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Certificate v. Certification: Understanding the Differences By: Michele Boerder DAPA Inter-Organizations Director Indeed, the differences are greater than the three letters between the two words. And those differences are frequently misunderstood by attorneys and paralegals alike. A paralegal certificate is obtained when successfully completing a paralegal educational program. While some paralegal education may be within a degree (e.g. associate’s, bachelor’s degree or even master’s degree) paralegal programs that are comprised of only paralegal courses typically convey a certificate. Certification, in contrast, involves meeting threshold application criteria, then taking an examination by a credentialing entity. Only after successfully passing such a test can a paralegal hold themselves out as certified and use the appropriate credentials. Certification further requires maintaining the credential with continuing education and any other requisites of the credentialing entity. Certification avenues for Texas paralegals include: Board Certified Paralegal (“BCP”)– Texas Board of Legal Specialization (“TBLS”) Texas was the first state to begin certification in specialty areas for paralegals under the same entity that certifies attorneys in specialty substantive areas of law: Texas Board of Legal Specialization. TBLS was initially established in 1974 by the Supreme Court of Texas to certify lawyers that “have substantial, relevant experience in select areas of law, completed continuing education hours in the specialty area, and passed a rigorous exam.” The Paralegal Division of the State Bar worked cooperatively with TBLS and the State Bar to develop similar tests for paralegals. The paralegal exams are not as lengthy as the attorney exams, but are similar in content, although also focused upon the role of the paralegal, rather an attorney (e.g. who renders legal advice). The first exams were opened to paralegals in 1994. Board Certified attorneys work with exam commissions (that include paralegals) to draft the paralegal tests in the different substantive areas of law. Currently, TBLS paralegal specialty exams are offered in the areas of Bankruptcy, Civil Trial, Criminal, Oil/Gas/Minerals, Estate Planning/Probate, Personal Injury and Real Estate. The process for qualifying to take the exam(s) link: https://www.tbls-bcp.org/cert From the BCP website, the overall requirements are: -Have at least 5 years experience as a paralegal (3 years in Texas); -Currently work under the supervision of a licensed attorney doing business in Texas; -Have at least 50% of paralegal duties concentrated in specialty areas; -Attended continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date; -In addition to the above, successfully complete one of the following: NALA certification, or Baccalaureate or higher degree, or ABA approved paralegal program, or Paralegal program consisting of a minimum of 60 semester credit hours of which 18 hours are substantive legal courses, or Paralegal program consisting of a minimum of 18 semester credit hours of which 18 hours are substantive legal courses in addition to a minimum of 45 semester credit hours of general college curriculum courses, or 2 additional years of actual paralegal experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney1; Pass a 4-hour written examination. To maintain TBLS certification, the paralegal must have 75 hours of CLE in the subject-matter-area of the certification within each five years of re-certification. --- On a national level, paralegal certification exams are offered by NALA and NFPA.
NALA2 – Certified Paralegal and Advanced Certified Paralegal https://nala.org/certification/ On a national level, NALA, The Paralegal Association, offers two certification exams, the “Certified Paralegal” (“CP”) and the “Advanced Certified Paralegal (“ACP”).’ The Certified Paralegal test is a generalized exam (meaning it does not include testing on areas that would be state law specific). There are a number of options for qualifying to take this exam.
The Advanced Certified Paralegal test focuses on substantive areas and procedures of law, such as Business Organizations, Contract Management, Discovery, Land Use, Personal Injury, Real Estate. Taking the ACP exam requires first being a NALA Certified Paralegal.
NALA lists the eligibility, criteria, and “pathways” for taking the exams: https://nala.org/eligibility-requirements-for-certification/ --- NFPA3 – National Federation of Paralegal Associations NFPA offers two certification exams,
The Paralegal CORE Competency Exam® (PCCE®) – individuals who have passed the PCCE may use the CRP® (for CORE Registered Paralegal) designation after their name. The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam® (PACE®) “is for those with not only a comprehensive education in paralegal studies but also years of practical experience.” Those who have passed the PACE may use the RP® (“Registered Paralegal”) designation after their name. https://www.paralegals.org/page/paralegal-certification
The eligibility for the PCCE and PACE are listed here: https://www.paralegals.org/page/pace-pcce All of the above certification processes require continuing legal education and renewal to maintain the certified designation.
For more information, contact DAPA’s Inter-Organizations Director: iod@dallasparalegals.org 1For a total of 7 years of experience 2NALA was formed in 1975 3NFPA was formed in 1974 by a local paralegal associations |