Paralegal CLE Requirements by State
Paralegal CLE requirements vary greatly, depending on your certification and the state you work in. We’ll review each state’s continuing education requirements below.
If your state does not have a certification or registration program, there are several national certifications that are available to you. Those include the following:
NALA
The National Association of Legal Assistants has a voluntary paralegal certification program. As of 2019, NALA reports that there are over 19,000 Certified Paralegals (CP) and 3,400 Advanced Certified Paralegals (ACP) in the United States. You can read about NALA’s Eligibility Requirements to see if you qualify to sit for the exam. In order to maintain those certifications, a paralegal must complete 50 hours of continuing legal education (with 5 of those being ethics credits) every five years.
NFPA
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations also offers a national paralegal certification program. You can read about NFPA’s Eligibility Requirements to see if you qualify to sit for their PACE exam. If you are a Registered Paralegal (RP) you will need 12 hours of paralegal CLE credits (with 1 ethics credit) every two years. If you pass the Paralegal Core Competency Exam and receive the CRP credential, you will need 8 hours of paralegal CLE credits (with 1 ethics credit) every two years.
Paralegal CLE by State
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Meet the Author
Ann Pearson is the Founder of the Paralegal Boot Camp, and host of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, and passionate about promoting the paralegal profession.
Ann spent 20 years working as a paralegal manager and a litigation paralegal before opening the Paralegal Boot Camp in 2010.
Ann’s training programs focus on adding immediate value to a paralegal’s career and bridging the gap between what a paralegal learns in school and what they actually do on the job.
Visit the About Us Page to learn more about why Ann started the Paralegal Boot Camp.
