Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants

BREAKINGNEWS
Specialty Task Force Report
The NALA Specialty Program is 21
years old and entering a new phase to stay
in step with the accelerating pace and evolving
needs of the paralegal profession. A shift
from the current exam-site testing program
to a curriculum-based Internet learning and
assessment process is the main transformation
due for the specialty program.
Recommended changes in the program
were introduced to legal assistants
from across the nation at the July 10
Membership Forum during NALA’s 28th
Annual Convention in San Antonio.
Charlsye J. Smith, CLAS, Chair of the
14-member Specialty Certification Task
Force formed to review the Specialty
Program in May 2002, presented changes
planned for the program, described Task
Force review and evaluation methodology,
and explained the rationale behind the
recommendations.
Much work remains to be done
before the first new Specialty Certification
program can be introduced in late 2004.
The Task Force is proceeding deliberately
in its work to ensure that the specialty
program retains the integrity and reputation
for quality it has achieved in the past
two decades.
The new program will offer the same
CLAS or CP Specialist credential as the
current program, but in a different manner.
Candidates still must achieve the level
of education, knowledge, and skills
required for CLA certification, and those
needing more work in a specialty area
before committing to the new program
can be identified through pre-testing or
other screening methods.
Why Change?
Specialization is an entirely different
matter today than when the CLAS program
was launched in 1982. Devising a
program with curricula to meet an eversharpening
focus was a key element in the
Task Force’s desire to tailor the specialty
program to the jobs CLAs are actually
doing “like finely fitted gloves,” according
to Ms. Smith. She noted that this aim is
supported by feedback from members
who have asked for more narrowly
focused specialty examinations.
The Task Force also recommended
CLA
that the program should better serve CLAs
wishing to enter new areas of specialty, as
well as those seeking specialty credentials
in their current practice areas. This recommendation
was based on the observation
that the current program is aimed at those
who either have the experience to pass the
Certified
exam in a certain area of law, or who are
Legal
willing to undertake
Assistant
a grueling (and often
indistinct) regimen of self study to achieve
the required knowledge.
Logistical issues surrounding location
and times of examinations were also a matter
the Task Force addressed. The current
four-hour written exam given three times a
year at locations nation wide require the
inconvenience, or outright hardship, of
travel for many who wish to earn specialized
certification. A more “user friendly”
means of qualifying for the CLAS was
sought, without compromising the level of
expertise required for certification.
CP
Program Criteria
In order to meet the recommendations
for more narrowly-focused specialty areas
and greater service to CLAs who want to
change specialty areas of practice, the Task
Certified
Paralegal
Force set specific criteria to be met by the
specialty program. These include:
1. Participants must hold the CLA credential.
This standard of excellence is
seen as a crucial prerequisite for specialty
certification.
2. The program must be relevant to the
workplace. Employers represented on
the task force emphasized that in order
for employers to support the new program,
the current reality of narrow specialization,
rather than broad areas of
practice, must be reflected in the program.
In addition, the program description
must clearly state the meaning of
the advanced certification – that the
individual legal assistant has demonstrated
specific knowledge in a specific
area of law.
3. Defensible national standards must
be maintained. The program must
withstand evaluation by outside experts
just as the CLA examination and the
current specialty program have.
4. The program must be accessible, and
offered at reasonable cost.
Proposed Changes
With these recommendations and criteria
in mind, Specialty Certification Task
Force consultant Kurt Kraiger, McFarlin
Professor of Psychology at The University
of Tulsa, led the Task Force in developing
program changes. Dr. Kraiger is an expert
in developing professional certification
programs, and in evaluating certification
training programs.
The major changes proposed at this
time are:
1. Provide a curriculum-based program
that focuses on training and assessment
through program interactivity rather
than self-study and testing. This is a
move away from the testing-only model
to more accurately reflect NALA’s mission
of continuing education, while
retaining an assessment component to
assure compliance with certification
standards.
2. Deliver the program online rather
than at CLA examination sites. Dr.
Kraiger urged adoption of the Internet
for its “anytime, anywhere” qualities.
Online delivery provides participatory
learning and certification rather than
isolated testing, it provides control over
presentation of content so that every
participant gets the same information,
and it provides controlled use and flexi-
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FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003