paralegal is a credential from the American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc. (AAPI).  Founded in 2003, AAPI does not offer an exam, but grants the credential based on documented education and experience.  AACPs must renew their certification every three years with 18 hours of CLE. There are about 70 AACPs.

Certificated – This one is tricky.  There is a big difference between “certified” as defined above and “certificated”.  A certificated paralegal has received a certificate of completion from a paralegal program.  Paralegal programs vary widely from bachelor’s degrees to short on-line courses to master’s degrees.  There are two things to look for if a paralegal has a certificate.  The program should be either ABA-approved or a member of the AAfPE, the American Association for Paralegal Education. Without the approval of one of these organization, the paralegal program may not be adequately preparing paralegals to enter the work force.  “Certificated” indicates completion of a program, not certification by examination.

Lastly, there are plenty of great paralegals in the work force who have not chosen to obtain national credentials.  They rely on their work experience and referrals to speak for their competency.  For now at least, credentials are a paralegal’s prerogative.

Update to post:  The results are in from the first  CORE Competency Exam. Out of the 188 paralegals who took the exam, 148 passed and can now use the CRP credential.  Thanks to Vicki Voisin at the paralegalmentor.com for the news.