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Road to NALA CP Exam: Can I Still Be Switzerland?

By Lynne DeVenny

If I join a national paralegal organization, can I still be Switzerland?

I downloaded NALA?s membership application (http://www.nala.org/Upload/file/PDF-Files/MBRAPP.PDF), although I don?t have to be a member to sit for the Certified Paralegal (CP) exam. But I?m a fan of NALA, and membership offers discounts for online and live courses which might be helpful to preparing for the CP exam. An active membership is $125 per year, plus a non-refundable $15 initiation fee. However, the initiation fee is waived for members of NALA-affiliated associations like NCPA.

You might be wondering if I'm such a big fan, why I haven?t joined NALA, or any other national paralegal organization sooner. I love the support, education and many other benefits that national organizations offer to their members, including (but not limited to, in case somebody gets mad that I left them out), NALA, NALS, NFPA and AAfPE. My limited budget has been a significant factor in my selection of association memberships to date. My employer graciously pays for my two current state paralegal division memberships. Most of the national associations' annual fees are a bit steeper than either of my current state association fees.

My unbiased, unaffiliated, and (hopefully reasonably) objective status as a blogger and amateur news commentator is also a consideration. With some very attractive national paralegal, legal support staff and paralegal educator organizations to choose from, I thought perhaps I should remain neutral territory, sort of like the paralegal version of Switzerland. I thought I had a brilliant resolution to the problem, i.e. join them all - but the air left that balloon when I calculated my membership fees would be in excess of $1,000 per year. Not. Happening.

But I am committed to pursuing NALA's Certified Paralegal designation, and I think the benefits of a NALA membership more than justify the annual fee. Now, I?m going to go turn my piggy bank upside down ? in front of The Boss, so he?ll feel sorry for me and want to help build my self-esteem by supporting me on my road to the NALA CP Exam.
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Look for future posts in which I shanghai me a study buddy, and tell The Boss I want to take the bar exam for paralegals.

Related Posts: Road to NALA CP Exam: When, Where & How Much?

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 24, 2010 (boomark / email).