1. I passed four sections of the CLA/CP examination in March and passed the last section in July. Can I submit requests for credit for a seminar I attended in April?
You can submit requests for credit for any continuing education you received after the date of your last exam in July. We would not be able to consider requests for credit prior to the July examination date.
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2. I just submitted an online entry for CLE credit for a seminar I attended on litigation procedures. Do I send the backup documentation to NALA Headquarters for this program?
No. Once you have submitted a CLE entry, either online or by sending the CLE reporting form by mail, fax, or e-mail, you are responsible to keep the backup documentation for one year after the request has been acknowledged by NALA. If you are selected for a CLE audit, you will need to send the backup documentation to NALA Headquarters within 60 days of notice of the audit.
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3. Several seminars are coming up that I will be attending. Should I enter the hours or send in the CLE reporting forms all at once or as I go?
Either way is fine. It may be easier for you to record the events online or send the reporting form in as you go. Once the hours have been posted for credit, you will receive a recap showing the amount of credit recorded for that event, the amount of credit in your file to date, and the date your certification expires. This gives you a "running total" of your credit file. Please be sure to keep the originals of your certificates of attendance and supporting documentation in the event you are audited.
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4. My certification expires next May, and I have received notification that 50 hours have been recorded. What happens now?
Approximately thirty days prior to the expiration date of your certification, NALA Headquarters will send you a Recertification Affidavit, or you may access the form from NALA's web site by clicking here. This form needs to be signed and returned to NALA Headquarters with the $100 recertification fee. Once the form and fee have been received by NALA Headquarters, a new certificate will be issued to you showing the expiration date for the next five year certification period. |
5. During my first five year period I accumulated over 70 hours of continuing education. Can these carry over to subsequent five year periods?
Sorry, but no. The reason for the continuing legal education requirement is the constantly changing laws and procedures; credits cannot carry over from one period to the next.
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6. Has the Certifying Board made any provision for retired legal assistants who have attained the CLA/CP designation?
Yes. Emeritus Status is available for CLA/CPs meeting certain requirements established by the Certifying Board. Those requirements are:
Any CLA or CP who has been certified for more than five (5) years, is 55 years of age or older, and who withdraws from employment and who no longer works as a paralegal or legal assistant may submit a request to NALA that he/she be placed into an Emeritus status and be relieved from meeting further requirements for continuing legal education.
No CLA or CP who is partially retired from the paralegal or legal assistant field will be permitted the Emeritus designation.
Any CLA or CP who becomes permanently disabled and stops working as a paralegal or legal assistant may submit medical proof of disability and, upon approval of the Certifying Board, be granted the status of CLA Emeritus.
Any CLA or CP who returns to employment as a paralegal or legal assistant will no longer retain Emeritus status and will be required to meet the same requirements as all other CLAs or CPs; with the five year recertification period beginning on the date of reemployment. Should the CLA or CP have any units of education accrued to his/her benefit when Emeritus status is granted, they may be carried over, provided, the CLA or CP has not been on Emeritus status for more than two and one-half years.
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7. If my five year period is up, how do I request the one-year extension to complete the required 50 hours?
The extension is automatic -- you don't need to request it. The CLA/CP designation is valid for a five-year period, requiring 50 hours of CLE credit to renew. If the required hours of CLE credit are not recorded by the end of the five-year period, a notice is sent automatically to the last known address of the CLA/CP advising of the one-year extension in which to complete the 50 hours of CLE credit. If the required hours are not recorded by the end of the additional year, the certification will lapse.
Remember that going into the additional one-year extension period will not extend your next five-year certification period. If six years are required to obtain the required hours (five years + one additional year extension), the next certification period will only be four years (+ one additional year extension if you need it.)
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8. What happens if I allow my certification to expire and, after a period of a few years, want the designation again. Can I be reinstated?
In this instance you would be required to successfully complete the CLA/CP examination to use the CLA/CP designation again. There is no provision for reinstatement once the one-year extension has passed. The only exception is if you had previously requested and received CLA Emeritus status.
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9. I have moved and filed a forwarding order with the post office, but haven't received any information from NALA concerning the expiration of my CLA/CP designation. Why?
If your forwarding order with the post office is still in effect, the post office should forward the letter to you and send NALA Headquarters notice of your change of address. If your forwarding order has expired, the post office returns the letter to NALA Headquarters without providing a new mailing address. Please notify NALA Headquarters of a change of address within thirty (30) days of your relocation. Failure to do so will constitute waiver of the notice requirements.
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10. I want to take an advanced paralegal certification program, but it seems cumbersome for me to keep track of two certifications and two expiration dates. What are the continuing education requirements for those who receive advanced certification?
It seems cumbersome to us too! The advanced paralegal certification program is a part of the whole certification program and there are no special continuing education requirements imposed on those who have achieved advanced certification. In fact, 20 hours of continuing education credit are awarded for each advanced program you successfully complete. The advanced designation carries the same expiration date as your CLA/CP certification, and is renewed automatically when your CLA/CP is renewed. If, however, you allow your CLA/CP certification to lapse, you will lose the advanced certification as well.
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11. I submitted information for an eight-hour seminar, but the recap from NALA Headquarters shows six hours of credit. Why was it changed?
The program schedule submitted to NALA by the CLE provider shows a total of six hours of actual legal education presented during the program. CLE credit is recorded for actual legal education hours attended; credit is not considered for lunch, social, or break periods.
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12. I am changing jobs but will still be working as a legal assistant. Can I continue to use the CLA designation?
Yes, as long as you are a CLA/CP in good standing you are entitled to use the CLA/CP designation.
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13. How can I be certain that a particular seminar or course will meet the continuing education requirement before I invest my time and money?
Ask us. But don't wait until the day before you need an answer! If you will send a copy of the seminar or course brochure to NALA Headquarters, we can evaluate it and tell you whether or not it qualifies. Please allow at least three weeks lead time for your request.
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14. Since we don't have to send backup documentation for online CLE credit requests, is it true we don't have to have verification of attendance for any of the programs we submit online?
No! Although you don't need to send backup documentation with online CLE requests, if the entry is audited by the Certifying Board, you will need to provide evidence of your attendance or completion of the CLE event. The Certifying Board's policy regarding online CLE and satisfactory documentation follows:
CLE credit submissions may be reported online through NALA's web site at www.nala.org or the CLE Reporting Form may be printed for submissions by mail, fax, or e-mail. Submit only the CLE Reporting Form. Backup documentation should not be sent unless you are submitting a petition for credit under Categories D and E or in response to an audit notice (explained below). Credit submissions entered online will be listed on your record as "unconfirmed."
To ensure the accuracy of CLE submissions, the NALA Certifying Board will audit unconfirmed submissions for CLE credit under Categories A, B, and C. If your record is audited, you will receive an audit notice from NALA Headquarters. You will have sixty (60) days from the date of the audit notice to submit backup documentation for unconfirmed entries you previously submitted. You may send your documentation to NALA Headquarters by mail, e-mail, or fax. Documentation will not be returned, so you should send copies, not original documents. If you provide satisfactory evidence of attendance or completion, the credits will be updated to show "confirmed."
If you do not submit satisfactory evidence within sixty (60) days of the audit notice, the NALA Certifying Board may refuse to give CLE credit for the unconfirmed submissions and you may be subject to discipline as set forth in the Rules for Disciplinary Proceedings.
You must keep satisfactory evidence of attendance or completion of a CLE event or course for which credit has not been confirmed for a minimum of one year from the date of acknowledgment of the credit by NALA. Acknowledgment means NALA Headquarters has posted the credit on your CLE record. A recap of your CLE record will be sent to you after each submission. The recap will show each entry as either "unconfirmed," "confirmed," or "recorded." A confirmed entry or confirmed credits are those given for CLE events or courses at which the CLA/CP's attendance or completion is verified (1) directly by NALA (for example, completion of a NALA Campus program or achievement of a NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal designation), (2) directly to NALA by an independent third party (for example, an attendance roster sent to NALA by a CLE sponsor or provider), or (3) by submission of the CLA/CP of satisfactory evidence of attendance or completion. A recorded entry is an unconfirmed entry no longer subject to audit. Only unconfirmed credits for CLE are subject to audit. However, in the event of a disciplinary proceeding concerning the CLA/CPs CLE credit, any entry on the CLA/CPs record may be reviewed.
Satisfactory evidence of attendance at or completion of a CLE event or course includes, but is not limited to:
Category A: Copy of the certificate or other record of the governing body of the NALA-recognized State Specialty Examination program.
Category B: Copy of transcripts or other documentation from the accredited institution of higher education providing evidence that the CLA/CP completed the course and the number of hours awarded by the institution.
Category C: Copy of the certificate of attendance form given to the CLA/CP by the CLE provider or sponsor.
Please remember that you need verification of attendance or completion of a CLE event in order to provide satisfactory evidence in the event of a CLE audit.
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