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Certified Paralegal (CP) or Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) is the title of paralegals in the United States who have passed the Certified Paralegal Exam and have met additional education and experience requirements for certification as a CP or CLA. In the United States "paralegal" and "legal assistant" are frequently used interchangeably. The primary function of paralegals is to assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. According to the American Bar Association: “A legal assistant or paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.” 〔http://www.americanbar.org/groups/paralegals.html〕 To become a Certified Paralegal in the United States, the candidate voluntarily passes the Certified Paralegal Exam (CP Exam). The Certified Paralegal program established in 1976 is administered by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).〔http://www.nala.org〕 The CP designation is a certification duly registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (No. 78213275) ==American Bar Association and Certified Paralegals vs. Certificated Paralegals== According to the American Bar Association, there is a distinction between "certified" paralegals and "certificated" paralegals and the terms are not interchangeable. Certified Paralegals have passed a professional exam and certificated paralegals have completed a paralegal program or other preparatory education through an academic institution.〔http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/paralegals/ls_prlgs_diff_bet_paralegal_certificate_certification.authcheckdam.pdf〕 Certificated paralegals are generally eligible to take the CP Exam after graduating from an approved paralegal program.〔http://www.nala.org/certification.aspx〕 The American Bar Association recognizes the national certifications of The National Association of Paralegals, The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), NALS (the association for legal professionals), the American Alliance of Paralegals (AAPI) and the voluntary state specific certifications of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. However, the American Bar Association does not certify individual paralegals.〔http://www.americanbar.org/groups/paralegals/resources/information_for_lawyers_how_paralegals_can_improve_your_practice.html〕 Occasionally, paralegals mistakenly refer to themselves as an "ABA Certified Paralegal" in reference to the certificate that they were given upon completion of paralegal school. This is entirely different from certification. A certificate from paralegal school is a Certificate of Completion. The paralegal school these paralegals attended has been approved by the ABA. Out of approximately 1500 or so paralegal schools in the U.S., only about 280 have been approved by the ABA. The school must meet certain qualifications set down by the ABA and pay upfront and annual fees to maintain its approval status.〔http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/paralegals/ls_prlgs_fee_schedule.authcheckdam.pdf〕 When a student completes the 4 month, 2 year or 4 year program, they are given a certificate of completion but are not certified. Because certification programs are voluntary in most states, a paralegal may find work in the field without obtaining certification. Requirements may vary by state. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Certified Paralegal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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