On August 8, 2013, the Washington State Bar Association adopted a limited time waiver regulation to help ease long-practicing paralegals into the new profession of a Limited License Legal Technician. The regulations allows experienced paralegals to bypass the educational requirements currently built into the general regulations.
Regulation 4 provides that a paralegal qualifies for the waiver if he or she pays the fee, submits the application form and provides proof that he or she has:
1. Passed the Certified Paralegal Exam conducted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) or the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) conducted by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA);
2. Active certification as a Certified Paralegal with NALA or as a PACE Registered Paralegal with NFPA; and
3. Completed 10 years of substantive law-related experience supervised by a licensed lawyer within the 15 years preceding the application for the waiver. Proof of 10 years of substantive-law related experience supervised by a licensed lawyer shall include the following:
a. the name and bar number of the supervising lawyer(s),
b. certification by the lawyer that the work experience meets the definition of substantive law-related work experience as defined in APR 28, and
c. the dates of employment or service.
If that’s you, apply here. Take heed, however, there are expiration dates:
1. Final Deadline to Apply for a Waiver: Application for waiver due in WSBA office December 31, 2016.
2. Expiration Date of Approved Waivers: Approved waivers will expire December 31, 2018.
Basically, after 2018, all persons applying to become a Limited License Legal Technician will need to comply with all the education and testing requirements.
Carolyn B.
Legal Studies Weblog 