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Becoming a Certified Paralegal

Qualifications

To become a NC Certified Paralegal you must fulfill the educational requirements of Rule .0119(a) of the Plan for Paralegal Certification and successfully pass an examination:
To be eligible to sit for the exam, an applicant must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Be a legal resident of the United States.

2. Have a degree in paralegal studies from a qualified paralegal studies program. To be qualified, the program must be ABA approved or qualified by The Board of Paralegal Certification. You can check the ABA website at to see if your school is approved by the ABA. There is also a listing of NC Qualified Paralegal Studies Programs on our website.

3. Submit a completed application along with the filing fee ($125.00). The application must be accompanied by an official transcript from your paralegal program as well as be signed in the presence of a notary.

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Important Dates

As of July 1, 2007, all applicants must satisfy the educational requirements of Rule .0119(a), and successfully pass an examination. Applications to sit for the next certification exam must be submitted by July 14, 2008. 

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Qualified Paralegal Studies Programs

A paralegal studies program must be designated as “qualified” to satisfy the educational requirements for certification set forth in Rule .0119(a) of The Plan for Paralegal Certification, 27 NCAC 1G, Section .0100.

Click here for the list that shows all North Carolina paralegal studies programs that have been designated as “qualified” by the Board of Paralegal Certification (the board) and the date upon which the designation became effective for graduates.

In addition, all ABA approved programs are designated by the board as qualified as of the two years prior to the ABA approval. For a list of ABA approved programs, click here. Institutional members of American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) are also designated as qualified as of the year prior to their membership.

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Forms

Application forms for certification can be found on the Documents page or by calling the State Bar at (919) 828-4620.

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Cost for Certification

The initial application must be accompanied by a check for $125. When you receive notification of the approval of your application you must submit a $50 testing fee prior to scheduling the exam. Certification is granted for a period of one (1) year.

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Renewals

The renewal fee is $50.00. To qualify for continued certification, a certified paralegal must participate in not less than six (6) hours of board approved continuing paralegal education (CPE) each year. One hour of the six CPE credits must be in ethics/professional responsibility. Renewal is required as of the first day of the month following the anniversary of the original certification date (e.g. if a paralegal is certified on July 16, 2005, his or her renewal date will be August 1, 2006, and every August 1 thereafter.) All programs approved for CLE credit for lawyers are automatically approved for CPE credit.

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Examination

The examination will be administered on Saturday May 3, 2008 and October 4, 2008, at the following campuses in North Carolina: South College, Asheville; UNC-Charlotte, Charlotte; Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown; Meredith College, Raleigh; and Pitt Community College, Greenville.

The examination fee is $50. This fee is in addition to the $125 application fee.

For additional information on the examination, and sample questions, see the FAQ page.