History
The CLA Specialty program began in 1982. The first two examinations were in the areas of Civil Litigation and Probate and Estate Planning. In 1984, the Corporations/Business and Criminal Law and Procedure examinations were first offered. In 1987, a Real Estate specialty examination was offered for the first time. Bankruptcy followed in 1992; and Intellectual Property in 1995.
The Program
The Certified Legal Assistant program was established in 1976. It has enabled the legal assistant profession to develop a strong and responsive self-regulatory program offering a nationwide credential for legal assistants. As of September 11, 2007 there are 14,344 CLA/CPs and 1126 CLA Specialists in the United States. Over 25,000 legal assistants have participated in this program. The growth of the program is impressive. At the end of 1995, 7,739 legal assistants had achieved the CLA designation, a growth rate of over 65% in 10 years. As of February 2008, Texas has 2836 CLA/CPs.
The Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) Examination is a comprehensive, two-day examination based upon federal laws and rules of civil procedure. An examination fee is required and all applicants must meet clearly defined eligibility requirements in order to qualify to take this nationally recognized exam.
The major subject areas of the examination are:
Communications
Ethics
Human Relations and Interviewing Techniques
Judgment & Analytical Ability
Legal Research
Legal Terminology
Substantive Law - This section consists of five mini-examinations covering the American Legal System and four (4) of the areas listed below as selected by examinees:
Administrative Law
Bankruptcy
Business Organizations/Corporations
Contracts
Criminal Law and Procedure
Family Law
Litigation
Probate and Estate Planning
Real Estate
The examination is given three times a year: March, July and December.
For further information on the testing dates and deadlines, please go to
www.nala.org NALA also offers information about examination topics and available study materials. This information is also available on their website.
CLAS - CLA Specialty Examinations
If you have achieved the CLA credential, you may seek advanced certification in specialty practice areas.
The following areas are currently available:
Bankruptcy
Civil Litigation
Corporations/Business Law
Criminal Law and Procedure
Estate Planning and Probate
Intellectual Property
Real Estate
Each of these is a four-hour examination written to test specialized knowledge of the practice area. The testing dates and application deadlines are the same as those for the CLA exam.
For further information, please go to
www.nala.org