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What IS Jefferson Parish's Required Certification To Do Paralegal Work?

By Lynne DeVenny

I have a question for my readers who live in New Orleans, because frankly, I'm making myself a little more nuts than usual trying to google the answer.  I've followed and covered the situation in the Jefferson Parish Attorney's Office, where last year several paralegals, including a paralegal supervisor, were terminated due to lack of certification required for the position.

No one actually said what the required "paralegal certification" is. Even Robert Mongue over at The Empowered Paralegal wondered "what would be 'the required certification' to hold the position given the lack of any uniformity within the paralegal profession..."

Exactly.

So now I learn that in January of this year, three more paralegals were let go by the new Parish Attorney, Deborah Forshee, because they "lacked certification for their jobs..."  NOLA.com reports:

On Jan. 4, she fired paralegals Susie Melancon, Sue Thomas and Barbara Namer, all of whom had been on the payroll more than three years. She said none of them had the required certification to do paralegal work for the parish.

So far as I can tell, not one single reporter has asked the key question, "What is the certification required?"

AARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

So naturally I think I'll just go over to the Jefferson Parish Job Opportunities site, and check out the job description for paralegals, since naturally there must be an opening, or three.

Nope. I can't even find a cached job posting for paralegals, although they are looking for an Animal Care Specialist (who only needs a high school diploma and some college coursework to perform vague "semi-technical medical functions"). If you know me well, you'll know I'm fully prepared to sit at this computer, googling like mad, for the next 12 hours until I get the answer.

But I really want to read my vampire novel instead.

So if you're a New Orleans legal professional (or if you're Susie, Sue or Barbara) with the inside scoop on the paralegal certification lacked, required, and/or apparently impossible to get while you're still employed at Jefferson Parish, could you please, please, please tell us what it is?

I will even send the first person with the right answer (and some semblance of proof 'cause I want to play a reporter on TV) a Percolatin' Paralegal coffee mug.

Source:  NOLA.com

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on February 16, 2011 (boomark / email).