MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS IN
THE IOWA ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ASSISTANTS INCLUDE:

• Membership Application

  Get the PDF version of the IALA Membership Application Form.   Please print, complete and mail this form with the appropriate membership dues to: IOWA ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ASSISTANTS PO Box 93153 Des Moines, Iowa 50393 Please email questions to:

  Annual Subscription to Legal Assistant Today
  The Iowa Association of Legal Assistants is pleased to provide an annual subscription to Legal Assistant Today magazine to all active members who renew their membership or join the association during the renewal time period beginning January 1 and ending February 15.

• Networking Connections
  By using the Membership Directory, attending seminars, and participating in Region meetings, members of the Iowa Association of Legal Assistants are able to discuss issues pertaining to the profession and with individuals who share common concerns and interests. Networking is often the most successful avenue for those paralegals/legal assistants seeking employment.

• On-line Access to a Membership Directory
  Available in the Members’ Only section, the Iowa Association of Legal Assistants' Membership Directory helps members locate peers working throughout the state.

• The Original Notice, a Bi-annual Newsletter
  The Original Notice provides a means through which the Board of Directors can update members on activities being conducted in each of the regions and at the state level. Pictures, awards, announcements, and articles keep members informed. The Original Notice is e-mailed to members and stored on the Members’ Only web page for easy access.

• Placement Assistance
  In addition to networking opportunities that may lead to employment, the Iowa Association of Legal Assistants notifies members by e-mail when job postings are placed on the IALA website.

• Reduced Costs at IALA Seminars
  The Iowa Association of Legal Assistants conducts two educational seminars per year. These one-day seminars typically rotate to various areas of the state from year to year in order to provide ample opportunity for paralegals/legal assistants to obtain continuing education. Seminars are general in nature in order to provide a wide array of topics. Members of the Iowa Association of Legal Assistants may attend each of these seminars at a reduced cost. Student members of IALA are provided a yearly certificate for free attendance at one of these seminars.

• Representation at Iowa State Bar Association Events
  The Iowa Association of Legal Assistants sponsors various Iowa Bar Association events where members have the ability to interact with attorneys in order to encourage the use of paralegal/legal assistant staff. Board members also collaborate with the Iowa State Bar Association Legal Assistant Committee regarding issues affecting the paralegal profession.

• Scholarship Opportunities
  The Iowa Association of Legal Assistants supports its members by offering scholarships that may be used in furthering their education.

• Study Assistance for NALA CLA/CP Exam
  As a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants, the Iowa Association of Legal Assistants encourages its members to study and sit for the CLA/CP and specialty exams offered by NALA. Members of IALA who have achieved the CLA/CP designation serve as mentors, form study groups, and conduct study sessions. Member CLA/CPs also proctor exams within the boundaries of the state, thus allowing paralegals/legal assistants to avoid the stress and expense of travel to other areas of the country for the exams.

• Updates on Laws, Rulings, and Activities Affecting the Paralegal Profession
  Board and Committee members review issues concerning the paralegal profession and advise members of concerns and significant events. Members are kept apprised of laws that affect their profession and activities of affiliated associations throughout the country. Due to the efforts of the Association, legal assistants in Iowa who have passed NALA’s CLA exam have been granted permission to use the designation “Certified Legal Assistant” beneath their signature.

• Website: www.ialanet.org
  The Iowa Association of Legal Assistants maintains a website at www.ialanet.org where members may access information regarding the Association and its activities.

MEMBERSHIP RATES

MEMBERSHIP RATES
Membership runs from February 1 through January 31.
Annual dues vary by type of membership. All dues are nonrefundable.

* See below for membership classifications

* See below for membership classificatons

MEMBER CLASSIFICATIONS

• ACTIVE: This class is open to any individual who meets the following criteria. This is the only membership classification that carries voting privileges at the state level. Active members are the only IALA members who may serve as state officers. Any individual whose supervising attorney attests that such person is qualified as a legal assistant/paralegal AND that this individual works at least 3/4 of his/her total hours as a legal assistant as defined by the American Bar Association.
   
• ASSOCIATE: Associate members may vote and hold offices on a regional level, but do not have state voting rights and may not hold a state office. This class is open to any individual who meets at least one of the following criteria:
  1. Any individual not currently employed as a legal assistant/paralegal who has successfully completed a course of study as a legal assistant/paralegal at any university, college, junior college or other educational institution.
  2. Any individual not currently employed as a legal assistant/paralegal who has successfully completed the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA/CP) examination administered by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.; or
  3. Any former active member of IALA not currently employed as a legal assistant/paralegal.

   

• STUDENT: Student members do not have voting rights and may not act as an officer on either the state or regional level. The following qualify for student membership: any individual who is a student at any university, college, junior college, or other educational institution pursuing a course of study as a legal assistant/paralegal and who submits an attestation from the director of the program that the individual is a student in good standing. Read more about the benefits of being a student member (PDF).
   

• SUSTAINING: Sustaining membership is open to anyone who meets at least one of the following criteria:
  1. Members of bar associations or the legal profession;
  2. Members of the educational field endorsing the paralegal/legal assistant concept or involved in the promotion of the paralegal/legal assistant profession, or
  3. Any person or entity with a viable ongoing interest in the legal profession approved by the Board of Directors of IALA

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Get the PDF version of the IALA Membership Application Form

Please print, complete and mail this form with the appropriate membership dues to:

IOWA ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ASSISTANTS
PO Box 93153
Des Moines, Iowa 50393

Please email questions to:

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