Hello.
"What is the job description and what are the responsibilities of a paralegal?"
See:
California Alliance of Paralegal Associations: PARALEGAL DUTIES AND SKILLS
http://www.caparalegal.org/duties.html
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"What are the ways of becoming a certified paralegal in California in
as little time as possible? Is there a way to use my 2.5 years of
experience to satisfy part of the requirements?"
The California Business & Professions Code § 6450 (c) declares four
ways to qualify as a "paralegal" (though not necessarily a "certified"
one):
"(c) A paralegal shall possess at least one of the following:
(1) A certificate of completion of a paralegal program approved by
the American Bar Association.
(2) A certificate of completion of a paralegal program at, or a
degree from, a postsecondary institution that requires the successful
completion of a minimum of 24 semester, or equivalent, units in
law-related courses and that has been accredited by a national or
regional accrediting organization or approved by the Bureau for
Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education.
(3) A baccalaureate degree or an advanced degree in any subject, a
minimum of one year of law-related experience under the supervision
of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of
California for at least the preceding three years or who has
practiced in the federal courts of this state for at least the
preceding three years, and a written declaration from this attorney
stating that the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks.
(4) A high school diploma or general equivalency diploma, a
minimum of three years of law-related experience under the
supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the State
Bar of California for at least the preceding three years or who has
practiced in the federal courts of this state for at least the
preceding three years, and a written declaration from this attorney
stating that the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks.
This experience and training shall be completed no later than
December 31, 2003."
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=bpc&group=06001-07000&file=6450-6456
Thus, if you have a baccalaureate degree or an advanced degree in any
subject, and one year of law-related experience under the supervision
of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of
California for at least the preceding three years, and the attorney
will sign a declation that you're qualified to perform paralegal
tasks, you could be a paralegal.
To be "certified"...
"A Certified Legal Assistant/Paralegal (CLA or CP) is a person who has
met qualifying criteria established by the National Association of
Legal Assistants, Inc. and who has successfully completed the
voluntary comprehensive two-day Certified Legal Assistant Examination
(CLA) offered by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).
A Certified Legal Assistant/Paralegal Specialist is a CLA or CP in
good standing who has successfully completed the CLA Specialty
Certifying Examination in a particular area of law. Those who have
successfully completed a formal course of study through a paralegal
school or program are ?certificated? not ?certified.? The CLA and CLA
Specialist are certification marks duly registered with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office (No. 113199 and No. 1751731 respectively).
CP (Certified Paralegal) is a certification mark also filed with the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (No. 78213275).
It is important for paralegals and their employers to understand that
certification is the process by which a non-governmental agency or
association grants recognition to an individual who has met certain
predetermined qualifications specified by that agency or association.
It is a voluntary process and not a mandatory precedent to
identification with a particular career field."
source: LA Paralegal Association:
http://www.lapa.org/Paralegal%20FAQ/FAQ.html
From the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA):
"To be eligible for the CLA examination, a legal assistant must meet
one of the following alternate requirements:
1. Graduation from a legal assistant program that is:
* Approved by the American Bar Association; or
* An associate degree program; or
* A post-baccalaureate certificate program in legal assistant studies; or
* A bachelor's degree program in legal assistant studies; or
* A legal assistant program which consists of a minimum of 60
semester hours (900 clock hours or 90 quarter hours) of which at least
15 semester hours (225 clock hours or 22.5 quarter hours) are
substantive legal courses.
2. A bachelor's degree in any field plus one year's experience as a
legal assistant. Successful completion of at least 15 semester hours
(or 22.5 quarter hours or 225 clock hours) of substantive legal
assistant courses will be considered equivalent to one year's
experience as a legal assistant.
3. A high school diploma or equivalent plus seven (7) year's
experience as a legal assistant under the supervision of a member of
the Bar, plus evidence of a minimum of twenty (20) hours of continuing
legal education credit to have been completed within a two (2) year
period prior to the examination date."
http://www.nala.org/cert.htm#The%20Examination%20-%20Eligibility%20Requirements
Thus, if you have a bachelor's degree in any field plus one year's
experience as a legal assistant, you may qualify to take the CLA exam
under #2 above.
Alternatively, here are the ABA Approved California Paralegal Education Programs:
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals/directory/ca.html
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search terms:
california paralegal
california "paralegal program"
california "American Bar Association" "legal assistant"
I hope this helps. Good luck! |
