Associate Membership

Purpose

In delivering the highest quality legal services to clients, the lawyer-paralegal team is an essential element. As the law develops, continuing legal education for paralegals as important as it is for lawyers. Through associate member status, the College honors paralegals who make a commitment to maintain and enhance their professional skills through attending an extraordinary amount of continuing legal education hours. Requirements and benefits for associate members are the same as for lawyer members of the College except as set forth below.

Requirements for Membership

A paralegal may become, or may maintain his or her status as, an associate member of the College by (1) completing 12 hours of accredited CLE in the preceding calendar year, including 2 hours of ethics (2) paying the required fee, (3) submitting an application form on which a licensed Texas attorney verifies the applicant's good character and qualifications as a paralegal, and (4) submitting a report identifying the sponsor of the CLE programs attended, the specific topics included, the names and firms of speakers on the programs. Accredited CLE may include up to 3 hours teaching credit (with no carryover hours) and 2 hours of self-study (1 hour can be ethics.) An Associate member can carryover up to 6 hours of accredited CLE to the next calendar year.

Definition of a Paralegal

A paralegal is a person, qualified through various combinations of education, training, or work experience, who is employed or engaged by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency, or other entity in a capacity or function which involves the performance, under the ultimate direction and supervision of a licensed attorney, of specifically delegated substantive legal work, which work, for the most part, requires a sufficient knowledge of legal principles and procedures that, absent such person, an attorney would be required to perform the task.

Approval of Courses, Videotapes and Audiotapes

The Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas shall review all reports submitted by initial or maintaining membership and shall approve the courses identified as to their appropriateness for the continuing legal education of paralegals. All submissions accredited for attorney CLE by the Minimum Continuing Legal Education department of the State Bar of Texas shall be deemed approved.

Fees

The fee for initial members shall be $25 for members in good standing of the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas and $45 for other paralegals. The annual fee for all maintaining members shall be $45.

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