Your NALS Regulation & Certification Committee
by Robin Kunce, PLS

As a NALS member, you have heard of the various NALS committees and, if you have not had the opportunity to join a committee, you may wonder what exactly do the committees do and who are the members.  Committee members are just like you, interested in continuing our education and keeping abreast of changes in our chosen career.  I have been a member of the Regulation/Certification Committee for several years now and will tell you who the members are, what we do, how we do it and why.

Members of the Regulation/Certification Committee are members of NALS living across the country.  Our current committee consists of Jill Hale, PP, PLS, CLA, (a former NALS President) and Toni VanSchaick, PP, PLS, who are co-chairs this year, and members who serve in various (and sometimes multiple) positions at the local, state, and national levels.  The Regulation/Certification Committee currently has 18 members including Diana Price and Tammy Hailey of the NALS Resource Center.

Members of the Regulation/Certification Committee research regulation and certification trends throughout the country (via the internet and a review of various trade magazines) each month to keep our fellow NALS members informed of any regulations and/or certification requirements that a state, court, or bar association may pass in that state that could affect our members' ability to work in that state.

Committee members are each assigned various states to check each month.  Examples of websites that are checked each month include the following:

1. State Bar websites
2. State Legislature websites
3. Supreme Court websites
4. American Bar Association website
5. Local, state, and national paralegal and/or legal assistant association websites
6. International paralegal association websites
7. Local bar association websites (especially important in larger cities)
8. A state’s business and professional website

hese websites are checked each month by committee members to make sure there is no pending legislation or ruling from the state’s court that could require legal secretaries, legal assistants, and paralegals to continue their education each year as attorneys are required to do (CLE); take a state test before being able to be employed in that state; or even join the local and/or state bar association.  Other projects of the committee include promoting NALS exams to be used or recognized by various state regulatory schemes and encouraging website links to NALS.  Only by being informed are we able to provide you, our fellow NALS members, the information you need to be ready for any changes that could affect your opportunities for advancement and employment.