Washington State Limited License Legal Technicians News
The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) has implemented a program that will educate and license a classification of legal practitioners called Limited License Legal Technicians (LLLT). LLLT's will possess the knowledge and skills to help the public with specific legal assistance, like selecting and filling out legal forms, and guiding them through the legal system.
Current education and experience requirements to qualify for the Limited License Legal Technician exam are as follows:
- An associate level degree.
- 45 credits of core education requirements in legal studies at an ABA approved law school or ABA approved paralegal program.
- Practice area courses in each practice area in which you want to be licensed.
In addition, in order to qualify for licensure, applicants must acquire 3000 hours of substantive law related work experience (the equivalent of 18 months full time).
Experienced and certified paralegals are now eligible to take advantage of a waiver period that allows them to register for the necessary courses needed to obtain an LLLT license, while waiving some core education prerequisites. Waivers of the mininum associate-level degree requirement and/or the core curriculum education requirement may be granted for applications filed before December 31, 2016.
To qualify for the education waiver, experienced paralegals must have:
- Passed the Certified Paralegal Exam conducted by NALA.
- Active certification as a Certified Paralegal with NALA.
- Completed 10 years of substantive law-related experience supervised by a licensed lawyer.
For the practice-area education required by Admission to Practice Rule 28, classes are planned with professors from all three Washington law schools. Classes will begin at the University of Washington Law School in September, and will be available to attend live or via webcast.
Waiver applications will be accepted by the WSBA until September 18, 2013 if one chooses to take courses in the fall to obtain an LLLT license. Family law will be the first practice area licensed, with others to follow in the future. The fee to apply for the waiver is $150.
Approval of the limited time waiver application shall expire December 31, 2018. After expiration of the approval, any subsequent application for licensure by the applicant shall meet all of the standard requirements for licensure without waiver.
For more information about the WSBA Limited License Legal Technician program and to apply for an education waiver, please visit www.wsba.org/LLLT or contact Thea Jennings at theaj@wsba.org.