Paralegal and Legal Assistant Business Cards for CP CLS NALA NFPA Certified Legal Professionals

Paralegals and legal assistants are the legal professionals who provide substantive legal support services under attorney supervision — drafting legal documents and correspondence, conducting legal research and writing memoranda, managing discovery and e-discovery, maintaining case files and litigation databases, interviewing clients and witnesses, preparing trial notebooks and exhibit binders, coordinating with courts, and handling the workflow that keeps law firms, corporate legal departments, and government legal offices running efficiently.

What Paralegal Cards Include

Your Credentials

NALA certifications:

• CP (Certified Paralegal) — NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants); the most widely recognized paralegal certification; demonstrates comprehensive legal knowledge; requires the NALA examination (covers communications, ethics, legal research, substantive legal areas) + education and/or experience requirements; previously called CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) — the credential was renamed CP in 2004 but older designees may still use CLA
• CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) — NALA; the legacy name; still used by holders who earned the designation before the name change
• NALA member — NALA membership is separate from CP certification; most CP holders are NALA members
• ACP (Advanced Certified Paralegal) — NALA; advanced specialty certifications after CP; areas include civil litigation, contract management, corporate and business law, criminal law and procedure, real estate, estate planning and administration, intellectual property, family law, bankruptcy, administrative law, employee benefits, and trial practice

NFPA certifications:

• PACE (Paralegal Advanced Competency Examination) — NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations); the primary NFPA credential; demonstrates advanced paralegal competency; requires 6 years of paralegal experience + 1 year of higher education, or 4 years experience + degree; 3-hour examination
• CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) — also used by NFPA members (distinct from NALA CLA); context usually clarifies which organization
• NFPA member — NFPA membership; national federation of state paralegal associations

AACP certification:

• PP (Professional Paralegal) — AACP (American Alliance of Paralegals); another national paralegal certification

NALS (formerly National Association of Legal Secretaries) certifications:

• PLS (Professional Legal Secretary) — NALS; legal secretary certification; some paralegals hold this from career development path
• PP (Professional Paralegal) — NALS; paralegal designation

Law school degrees:

• A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies — associate degree; many community college paralegal programs
• B.S. or B.A. in Paralegal Studies — bachelor's degree paralegal programs
• Certificate in Paralegal Studies — post-baccalaureate certificate from ABA-approved programs
• B.A. or B.S. in Pre-Law (Political Science, Criminal Justice) — undergraduate degrees combined with paralegal certificate
• J.D. (non-admitted) — J.D. graduates who are not practicing attorneys but work as paralegals ("J.D. preferred" paralegals); some employers require or prefer J.D.-level paralegals for senior or specialist roles

ABA (American Bar Association):

• ABA-Approved Paralegal Program graduate — ABA approval of the paralegal school/program; separate from attorney bar admission; signals quality paralegal education; many employers prefer ABA-approved program graduates

Your Paralegal Specialty

Litigation:

• Civil litigation (federal and state court)
• Trial preparation and trial support
• Discovery management (written discovery, deposition preparation)
• E-discovery (Relativity, Concordance, Summation)
• Document review and coding
• Case management (Clio, MyCase, Practice Panther, FileVine)
• Court filing and docketing
• Expert witness coordination
• Trial notebook and exhibit preparation
• Appellate support

Corporate and business law:

• Entity formation (LLC, corporations, partnerships)
• Corporate governance (board minutes, resolutions, annual reports)
• Mergers and acquisitions due diligence
• Contract management and administration
• Commercial transaction support
• Securities compliance (SEC filings — 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K)
• Regulatory compliance

Real estate:

• Residential real estate closings (title, deed preparation, HUD-1/ALTA)
• Commercial real estate transactions
• Title examination and title insurance
• Mortgage and foreclosure
• Lease review and abstraction
• Land use and zoning

Estate planning and probate:

• Will drafting and estate plan documents
• Trust administration
• Probate and estate administration
• Guardianship and conservatorship
• Medicaid planning documentation

Intellectual property:

• Trademark searching and trademark application preparation (USPTO)
• Trademark docketing and maintenance
• Copyright registration (U.S. Copyright Office)
• Patent prosecution support (USPTO filing)
• IP portfolio management

Family law:

• Divorce and dissolution
• Child custody and support
• Adoption
• Guardianship
• QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order) preparation

Immigration:

• Visa petition preparation (H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, EB petitions)
• PERM labor certification support
• Green card application preparation
• Naturalization application support
• Immigration court preparation

Criminal law:

• Criminal defense
• Expungement and record sealing
• Pre-trial discovery and investigation
• Sentencing research

Bankruptcy:

• Chapter 7, 11, 13 bankruptcy preparation
• Bankruptcy schedules and statement of financial affairs
• Claims administration

Design for Paralegals

Color palette:

• Navy + white: legal authority and professionalism
• Charcoal + white: serious, precision-oriented
• Forest green + white: trust and legal stability
• Dark blue + gold: white-shoe law firm-adjacent

Back of Card

1. "CP (Certified Paralegal) | NALA | PACE (NFPA) | ABA-Approved Program | ACP — IP | ACP — Litigation"
2. "Civil litigation | Corporate | M&A due diligence | Real estate | IP | Estate planning | Immigration"
3. "E-discovery (Relativity) | Trial support | Court filings | Document review | Contract management"
4. "Law firm | Corporate legal | Government | Legal aid | Insurance defense | BigLaw | Boutique"
5. "[Firm / Dept] | [Title: Paralegal | Senior Paralegal | Paralegal Supervisor] | [phone] | [email] | [LinkedIn]"

Checklist

• [ ] CP (NALA Certified Paralegal) or PACE (NFPA) — if certified
• [ ] ACP specialty (if NALA advanced certification)
• [ ] NALA or NFPA membership
• [ ] ABA-Approved Program graduate (if relevant)
• [ ] J.D. (if non-admitted JD paralegal)
• [ ] Practice area specialty (litigation, corporate, real estate, IP, immigration)
• [ ] E-discovery tools (Relativity, etc.)
• [ ] Case management software (Clio, Filevine, etc.)
• [ ] Setting (law firm, corporate, government, legal aid)
• [ ] Title and seniority
• [ ] LinkedIn (growing importance for legal professional networking)