Best Paralegal Certification

NALS Certification Status And Renewal

NALS Certification: Where It Stands In 2027

, Contributor at Savo Media Group

Last updated

Black office binders marked with colored tab flags beside a desk calculator and a potted plant

Individual exams NALS

Paused

no new registrations

Current PPs NALS

208

on NALS's holder report

LSP exam NALS

100

questions in 90 minutes, schools only

Renewal NALS

5 years

50 hours of CLE, 5 in ethics

NALS Certification At A Glance

  • NALS has paused all of its individual certification exams and is not taking new individual registrations.
  • The only exam it currently gives is the Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP), formerly the ALP, and only to school groups.
  • Its paralegal credential, the Professional Paralegal (PP), has 208 current holders on NALS's report.
  • NALS calls the hiatus a temporary pause, not a permanent elimination.
  • For a national paralegal certification now, NALA's CP and NFPA's PCCE and PACE are open to candidates.

What NALS Is Offering Now

NALS, the National Association for Legal Support Professionals, certifies legal staff at several levels, and its paralegal credential is the Professional Paralegal (PP). In 2026 it paused the exams behind its individual credentials:

All individual certification exams are on hiatus. NALS is only administering the Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP) (former ALP) exam to school groups. We are not currently accepting new individual exam registrations.

NALS, certification update (June 2026)

NALS describes the hiatus as a temporary pause rather than an end to the program, and says a future PP will require passing the Certified Legal Professional (CLP) exam first and will test advanced substantive law only. Until it reopens, your national paralegal certification options are NALA's Certified Paralegal and NFPA's PCCE and PACE, all taking candidates.

The NALS Credentials

  • Professional Paralegal (PP). Established in 2004 and, in NALS's words, "designed for students graduating from an ABA-approved legal studies or paralegal studies program OR individuals with a minimum of 5 years of paralegal/legal assistant experience." The exam is on hiatus, and 208 holders are current.
  • Certified Legal Professional (CLP). The same exam and designation as the Professional Legal Secretary (PLS), which NALS stopped issuing in January 2022. On hiatus.
  • Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP). The former Accredited Legal Professional (ALP), renamed on January 1, 2026: 100 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, with 70% to pass, given only to school groups. A school group pays $135 per candidate remotely or $90 in person at partner schools.

Keeping A NALS Credential

Holders keep their credentials while the exams are paused. The PP and CLP renew every five years with 50 hours of continuing legal education, at least 5 of them in ethics, for $75. The LSP renews on the same cycle for $50. NALS's recertification page has the forms.

Common Questions About NALS Certification

Can I take the NALS Professional Paralegal exam?
Not as an individual right now. NALS says all of its individual certification exams are on hiatus and it isn't accepting new individual exam registrations. It calls this a temporary pause, not a permanent elimination. NALA's CP and NFPA's PCCE and PACE are taking candidates.

What happened to the ALP and PLS?
The Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) became the Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP) on January 1, 2026. The Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) hasn't been issued since January 2022. Its holders and new candidates passed the same exam as the Certified Legal Professional (CLP), which replaced it.

Who is the NALS PP for?
In NALS's words, it is designed for students graduating from an ABA-approved legal studies or paralegal studies program or individuals with at least five years of paralegal or legal assistant experience. NALS established it in 2004.

How do you renew NALS certification?
The PP and CLP renew every five years with 50 hours of continuing legal education, 5 of them in ethics, for a $75 renewal fee. The LSP also renews every five years with 50 hours, 5 in ethics, for $50.

Compare NALS Certification With Other Paralegal Credentials

With NALS's individual exams paused, these are the credentials a candidate can pursue now.

  • NALA Certified Paralegal (CP)

    NALA's two-part exam, open to graduates of qualifying programs and to experienced paralegals, renewed every five years.

  • NFPA PACE and PCCE exams

    NFPA's two exams: the PCCE is open early in a career and the PACE is for experienced paralegals, both renewed every two years.

  • Florida Registered Paralegal

    The Florida Bar's voluntary registration for paralegals who work for Florida lawyers, with three routes and no exam of its own.

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