GOALS:

• To ensure that generally accepted educational standards and ethical guidelines for paralegals are uniform in the state of Florida.
• To ensure that an independent and fair system exists for entry into the profession.
• To protect the public from unqualified persons who often perform services for the public that exceed current statutory or court approved guidelines.
• Require continuing education to maintain specific levels of ethics and competency.
• To prohibit entry into the profession by unqualified individuals who use the title "paralegal" to deceive the public about their qualifications (see Florida Bar Survey results).

HISTORY:

The Alliance is currently comprised of four paralegal professional associations located around the state of Florida: Gulf Coast Paralegal Association (GCPA), Northeast Florida Paralegal Association (NEFPA), South Florida Paralegal Association (SFPA), and Southwest Florida Paralegal Association (SWFPA)

The Florida Alliance of Paralegal Associations ("FAPA" or the "Alliance") was initially organized in 1996 with the purpose of establishing a forum in which all paralegal associations with the state of Florida could meet to address common issues affecting the paralegal profession.  Originally named the Florida Alliance of Legal Assistants/Paralegals (FALAP), the organization later formally incorporated under the name of the Florida Alliance of Paralegal Associations (FAPA) in 2004.

FALAP began as a group representing three paralegal professional associations: Central Florida Paralegal Association ("CFPA"), Jacksonville Legal Assistants (now Northeast Florida Paralegal Association, or "NEFPA") and Florida Legal Assistants (now Paralegal Association of Florida or "PAF.")