Playing
the Recertification Blues
By
Marsha Watson Smitherman, PP, PLS
Unfortunately,
from the time you obtain your PLS or PP, you need
to start thinking about and working toward recertification. All
PPs and most PLSs need 75 recertification hours. So,
over a period of five years, you’re going to
need to average 15 hours of CLE a year.
Of
course, you could recertify by retaking the exam. I’m
sometimes jokingly referred to as “Marsha Smitherman,
PP, PLS, PLS,” because I recertified my PLS
last time by retaking the exam. I had trouble
convincing my study group students to try the then-new
one-day exam, so I did it myself. Given the
cost of recertification hours, it may be cheaper,
but there’s the gamble of how long it’s
going to take you to pass—luckily, I got through
the second time on the first try (by then I knew
how to study). However, I have no desire to
take the PP again. Ever.
So
you need to put together some strategies for recertification. For
the PLS, college courses, seminars and workshops
at NALS events, CLE online, do-it-yourself CLE offered
in state publications or @Law, obtaining other certifications
(CLA, CPS, RP, and CAP), writing articles, and teaching
workshops all offer possibilities. Don’t
overlook technology-based training in your office—it
may not always apply, but it’s worth exploring.
The
PP recertification notes on the NALS website specify
only that you need 75 hours, five of them in ethics. Most
of the items above apply to some extent. Certainly,
law-related college courses, including paralegal
and legal courses, should apply. NALS seminars
are more problematic, because you are required to
have substantive law credits. One of the current
areas of difficulty is the fact that national seminars
are planned over a year in advance, and the need
for lots of substantive law didn’t exist until
fairly recently. In the next year, you’ll
see increasing substantive law offerings, but it
will take a little while to bring those numbers up
to the point where they meet most of your recertification
needs. You’ll have the same issue with
CLE online or self-study in publications; the content
has to be substantive law. Likewise with articles
you write: the cute little inspirational, no-research
fluff pieces I specialize in do me no good! It’s
got to be substantive law. I assume that other
paralegal certifications (the CLA or RP, for instance)
would likely be useful for PP credit, but certifications
like Certified Professional Secretary (CPS) or Certified
Administrative Professional (CAP) would not.
When
you start looking at the issue of putting together
a lot of hours of substantive law, you encounter
two problems: availability and cost. Remember
that any substantive law CLE for lawyers is good
for you, too. Your best bet, financially, is
offerings by your local bar association. Put
together a group of PPs or PLSs who are interested
in substantive law credits and ask if the local bar
association would be willing to give a group discount. If
the topic is related to your work, your boss may
be willing to pitch in—many employers know
that paralegals, like lawyers, need CLEs. Ask
if you can attend the in-house CLE offerings that
larger firms offer to keep their young lawyers caught
up. If your boss finds himself stuck with a
CLE purchase he can’t attend and can’t
get refunded, offer to go in his place. If
you take good notes and make an intelligent report,
he may send you to other courses later in his stead.
Before
I sign off, I want to make a pitch for a method that’s
stood me in very good stead. Teaching workshops
and courses on PLS- or PP-related topics will get
you credits for teaching time and preparation time. One
teaching hour equals four hours of regular class
time. If you’re working on PP recertification,
your topic will have to be substantive law, but some
of the material in the NALS legal training course
is legitimate; some PLS studies are legitimate (Ethics
and Legal Knowledge and Skills); and of course, most
of the PP topics would apply (the exception being
Written Communication unless the course was focused
on writing briefs, memoranda, pleadings, or other
legal materials). If your local group has a
PLS or PP study group, offer to help with the teaching. If
not, think about starting one. In addition
to making it easier for you to recertify, teaching
helps other people get their certification, too,
and the best plan always does the most good for the
most people.
And
if, by chance, all that teaching gives you more hours
than you need for recertification—by all means,
submit those hours for your Continuing Legal Education
Award. But that’s another subject.
