Membership: Status and Qualifications
See also: About SMPA | Overview | Benefits | Application & Renewal Forms | Status & Qualifications
See also this page: Active | Associate | Student | Sustaining
What is a paralegal? A paralegal is a distinguishable person who assists attorneys in the delivery of legal services. A paralegal is qualified by education, training, or work experience and is employed or retained by an attorney, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which an attorney is responsible, and absent such person, the attorney would perform the task. The legal work performed by a paralegal is not of a clerical or non-billable nature.
Active Member: (Voting)
- [ Active
Membership Application | Renewal ]
This is the only membership classification with full voting privileges.
Active members are also the only members who can serve as an Association
officer, member of the Executive Committee or committee chairperson.
- Any individual who has successfully completed the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) examination of NALA (copy of CLA certificate must be attached to application); or
- Any individual who has graduated from an ABA approved program of study for paralegals (copy of diploma must be attached to application); or
- Any individual who has graduated from a course of study for paralegals, which is institutionally accredited but not ABA approved, and which requires no less than the equivalent of 60 semester hours of classroom study (copy of diploma must be attached to application); or
- Any individual who has graduated from a course of study for paralegals other than those set forth in (2) and (3) above, plus not less than six months of in-house training as a paralegal, whose attorney-employer attests that such person is qualified and employed as a paralegal; or
- Any individual who has received a baccalaureate degree in any field, plus not less than six months in-house training as a paralegal, whose attorney-employer attests that such person is qualified and employed as a paralegal; or
- Any individual who has a minimum of two years of in-house training as a paralegal, and a minimum of five years of law-related experience under supervision of an attorney, whose attorney-employer attests that such person is qualified and employed as a paralegal as outlined in the definition of a paralegal.
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Associate Member: (Nonvoting)
- [ Associate
Membership Application | Renewal ]
Associate membership is open to any individual who would otherwise qualify
under Numbers 4 and 5 of Active Membership, but has not yet received the
minimum in-house training as a paralegal. Associate Membership does not
have voting privileges and may not serve as officers or committee chairs.
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Student Member: (Nonvoting)
- [ Student
Membership Application | Renewal ]
Any individual who is a full-time student in good standing in any college,
junior college, or other school pursuing a course of study as a paralegal
enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours or equivalent or who is taking
all paralegal courses offered. Upon completion of the paralegal program,
student members may maintain their student membership status for one year
before transferring to active membership. Student membership does not have
voting privileges.
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Sustaining Member: (Nonvoting)
- [ Sustaining
Membership Application | Renewal ]
Law firms, corporations, schools or individuals who support the paralegal
profession, and support the goals, activities and programs of the Smoky
Mountain Paralegal Association. Sustaining Membership does not have voting
privileges.
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