NALS - The Association for Legal Professionals

Professional Paralegal (PP)

Credential: Professional Paralegal (PP)  GI Bill resource
Credentialing Agency: NALS - The Association for Legal Professionals

Renewal Period: 5 years

NALS - The Association for Legal Professionals, Professional Paralegal (PP) is designed for paralegals with a proficiency in legal knowledge, the ability to perform legal tasks, and a commitment to a high standard of conduct and professionalism. PP certification candidates should possess an advanced knowledge of procedural law, the law library, and the preparation of legal documents. Candidates should also have working knowledge of substantive law and the ability to perform specifically delegated substantive legal work under an attorney’s supervision, the ability to interact on a professional level with attorneys, clients, and other staff, and the discipline to assume responsibility and exercise initiative and judgment. To earn the PP certification, candidates must meet one of the education and/or experience requirements and pass a written exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Professional Paralegal (PP)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

 

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

  • Credential Prerequisite
  • Experience: 5 years
  • Education
  • Training
  • Membership
  • Other
  • Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

  • Exam
  • Written Exam
  • Oral Exam
  • Practical Exam
  • Performance Assessment

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 5 years

  • Continuing Education
  • Exam
  • Continuing Education OR Exam
  • Fee
  • Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

NALS - The Association for Legal Professionals

P.O. Box 470348
Tulsa, OK  74147

Phone: (918) 582-5188

Fax: (918) 582-5907
Contact Page

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Candidates must meet one of the following criteria:
  • Have five years of experience performing paralegal/legal assistant duties
  • Be a graduate from an ABA-approved Paralegal Program
  • Hold a bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies
  • Be a graduate from an accredited paralegal program which consists of a minimum of 60 semester hours (900 clock hours) of which a minimum of 15 semester hours (225 clock hours) were in substantive law
  • Hold a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field and have a minimum of one year of experience performing paralegal/legal assistant duties

The Professional Paralegal (PP) credential has the following other requirements:

Written Exam

  • Written Communication
    • Grammar and word usage
    • Spelling
    • Punctuation
    • Number Usage
    • Capitalization
    • Composition and Expression
  • Legal Knowledge and Skills
    • Legal Research
    • Citations
    • Legal Terminology
    • The Court System and ADR
    • Interviewing clients and witnesses
    • Planning and conducting investigations
    • Docketing
  • Ethics and Judgment
    • Ethical situations involving contact with clients, the public, coworkers, and subordinates
    • Other ethical considerations for the legal profession
    • Decision-making and analytical ability
    • Ability to recognize priorities
  • Substantive Law
    • General Law
    • Family Law/Estate planning
    • Business Organizations/Contracts/Real Property
    • Civil Procedure and Litigation

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Professional Paralegal (PP) examination:

RECERTIFICATION

Professional Paralegal (PP)

Renewal Period: 5 years

The Professional Paralegal (PP) credential has the following recertification information:

  • The PP certification is renewed every five years. Certification holders must submit a recertification application, accumulate 75 continuing legal education (CLE) credits with a minimum of five credits dedicated to ethics, and pay a recertification fee.

    Additional information can be found on the NALS website.

In Demand

This certification is considered in demand

COOL Bucks

See your installation Education Service Officer for credential exam information and coordinating instructions.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

Some

Credential is related to some tasks associated with the duties of the military occupation (at least one critical task but less than 80%)

Most

Credential is directly related to most of the major duties associated with the military occupation (at least 80%)

Other

Credential is related to this military occupation, but is more advanced or specialized and therefore will likely require additional education, training, or experience

Promotion Points

This certification has been approved for promotion points.

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Star

Star credentials are MOS enhancing, as designated by the Proponent. MOS enhancing credentials are directly related to an MOS or ASI, are taught either partially or completely as part of a Program of Instruction (POI), and improves the MOS technical proficiency.

Skill Level

The Skill Level reflects the level, based on MOS training and/or experience, the Soldier should be the most prepared to successfully earn the credential. See the Table Legend for details about each level.

Proponent Funded

Indicates the credential may have funding through the MOS proponent. Some proponents offer credentialing opportunities in conjunction with military training and/or as part of MOS development beyond the training base.

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Navy Bucks

Credential voucher or reimbursement for credential exam, re-certification, or maintenance fee has been approved for payment through the Navy's Credential Program Office. To get a voucher request form, click 'Complete Voucher and Apply' at the top of any page.

CG Bucks

Coming Soon - Coast Guard policy regarding service member eligibility requirements to participate in the Voluntary Credentialing Program is under review with a projected release date of first quarter FY20.

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted E1 through E4

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E5 through E6

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E7 and Above

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted “A” School through E5

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E6 through E7

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E8 and Above

LaDR

This credential is recommended on the rating Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) for Sailors currently in the pay grade indicated on the icon, BUT MAY BE TAKEN BY SAILORS IN OTHER PAY GRADES.

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GI Bill®

Reimbursement for exam fees has been approved for payment through the GI Bill. Click for external link to GI Bill licensing and certification information.

Note: GI Bill approval data is updated quarterly. For the latest information, visit the WEAMS Licenses/Certifications Search page. Make sure to select "Both" in the LAC Category Type drop-down before searching.

Click here for more information.

ANSI

This credential has been accredited by ANSI. Click for external link to the ANSI web site.

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ICAC

This credential has been accredited by ICAC. Click for external link to the ICAC web site.

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ABSNC

This credential has been accredited by ABSNC. Click for external link to the ABSNC web site.

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NCCA

This credentialing program has been accredited by NCCA. Click for external link to the NCCA web site.

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IAS

This credential has been accredited by IAS. Click for external link to the IAS web site.

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Low

May be difficult to attain: minimum education requirement is a Bachelor's degree, and/or minimum experience is 10 or more years.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

Medium

Moderate ease of attainment: minimum education requirement = Associate's and/or prerequisite and/or minimum experience = more than 2 years and less than 10 years of experience.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

High

Highly attainable: mimum education requirement = HS or less and/or minimum experience = 2 years or less experience and no additional requirements.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

MOS is Military Occupational Specialty
ASI is Additional Skill Identifier
WOMOS is Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty

Army e-learning

State-of-the art Computer Based Training available for free to the Army Workforce. Click for more information.

Click here for more information.

NKO e-learning

Credential preparation courses are provided at no cost through Navy e-Learning. Click for external link to the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) web site, then select the “Navy e-Learning” link within the “Learning” tab to proceed to Navy e-Learning.

Bright Outlook – new job opportunities are very likely in the future for this job
Registered Apprenticeship
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Legal Secretaries
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Legal Secretaries
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
This is an official U.S. Navy website
Updated: October 16, 2019
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