 I'm Nicole Hoskins-Goudreau, and I'll be your instructor for effective legal office administration. I've been a licensed attorney since 2002, and I've worked in a variety of legal environments. I've worked in both the government environment and in private law firms. I've also practiced criminal law and civil. I've also trained hundreds of criminal justice professionals as a criminal justice instructor, and I've taught and designed continuing legal education programs for attorneys. I also have specialized training and trial advocacy. I'm excited to teach this course, and I hope you have as much fun with it as I have instructing it. Thanks. Paralegal certification is voluntary, but a voluntary certification can be a valuable tool in advancing your career. There are three organizations that offer certification to paralegals. NALA, or the National Association of Legal Assistance, is one of the nation's leading professional associations for paralegals. As a nonprofit organization, NALA provides continuing education and professional development programs for paralegals, from novices to experienced professionals. You can learn more at www.nala.org. The National Federation of Paralegal Associations also offers a certification for paralegals. They offer the Paralegal Core Competency exam, which establishes your education, has prepared you for many types of paralegal work and helps you to stand out from others whose schooling and experience are otherwise similar. Those who have passed the PCCE exam may proudly display the CRP designation after their name. NAFP also offers the Paralegal Advanced Competency exam. This exam is for those who not only have a comprehensive education in paralegal studies, but also years of practical experience. Earning the RP designation by passing this exam shows that you are one of the best in the field. You can learn more about these certifications at paralegals.org. A third available certification is the Professional Paralegal Certification from NALS. To qualify for this designation, you must have one of the following. Five years of experience performing paralegal or legal assistant duties. You must be a graduate of an ABA-approved paralegal program, the ABA, that's the American Bar Association. You have to hold a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies. Be a graduate from an accredited paralegal program, which consists of at least 60 semester hours, of which a minimum of those 15 have to be substantive law. Or hold a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field and have one year of experience performing paralegal or legal assistant duties. If you'd like to learn more about this designation, you can do that at NALS.org. So what is the difference between a paralegal or a legal assistant? Those terms tend to be used synonymously. Not to be confused, however, with the terms legal secretary or law clerk. A legal secretary is someone who doesn't necessarily have any additional training in legal concepts beyond what is required of a secretary. And a law clerk is someone who usually has completed law school or is attending law school. According to NALA, legal assistants or paralegals have received some specialized training through formal education or many years of experience as a paralegal. They've worked under the supervision and direction of an attorney and performed non-clerical substantive legal work in assisting that attorney. Those who successfully complete the training and examinations to earn a credential that can be later used as a professional identifier. As of March 2015, there are 18,289 certified paralegals and over 3,400 advanced certified paralegals in the United States. The credential has been recognized by the American Bar Association as a designation which marks a high level of professional achievement. The paralegal certification examination questions tend to be along this format. There will be two or false questions, multiple choice or matching questions requiring some knowledge of the subject and reading comprehension skills. There will also likely be essay questions and those will test your judgment skills and analytical abilities. Any form, true, false, multiple choice, essay, they're all fair game and may appear on the examination at any time. The specific content and structure of the paralegal examinations will vary depending on which certification route you choose to pursue, but you should be prepared to be tested on any of the following topics regardless of which certification route you choose. Communications, ethics, legal research, judgment and analytical skills, substantive law which includes the American legal system and structure of the courts, civil litigation, contracts, business organizations and may include some other substantive legal topics as well. Note that certification that we're discussing today relates to paralegals, although some of these organizations do offer certification examinations for professional legal secretaries as well. That's something that you're interested in. You can conduct a little independent research to find out more. The best way to prepare for a paralegal certification exam though is to obtain a higher education degree in a paralegal program. To qualify for most exams, you must have graduated from a paralegal program that is approved by the American Bar Association or an associate's degree program or a post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies or a bachelor's degree program in paralegal studies or a paralegal program which consists of at least 60 semester hours or 900 clock hours or maybe 90 quarter hours of which at least 15 semester hours or 225 clock hours or 22 and a half quarter hours are substantive legal courses.