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To Seek or Not to Seek NALA's Certified Paralegal Credential?

By Lynne DeVenny

I'm one of those people who always has to have a plan. My friends will tell you that I do not know how to relax and be still. I also need to be intellectually engaged (it keeps me out of trouble). Even though I'm almost 50 years old, I feel like I'm really more like almost 30. I know I'll have to work until I'm at least 90, having been a single parent for much of my income-earning life.

So, I'll admit, I sometimes still wonder what I'm going to be when I grow up, or when I turn 30. What am I now? Professionally, I'm a North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal who has worked in the legal field since 1986. Since 1990, I've known I have a real affinity for medical records, damage calculations and civil injury law. I've written a textbook for paralegals with my boss. I've spoken at numerous CLEs about topics ranging from civil litigation to presenting effective settlement demands to most recently, social media. I'm booked to speak at several more CLEs, for both paralegals and attorneys, by the end of this year.

So is it normal to be thinking, "What's next?" Before I adopted my youngest daughter, right before she started third grade, I was looking at several options for higher education, including going to nursing school, getting a second bachelor's degree in psychology, or working toward a master's degree in professional writing. I also thought about seeking the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) Certified Paralegal credential.

Then life happened, and plans for further education fell to the wayside. But now my youngest is a high school freshman, and I am thinking about implementing a real educational goal for 2011. I'm very much interested in NALA's Advanced Paralegal Certification programs in Discovery, Trial Practice, Personal Injury, and more recently, Trademarks.

First, I'd have to obtain the Certified Paralegal designation. But I'm a little intimidated. Yes, I said that out loud on a blog read by legal professionals across the country - and in some other countries. My last taste of a formal paralegal education was in 1990, when I obtained my associate degree in Paralegal Technology. My last taste of a formal college education was in 1993, when I obtained my bachelor's degree in English Literature. My days of formal study are almost two decades behind me.

I know that I will need to review extensive materials to prepare for the CP exam. It's been a long time since I researched anything other than North Carolina workers' compensation cases - my current specialty area. Do I think it would be good for me personally and professionally to embark on a disciplined and planned review of the study materials for the exam?

Heck, yes.

Do I worry about what I'll have to give up to find time in my daily schedule to do this?

Heck, yes.

Am I going to give up this blog?

Heck, no. But I've already started cutting back on other activities, including freelance writing.

I need an intellectual challenge, and I'm thinking that NALA's CP exam might be exactly what I need to grow as a paralegal.

If I do this, you know I'll blog about it every step of the way. Would I love a like-minded study buddy?

Heck, yes.

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 22, 2010 (boomark / email).