Paralegal

A paralegal is a non-attorney who works under the supervision of a lawyer whose work is usually billed to clients. Paralegals have many job duties, including drafting motions and subpoenas, document review, and filing papers with courts. Paralegals have traditionally dealt more with procedural law than with substantive law.

Certification

In the United States, "paralegal" is not a licensed profession. Certification is voluntary, increases a paralegal's skill sets or prepares him or her to enter the profession, often increases the likelihood of a paralegal's hire or promotion, and serves to identify a person as capable of work that is on par with certain standards. Certification is accomplished by taking and passing one of several privately-administered tests from one of several paralegal associations. Graduation from a certificate program does not certify a paralegal; passing an exam administered by a recognized entity is the only benchmark generally considered to be a "certifying" event.

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Advanced certification and continuing legal education

Many paralegals pursue advanced certification through certifying associations or agencies in specialty areas such as business and commercial law, corporations, criminal law, real estate, tax and probate, estate planning, intellectual property (IP), or even in the legal systems of a specific state.

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These certifying entities often require maintenance of certification through continuing legal education (CLE).

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Various paralegal certificate programs

There are many certificate programs. Some are "approved" by the American Bar Association (ABA). Some claim to be compliant with the ABA standards for approval but have not sought approval. Others do not seem to be ABA-approved.

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At the time of writing, certificates are not required in most states for those who wish to become paralegals. Different states have different requirements for how quickly people can themselves a "paralegal," and certificates or degree programs with ABA approval often hasten the process. Additionally, certifying entities seem to offer their examinations to only those applicants with certain combinations of education and work experience, and certificates or degree programs are often a factor. Ultimately, a state's laws will often determine who is a "paralegal" and when.

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