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The Road to the NALA CP EXAM: When, Where and How Much?

By Lynne DeVenny

First, I decided that the best way to propel myself down the road to NALA?s Certified Paralegal Exam would be to do something every day related to making the exam a reality. Today I decided to calculate the damage, i.e. when, where and how much?

To keep track of the details, I created a notebook labeled ?NALA CP Exam? in my Evernote account. Have I ever mentioned most of the memory storage cells in my brain reside in this incredible and free cloud-based application?

Second, I visited the N.C. Paralegal Association, Inc.?s website (http://www.ncparalegal.org). I?m a member of NCPA, and NCPA is an affiliate member of NALA. I wanted to review membership benefits relating to NALA.

2010 Certified Paralegal Short Course

I went to NCPA?s ?NALA News? section and was pleasantly surprised to see that NALA is offering the 2010 Certified Paralegal Short Course (http://www.nala.org/shortcourse.aspx) on November 11-13, 2010 in Charlotte, NC, which is a little more than an hour away from me. The course is recommended for paralegals planning to take the Certified Paralegal exam in January or May 2011.

I was a bit taken aback by the $390 registration fee for NALA members and $450 for non-members, but the blow was softened somewhat by discovering, in addition to handout materials, the fee includes the Certified Paralegal Study Guide and Mock Examination (West Legal Studies, 4th Edition, 2009). Amazon.com has a 2008 edition of the book listed at $41.83 currently.

I printed the Registration Form for the short course ? and am still considering how I will approach The Boss with this proposal, i.e. that he pay for it. In the event of an ?in your dreams? response, I need to figure out if I can pay for the course myself ? or prepare for the exam without taking a review course. But I know myself very well. I know I would benefit from a focused, intensive review, especially of the practice and skill areas in which I have little or no experience.

NALA CP Exam Fees, Deadlines & Commitments

Third, I visited NALA?s website. I reviewed the information for obtaining the Certified Paralegal designation. If I want to sit for the May 2011 exam, my application needs to be postmarked by April 1, 2011 (unless I want to pay a late fee). The fee to sit for the exam is $250 for NALA members and $275 for non-NALA members.

I carefully reviewed the examination application. For the substantive law section of the exam, I must select four out of the nine specialty areas. My initial inclination is to select Litigation, Family Law, and?.and?uh?uh, choosing the remaining two is harder than I thought. I haven?t worked in, or had any formal education classes in any of the other areas since the early 90s. I briefly thought about flipping a quarter or drawing pieces of paper out of a hat. Right now, I?m leaning toward bankruptcy and contract law, the subjects I remember best from school. I need to make a commitment soon, though, so I can plan a course of study.

Any suggestions regarding selection of the substantive law sections?
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Look for tomorrow's Road to the NALA CP Exam post, "If I Join a National Organization, Can I Still Be Switzerland?" I'm working on the post inspired by a good paralegal friend's response to my announcement, "R U NUTZ?"

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 23, 2010 (boomark / email).