The New Registered Paralegal Program has just been unveiled by Florida. Over 300 have already asked for the application, and a lot more are expected to get it from the Florida Bar’s website.

Be aware that applicants will have to pay an application fee of 150 dollars. In approximately two weeks, approved applicants will receive certificates and welcome packets by mail. A two-tier system for paralegals, a disciplinary system, and a Code of Ethics and Responsibility are set up by the program.

Paralegals with training, education, or work experience who perform delegated, substantive work for lawyers, make up the first tier.

Paralegals in Tier two category are required to fulfill education and work experience requirements, or qualify for a Certificate from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA).

In the first three years of this program, paralegals who show substantive experience, but who also lack the educational requirements, can still become Florida Registered Paralegals due to a grand-fathering clause.

The names of people receiving the designation will appear on The Florida Bar Web site.

To retain your credential as a Florida Registered Paralegal, you will need to take 30 hours of continuing education within three years, with five of them in professionalism or ethics.
It is the attorneys who employ or supervise paralegals who have the primary responsibility for monitoring their work. This holds true whether they are Florida Registered Paralegals, or simply Registered Paralegals in other states.