Most seminars offered by CFPA have been pre-approved by NALA for a set number of Continued Legal Education hours. Because our seminars receive NALA approval for CLE hours, they are also suitable for submission to the Florida Bar for CLE hours required by Rule 20.
Once a paralegal obtains CLA or CP certification, he/she is required to submit evidence of completion of fifty (50) hours of Continuing Legal Education every five (5) years, which must include five (5) hours on the subject of legal ethics, to maintain valid certification. A completed Recertification Audit Verification plus a fee of $100 will also be required at the time of recertification. Notice of one (1) year probation will be sent to the last known address of all Paralegals failing to submit evidence of completion of the fifty (50) hours of CLE within the five (5) year period. If the Certified Paralegal fails to complete the above recertification requirements in this time certification will be revoked, with notice to the legal assistant. This requirement applies to Advanced Certified Paralegals (ACPs) as well.
Certificates of Attendance are offered at the end of all NALA-approved seminars. If you do not automatically receive a Certificate of Attendance at the end of each seminar, ask the CFPA representative for one. It is strongly recommended that you keep the original Certificate of Attendance for your records.
Submit a copy to NALA. You may scan & Email your Certificate of Attendance to NALA or submit it by fax or mail. NALA will not return your Certificate of Attendance to you, but does maintain a record of how many hours each CLA/CP has submitted.
The Florida Registered Paralegal also has a Continued Legal Education requirement. Pursuant to Subchapter 20-6 Continuing Education:
RULE 20-6.1 GENERALLY:
In order to maintain the status of Florida Registered Paralegal, a Florida Registered Paralegal must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years, 5 hours of which shall be in legal ethics or professionalism. Courses approved for credit by The Florida Bar, the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) will be deemed acceptable for purposes of this rule.
Failure to meet the Continued Education requirement will result in the termination of your Florida Registered Paralegal status. Your 3-year reporting cycle begins on your registration date, which is on your certificate. Courses taken prior to your registration date cannot be used toward the continued education requirement.
It is your responsibility to keep track of your continued education hours!
You are now able to post continuing education credits online! You can go to www.floridabar.org/frp for instructions on how to post your credits or CLICK HERE for step by step instructions. After your credits have been posted, you can review your continuing education history.
The Florida Bar will not be presenting or creating continued legal education programs for paralegals. As such, CFPA stands ready to meet the continued legal education requirements for Florida Registered Paralegals. At this time, all NALA-approved seminars are accepted by the Florida Bar for paralegal continued education requirements.
You may submit the same hours to NALA and the Florida Bar to meet the continued education requirements of both organizations.
