Regulation Update
The role of the NALS Regulation/Certification committee
is to:
- track regulatory agencies or legislative bodies in
states regarding regulation
- monitor bar associations and other associations
- inform members on the status of regulation
We research paralegal regulation and licensure and other
issues affecting legal professionals via NetScan, a research
service; Internet research; trade magazines, etc. Research
shows that regulation of paralegals is being introduced,
enforced, and/or overseen by different entities, i.e.,
supreme courts and/or bar associations (often times through
paralegal committees/divisions). It has also become
apparent that we are now dealing with two components regarding
regulation. First, there’s “regulation” which is
voluntary in some areas and mandatory in others; and second,
as bar associations continue to establish paralegal divisions
within the bar and allow paralegals to join bar associations,
the various association exams are being used as criteria
or qualifiers for this purpose. We are using our
best efforts to make sure that NALS' exams are included;
fortunately, some doors are being opened. NALS members
have been appointed to task forces in Alabama, Mississippi,
and South Dakota. The research this committee has
accumulated is voluminous. You can find a very small
sampling of current research in a handout recently used
in the NALS Online Learning Center at: http://www.nals.org/onlinelearning/materials/olc.111506.doc.
There is a recent article written by Claire Estrin who
is the CEO of the Los Angeles based Estrin LegalEd, titled
“Think You're Not Affected by Regulation? You Might
Want to Think Again.” (http://www.paralegalgateway.com/Regulation.html). Her
article states that, "[t]his rapidly spreading trend
[referring to regulation] across the U.S. sparking arguments
both for and against the standardization of the profession
shows no signs of relenting." She goes on to
state that, ”[g]oing, going, going are the days when anyone
who wanted to could call themselves a paralegal.” Please
read this article and anything else you can lay your hands
on regarding paralegal regulation. Take a few minutes
to periodically Google "regulation of paralegals." If
you do it frequently enough, you'll be able to weed out
the current information. NALS members are learning
that their careers can and will be directly affected by
regulation.
NALS recently sent a letter to state bar associations
to make them aware (or in some cases, remind them) of who
we are. We included background information regarding
NALS and its certification program. We have asked
that our certification exams, specifically the Certified
Professional Paralegal exam, be considered and that NALS
members be included in discussions regarding regulation. We
need to be prepared if NALS members are asked to join in
these discussions. In the coming months we [the NALS
Regulation/Certification Committee] will be organizing
information to be available to any individual who is asked
to serve in this capacity. Without the local grassroots
constituency involved, we cannot possibly expect bar associations
(or whatever entity oversees this issue) to include NALS’
exams without input from the people who benefit the most.
We need the members' help to keep us apprised when they
hear about these issues within their states; members need
to be vigilant about issues affecting their careers. But
we also need to make sure that our members have the information
they need to help us get the recognition we deserve.
If you have any questions, comments, or information to
share, please contact: September D. Holmblad, PP,
PLS (sdholmblad@comcast.net)
and Nikkie Rice, PLS (kannr@earthlink.net),
Co-Chairs of the NALS Regulation/Certification Committee;
or consider posting a question in the NALS Online Community.
