April 2008

Professional Development & Education Conference Recap | NALS Mentoring Program | From the Certifying Board

What IS the NALS Regulation/Certification Committee? | NALS Award of Excellence | And the Winner Is...

From the Certifying Board
By Vickie Hellmer, PLS

Why did I decide to take a certification exam – because it was there.  When I first got into NALS and met the other ladies that had obtained their Certified PLS, I was intrigued and impressed.  I thought right away I would like to obtain their status.  To tell you the truth, I thought to myself, if they could do it, so could I.  I have been in the legal business for almost twenty-two years; I figured I had to know enough to pass a test.   It became a challenge I wanted to push myself toward.  Of course, I never realized how hard it would be to study the materials, to be dedicated and diligent in my study groups,  and to learn as much as I had to learn.  It definitely humbled me with respect to my perspective of the legal knowledge I thought I had.  Once I realized how little I really did know, I thought about giving up, but that is just not my style.  I pushed on.  The harder the material I studied, the more determined I became.  I breezed through some areas and struggled with others.  I think everyone will agree that grammar is hard to learn, especially when you have been out of school for over thirty years.  I thought I would never grasp written communications, but then one day a light bulb just turned on in my head and I said, “Oh, I get it.”  That is when I knew that all this hard work would be worth it in the long run.  I became a PLS on my first try in March 2007.  I experienced such a thrill and satisfaction when I opened my letter and read that I passed, that I will never forget.  I cannot say that I have used all my new wealth of knowledge, but there are so many things that come to the front of my mind now when I am working, that I am so proud that I know the right way to handle them.  Being a Certified PLS is such an accomplishment and something to be very proud of.  It is a mountain that I will be forever grateful that I climbed “because it was there.”  Thank you, NALS, for that opportunity.