What is the NALS Mission?
by Jill J. Hale, PLS, CLA, NALS 2001-2 President

NALS Mission Statement
NALS® is dedicated to enhancing the competencies and contributions of members in the legal services profession. It accomplishes its mission and supports the public interest through:

• Continuing legal education and resource materials;
• Networking opportunities at the local, state, regional and national levels;
• Commitment to a Code of Ethics and professional standards;
• Professional certification programs and designations.

Let’s take a look at the NALS Mission Statement (printed in full to the left) and think about what this statement really means to the members of NALS and to the legal community in general. We have said over and over that the NALS Core Purposes are education and networking. Therefore, it stands to reason that the mission of NALS, Inc., should be to promote education and networking.

Our Mission Statement starts, "NALS is dedicated to enhancing the competencies and contributions of members in the legal services profession." NALS does enhance the competencies of members through education and does enhance the contributions of our members to each other and to the legal profession as a whole through networking.

The Mission Statement goes on to list specific ways NALS accomplishes its Core Purposes (education and networking): through providing continuing legal education opportunities and resource materials; through providing networking opportunities at the local, state, regional and national levels; through our commitment to a Code of Ethics and professional standards; and through our professional certification programs and designations.

The NALS Mission Statement is the foundation upon which the entire NALS Strategic Plan is built. This same Mission Statement can also be the foundation upon which your state or local strategic plan is built. If your chapter or state association has not already adopted a mission statement, why not use the NALS Mission Statement and get it out there for the public to see?!?! If you already have a mission statement that differs a great deal from the mission of NALS, do think about making a change and adopting the NALS Mission Statement as YOUR mission statement. We will all then be working together to promote the same Core Purposes: education and networking.