HISTORY:

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. The Alliance formally incorporated in 2004.

The Alliance is comprised of four paralegal professional associations located around the state of Florida: Gulf Coast Paralegal Association, Northeast Florida Paralegal Association, South Florida Paralegal Association, and Southwest Florida Paralegal Association.

GOALS:

• To ensure that generally accepted educational standards and ethical guidelines 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).

REGULATION OF THE PARALEGAL PROFESSION IN FLORIDA:

In recent years, the Alliance has focused on regulation of the paralegal profession. After years of research, discussion and information gathering, the Alliance determined there was a strong need for regulation and that a number of components were essential for an effective plan. The definition and use of the term paralegal is a key component of an effective plan.

In the past, the titles paralegal and legal assistant were synonymous. Through the years, the title legal assistant has been diluted due to the loosely defined role in the legal environment. Because of the lack of formal definition, it is not unusual to have a legal secretary or other personnel in the legal environment referred to as a legal assistant. Additionally, there are many similar terms such as: legal technician, attorney assistant, independent paralegal, contract paralegal, etc., which further confuses the public.

The Alliance recognized the need to distinguish the profession and define those who perform substantive legal work for an attorney. As indicated in a survey conducted by The Florida Bar in 1998, the public perception of a paralegal was a person: who has special training; who is knowledgeable about legal issues; and who works under the supervision of a lawyer. The Alliance determined "paralegal" to be the preferred title, and all member associations formally changed the names of their association to remove the term "legal assistant."