Last January I had the honor of attending the induction of the Honorable Linda B. Thomas as Chief Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals. I would venture to say most legal assistants in the land are familiar with Justice Thomas, the commitment she has made to legal assistants in Texas, and the impact of her efforts on our profession. It should come as no surprise that her induction commanded ''standing room only'' attendance and her acceptance speech was both humorous and inspirational. I was particularly inspired by that portion of her speech in which she quoted her favorite ''philosopher,'' Erma Bombeck. Ms. Bombeck writes that when she gets to the ''pearly gates'' she hopes she arrives there without any talent, so she can tell her maker she used everything He gave her. I believe this sentiment is one that can be utilized in all walks of life, but especially by legal assistants.
Too often I hear legal assistants complain that their careers are at a dead end, they are tired of being considered glorified secretaries, and they want to be treated professionally. Perhaps the key to overcoming these feelings is certification. While there are no guarantees, many legal assistants who have successfully taken the plunge at certification believe that being certified has resulted in greater career opportunities, as well as new respect from both attorneys and clients. Naturally, none of these glories come without a price, and before making the decision to sit for a certification exam, you must be prepared for the investment of money, time, and emotion that will be required.
While this issue is devoted to all certification examinations available to legal assistants, I only have personal experience with one, the Specialty Certification Exam administered by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I made the decision to take this exam long before the exam was offered. When I began hearing about the possibility of an examination that would measure a legal assistant's expertise in a specific area of law, I became determined I would be among the first in line. At the age of 44, I had been working in the area of family law for nearly 14 years. I had not taken an examination since I graduated from college-22 years earlier. Luckily, I was not alone. My colleagues and I formed a study group and began investing many precious after-work hours testing each other.
Some of my fellow legal assistants were fortunate in that their employers paid all expenses associated with taking the exam-the application fee, the testing fee, the airfare to Austin to sit for the exam, and the hotel and meal charges while there. I was not as fortunate, and all expenses were my sole responsibility. Even the study guides developed by our study group had to be copied at my own expense. As the date for the exam neared, I realized I had made an investment larger than one of time or money, it was also an emotional one. I was the only person driving me to succeed. I began to feel what many law school graduates must feel when they sit for the bar exam. The excitement of even qualifiying to take the exam was overshadowed by the fear of failure. I am proud (and relieved!) to say that my investments paid off and I became one of the first Board Certified Legal Assistants in the State of Texas.
Of all the arguments I have heard against becoming certified, the strongest one has been ''My firm neither encourages nor rewards me if I become certified. Why should I go through all that effort?'' It is a shame law firms exist which do not recognize the economic benefit of employing certified legal assistants. As part of our continuing efforts to educate attorneys and firm administrators on the utilization of legal assistants, we must include the fact that by employing certified legal assistants, an attorney increases the quality of his product, which can lead to greater success in his case work, as well as increased client satisfaction. In addition, the possibility of being able to justify a higher billing rate for a legal assistant should be monetarily appealing to an employer. Finally, many firms are structuring their legal assistant staff in tiers, and it seems logical to assume achieving certification would lead to a distinction in a tiered system.
The decision to take a certification exam must be made by you. Once certification has been achieved, you will have greater leverage to convince your employer he will benefit from this accomplishment-and thus, so should you.
Perhaps taking a certification exam is not for everyone. However, should you feel you have reached the end of your career opportunities, are not achieving the job satisfaction you think you should, or want to expand your professional role in the delivery of legal services, maybe there are some talents you have not used yet. If you can fly, then why not soar? I urge you to consider taking a certification exam. It is likely it will be a career enhancing experience!