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RICHMOND PARALEGAL
ASSOCIATION |
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Application for
Membership |
MEMBERSHIP
CATEGORIES
ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP (VOTING
PRIVILEGES): Dues - $75.00
Any individual who has
successfully completed a curriculum of training as a paralegal or who is
certified by a university, college, junior college or other approved school as
having successfully completed a full course of studies prescribed for training
as a paralegal; provided however, that all such schools, curricula and
certifications shall be subject to the approval of this Association.
Any individual who has been
continuously employed as a paralegal for a minimum of two (2) years by a
licensed attorney, whose attorney-employer attests that such person is qualified
as a paralegal.
Any individual who has
successfully completed the CLA examination administered by the National
Association of Legal Assistants.
PROVISIONAL MEMBERS: Dues - $50.00
Any individual who does not
meet the requirements for active membership but is employed as a paralegal,
whose employer (a licensed attorney) attests that such person is qualified as a
paralegal. Provisional members will
automatically become active members upon completion of two (2) years of
provisional membership.
STUDENT MEMBER: Dues - $25.00
Any individual who is a
student in good standing in any approved university, college, junior college or
other approved school pursuing a course of study as a paralegal; provided that
all such schools and curricula shall be subject to the approval of this
Association. A student shall be defined
as one who has completed a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours or equivalent
or who is taking all paralegal courses offered provided the individual is not
employed as a paralegal.
RETIRED MEMBERS: Dues - $25.00
Any
individual who has retired from the paralegal profession, who currently resides
in the Richmond metropolitan area, who is either a former member of the
Association, or who would have qualified for membership as an active member.
The Association has
Associate and Sustaining Memberships for those individuals who are members of
bar associations and/or members of the educational field endorsing the paralegal
concept, individuals or entities that are actively involved in the promotion of
the paralegal profession and those individuals and entities that provide
services to and who contribute $100.00 or more annually. For more information on these membership
categories, please contact the Membership Chairperson. The annual membership fee is $100.00.
RPA does not recognize
correspondence or home study courses as fulfilling the educational criteria
necessary to become a member of the organization. In addition, our Bylaws prohibit our
accepting a member who has been convicted of a felony.
The Richmond Paralegal Association is an
affiliate of NALA and members are bound by the NALA Code of Ethics and
Professional Responsibility in addition to any Code adopted by the Association.
PLEASE SEND CHECK (MADE
PAYABLE TO RPA) AND COMPLETED FORM TO:
Richmond Paralegal
Association
P.O. Box 384
Richmond, Virginia 23218
RICHMOND PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
TO BE COMPLETED BY ALL APPLICANTS
Name ________________________________________
Home phone _______________________ Office phone ____________
Mailing address __________________________________________________________________________________________
Email
address:___________________________________________________________________________________________
Employer
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
I hereby apply for membership in the Richmond
Paralegal Association in the following category:
Active _________ Provisional _________
Student _________ Associate/Sustaining _________ Retired __________
I agree to be bound by the Code of Ethics and
Professional Responsibility and the bylaws as adopted by the Richmond Paralegal
Association. I further understand that this application is subject to approval
by the Richmond Paralegal Association.
Date ____________________________________ Signature___________________________________________________
TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT FOR ACTIVE, PROVISIONAL, ASSOCIATE OR
SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP
Name ______________________________________
Employer ___________________________________________________
Business address
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of immediate supervisor
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
How long employed as a paralegal?
____________________ Total years legal experience
_________________________
Specialty area of practice (i.e., litigation,
real estate) _____________________________________________________________
Formal or special education (name and address
of school) or training for present position: _______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date of graduation ___________________
Emphasis (if applicable) _________________________________________________
(NOTE: If no formal paralegal education, employer
attestation form must be completed.)
Check the most appropriate description of
your employer(s): Law department, non-profit organization _____ Judicial
agency, court _____ Government legal agency ___________ Corporate law
department ___________ Private law office __________ consisting
of # attorneys________________ # legal
personnel __________________ other ______________________________________
ATTORNEY-EMPLOYER
ATTESTATION
(To be completed when applicant has
had no formal training for the position of paralegal)
I hereby attest that
_____________________________________ is employed by me and is recognized as a
paralegal and that he/she is under the supervision and direction of a lawyer,
is capable of performing the following services as generally described by the
American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Assistants:
•
Applying knowledge of the law and legal procedure in drafting legal
documents and other papers in certain fields of the law.
•
Exercising judgment and working independently with respect to assigning
tasks, keeping and meeting deadlines.
•
Preparing or interpreting legal documents for review by lawyers.
•
Selecting, compiling and using technical information from such
references as digests, encyclopedias, or practice manuals.
•
Analyzing procedural problems and recommending solutions in certain
fields of law.
•
Preparing detailed office procedures for efficient handling of
specialized field(s) of law.
I further attest that applicant has been
employed by me as a paralegal for _____ years; that applicant’s ethical and
professional conduct are above reproach, and that he/she is recommended for
membership in the Richmond Paralegal Association.
Firm
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date
____________________________________
Signature_________________________________________________________
Approved by
___________________________ on _______________
Membership Committee Chair Date
TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT FOR STUDENT MEMBERSHIP
School attending
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Length of paralegal training program
___________________________ Expected date of graduation _______________________
TO
BE COMPLETED BY THE SCHOOL
I hereby attest that
__________________________________________ is currently enrolled and has
completed 12 semester hours (or equivalent) in the paralegal course at this
school.
Your title ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
School
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature ____________________________________________________________
Date _____________________________