Houston ALP has two primary directives, one of which is promoting the certification programs of NALS, Inc., and the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification, by providing certification opportunities to its members and legal support professionals in the Greater Houston area. 

Need CLE credits: review each of these course schedules for your session of interest.

■     PLS. . . the advanced certification for legal professionals—a Professional Goal. The purpose of this exam is to certify a lawyer’s assistant as a person who possesses a mastery of office skills; the ability to interact on a professional level with attorneys, clients, and other support staff; the discipline to assume responsibility and exercise initiative and judgment; and a working knowledge of procedural law, the law library, and how to prepare legal documents.  Houston ALP holds the Advanced Legal Career Enhancement Seminar each year.  This course is for anyone who wants to keep up with modern technology and learn more about their career as a legal secretary or legal assistant; enhance their legal skills and focus on specific problem areas; wants to take the advanced certification exam for the legal professional—the PLS; or wants to obtain recertification credits for current credentials—PLS, ALS, CLA, Texas Specialty, etc.  Among the subjects covered by this seminar are written communications (grammar and word usage, punctuation, number usage, capitalization, spelling, and composition and expression); ethics (ethical situations involving contact with clients, the public, and coworkers and subordinates, including the unauthorized practice of law in and out of the law office, professional responsibility—advertisement and solicitations, and professional responsibility—client confidentiality); citations and legal research; accounting (accounting computations and terminology); and technology (computer information systems). Next PLS exam date: September 27, 2008.  For further information, contact Chris Street, PP, PLS at pls@houstonalp.org. Registration and Schedule.

■     ALS . . . the basic certification for legal professionals—a Career Goal:  Attaining this goal demonstrates your commitment and aptitude for succeeding in the ever-changing legal environment.  Houston ALP holds the Basic Training Course for the Lawyer’s Assistant around August of each year.  This course is for anyone who is interested in entering the legal field as a lawyer’s assistant, wants to expand their legal knowledge, or wants to demonstrate their preparedness for a demanding career in the legal field.  This course focuses on the knowledge that is expected of a lawyer’s assistant and covers grammar, written communications, office procedures, legal knowledge, ethics, human relations, and judgment, and culminates with the administration of the NALS ALS certification exam.  The course is an excellent tool in preparing for the ALS exam, which is directed to anyone who has completed this Legal Training Course or an accredited office curriculum course or has at least one year of general office experience at the time of taking the ALS exam.   Houston ALP has won several awards for this program. Next ALS exam date: December 6, 2008. Classes will be held on Saturdays, July 26—November 8, 2008 from 9 a.m.—2 p.m., at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. For further information, contact Angela Ybarra, PLS, TSC at als@houstonalp.org. Registration Form and Schedule.

■    Texas Specialty Certification . . . an advanced certification: Specialty certification is an essential element to career enhancement for legal support staff who want to demonstrate a working knowledge of legal procedure; the ability to interact with others on a professional level; the discipline to assume responsibility; the ability to appropriately exercise initiative and judgment; an understanding of legal ethics, procedures, the legal system, principles, and rules; improve client services; and increase office productivity and profitability. As the legal industry faces challenges (including increased litigation, rapidly changing technology, greater client expectations, and rising costs of overhead), the demand for knowledgeable legal support staff increases daily. Specialty certification designates those who have the necessary skills to perform and assist an attorney. Specialty certification demonstrates dedication to professionalism and to being recognized as a valuable member of the legal team. Specialty certification is attainable for legal support professionals who want to be identified as exceptional.

■    Texas Civil Litigation, which culminates with administration of the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification's exam in Texas civil litigation. This course is designed for legal assistants, paralegal, legal secretaries, and administrative assistants who want to be on the "cutting edge” of the legal profession, are committed to quality and high professional achievement, want to specialize in the area of Texas civil litigation, and are preparing for the specialty certification exam in Texas civil litigation. All classes will focus on what is expected of legal support staff working in the area of Texas civil litigation and will cover legal ethics, legal research and terminology, and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules of Appellate Procedure. Houston ALP won the NALS Cornerstone Award for Continuing Education for this course. This course is endorsed by the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification, meets all criteria for NALS recertification CLE and Texas Board of Legal Specialization recertification, and is approved by NALA for continuing education credit. Not offered at this time.

■    Texas Real Estate, which culminates with administration of the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification’s exam in Texas real estate. This course is designed for legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, and administrative assistants who want to be on the “cutting edge” of the legal profession, are committed to quality and high professional achievement, want to specialize in the area of Texas real estate, and are preparing for the specialty certification exam in Texas real estate. All classes will focus on what is expected of legal support staff working in the area of Texas real estate and will cover legal ethics, the purchase and sale of real property, financing, encumbrances and limitations, involuntary termination of ownership, residential and commercial leases, and oil and gas. This course is endorsed by the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification and meets all criteria for NALS recertification and CLE. Not offered at this time.

■     Paralegal Certification:  Paralegal certification is an attainable goal for those individuals who want to be identified as exceptional in their field because it is a recognized standard for assessing the qualifications of a legal assistant or paralegal professional.  Reaching this goal requires personal motivation.  The knowledge gained in preparing for the examination hones your on-the-job skills, so your duties can be performed more efficiently.  The purpose of the paralegal certification examination is to certify a paralegal who possesses a mastery of procedural skills and people skills; an advanced knowledge of procedural law, the law library, and the preparation of legal documents; a 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.  Working under the supervision of a practicing lawyer or judge, the certified paralegal is expected to possess a high standard of ethical conduct; excellent communication skills; knowledge and understanding of legal terminology and procedures and substantive law; and the ability to assume responsibility, exercise initiative and judgment, and prepare substantive legal documents within the scope of assigned authority.  Any person who has had five years’ experience performing paralegal duties may take the examination.  An applicant may file a request for partial waiver of the five-year paralegal experience requirement based on any one of the following:  post-secondary degree (maximum one-year waiver), other attained certification or paralegal certificate (maximum one-year waiver), or successful completion of the PLS examination (maximum one-year waiver).  A candidate with a paralegal degree may receive a two-year partial waiver.  (For more information, see nals.org.) See CLE schedule for some courses that pertain to this exam.