CERTIFIED KENTUCKY PARALEGAL
The purpose of the Kentucky Paralegal Association’s Certified (KPA) Paralegal Program is to implement Kentucky Supreme Court Rule 3.700 for paralegals in Kentucky by establishing a procedure for paralegal certification, which will promote competence and high standards of professional responsibility, including the Kentucky Paralegal Association’s Paralegal Professional Standards of Conduct. This is accomplished by setting minimum training, work experience, and education requirements for eligibility to be a designated Certified Kentucky Paralegal. The ultimate purpose of this self-regulation program is to improve the quality of legal service in Kentucky and make it more readily available to the public.
Certification of qualifications and commitment to high professional and ethical standards by paralegals will lead to appropriate recognition of the substantial and essential contribution paralegals make to the provision of legal services in Kentucky.
Eligibility to sit for the exam
The minimum education requirements for eligibility to take the CKP examination are:
- Graduation from an ABA approved course of paralegal studies (Official transcript required); or
- Graduation from a paralegal course of study which is not ABA approved, but is in substantial compliance with ABA approval guidelines (Official transcript required); or
- Graduation from an appropriately accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in any field (Official transcript required) plus one (1) year of paralegal work experience verified by the supervising lawyer (on form provided with application); or.
- As of the date of application, a minimum of 5 years work experience as a paralegal performing substantive legal tasks under the supervision and direction of a licensed attorney. Said experience must be attested to by the paralegal’s supervising attorney (on form provided with application) and
- Verified by the Kentucky Paralegal Association Certification Committee.
- Any person with a minimum of five (5) years of verifiable work experience as a paralegal will be given constructive credit for the education requirements. Intent to seek constructive credit must be submitted to the CKPP, Inc., on a form provided by the CKPP, Inc. within 18 months of the administration of the first CKP examination, or such constructive credit will be waived by the applicant.
- Applicants must submit documentary verification of completion of education and work experience requirements.
- KPA membership is not required to sit for the exam but, once certified, KPA membership is required to maintain CKP status.
The CKP examination consists of 40 true/false or multiple choice questions on the subject of Ethics. A minimum passing score of 70% is required to earn the Certified Kentucky Paralegal credential. Candidates are asked to demonstrate knowledge of the Kentucky Paralegal Association Paralegal Professional Standards of Conduct which include an understanding of ethical responsibilities in the performance of services provided when assisting lawyers and their clients
Study guide material is provided on the Web at
http://www.kypa.org at no cost. There will be a “Study Session” at the KPA Annual Conference for those who wish to discuss the exam prior to the test date. Any paralegal who meets the qualifications specified above may seek certification by applying to take the required exam on the form “Application for Certification as CKP.
The CKP exam will be administered a minimum of two times annually.
Notification of exam results will be issued by the CKPP, Inc. to the applicant within forty-five (45) days of the exam. The KPACC will then issue an official certificate entitling the qualifying paralegal to use the title “Certified Kentucky Paralegal” or “CKP.” Once certified, the designation of "Certified Kentucky Paralegal" or "CKP" may be used on business letterhead and business cards. A roster of all current CKP's will be maintained on the KPA website and names will be posted for public viewing.
A CKP must earn a minimum of eight (8) credit hours of KPA approved CPE annually which must include two credit hours of the Paralegal Professional Standards of Conduct.
The annual CPE requirement is based on a calendar year and must be completed by December 31 of each report year.
A CKP must renew their membership with the Kentucky Paralegal Association no later than February 1st of the following year to maintain their CKP status.
For more information regarding the CKP examination, please e-mail the Kentucky Paralegal Association Certification Committee (KPACC) at
kpacc@insightbb.com.