Be a legal resident of the United States. Applicant must have earned one of the following: an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree from a qualified paralegal studies program (must consist of 10 semester credits, or the equivalent, of classroom instruction (consisting of live, real-time, or simultaneous broadcast via satellite or webinar); or a paralegal certificate from a program approved by the: American Bar Association (ABA), American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) (must be an institutional member), or is approved by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Paralegal Certification as a qualified paralegal studies program (QPSP). Please note, paralegal certificates must consist of 10 semester credits, or the equivalent, of classroom instruction (consisting of live, real-time, or simultaneous broadcast via satellite or webinar); AND an associate's or bachelor's degree in any discipline from any institution of post-secondary education that is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education (an accredited US institution), or an equivalent degree from a foreign educational institution if the degree is determined to be equivalent to a degree from an accredited US institution by an organization that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE); or a juris doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. National Certification. If an applicant has obtained and thereafter maintains in active status at all times prior to application the designation Certified Legal Assistant (CLA)/Certified Paralegal (CP) from the National Association of Legal Assistants; the designation PACE-Registered Paralegal (RP)/Certified Registered Paralegal (CRP) from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations; or another national paralegal credential approved by the board, the applicant is not required to satisfy the educational standard.
Annually
Renewal requires 6 hours of continuing paralegal education including 1 hour legal ethics/professional responsibility.
The program is voluntary because it only applies to paralegals who wish to use the titles "North Carolina Certified Paralegal,""North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal," or "Paralegal Certified by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Paralegal Certification." A paralegal can choose not to be certified and still perform substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney using the titles "paralegal" and "legal assistant."
NC State Bar
Paralegal Certification
P.O. Box 25908
Raleigh, NC 27611-
919-828-4620
Paralegals and Legal Assistants