Becoming a Financial Legal Assistant in the State of Washington

A few years ago, before I ever went on to take my financial, legal professional test, I asked one of the financial institutions I was working with what I needed to do to prepare for my financial legal examiner state licensing exam. This particular institution’s initial response to me was that I did not need any special preparation for the exam. I found this response to be somewhat surprising since they were encouraging me to obtain additional training in order to be prepared. Their initial response did not make much sense to me, nor did their subsequent answer.

Specifically, they stated that because I was a financial, legal professional who had previously passed all of their required continuing education courses, I did not need to take any further refresher courses in order to meet my State requirements for licensing. This sounded good to me, but I wanted to take the time to look into what their actual reasoning was. After all, if I was going to take the time and expense to pass the Federal bar exam and then go back and take refresher courses on subjects that I felt were not covered adequately in my previous examinations, wouldn’t it make more sense to go the whole nine yards and get everything I needed to know in regard to the financial, legal profession?

If a financial legal professional fails to take refresher courses after passing the bar exam, they are not actually required to be licensed by the State; however, these instructors are still permitted to teach the subjects needed to fulfill State certification requirements. This is what the financial institutions were implying when they said that I did not need any further training in order to take the licensing exam. In fact, it would seem to make a great deal of logical sense. After all, if someone has already been in the financial legal profession for a significant period of time, there should be little reason to take any further training, right?

This could not be further from the truth. The financial legal practitioner who wishes to remain a professional and continue to practice Law should think very carefully about taking refresher courses before pursuing further advancement within the field. This means that any financial, legal professional can benefit greatly from taking the time to study Law in the form of refresher courses. The fact that these courses are offered in many different venues and by many different professional organizations means that the financial, legal professional will be able to pick and choose the institute which offers the most affordable and convenient program.

What if I happen to move to another state, or even another country? Well, having already passed the Certified Legal Assistant Exam and then becoming a CLA, one is required by law to re-certify each year by passing the certification exam. This exam, or license examination, also becomes a requirement for taking the licensing exam in most other states, although there are no written exams required. However, becoming an Associate in Law or becoming a Certified Legal Assistant doesn’t mean you can just waltz in and take the test once you decide to relocate.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind as you plan your next step. The first thing to consider is the requirements for that particular state. Some states require additional training after the CLA exam, including continuing education classes and the like. Other states don’t require anything. If you have prior experience as a legal assistant, you could try to find out what the requirements are for this certification in your new state and then do all necessary preparation to be ready for the exam. You’ll find that if you spend a little bit of time on the internet, you may even be able to get some great tuition discounts or free training from various online institutes that can give you the training you require for the CLA exam.

Of course, being a financial, legal examiner in the state of Washington requires that you are qualified by education, work experience, and onsite experience. If you meet any one of these requirements, you will likely pass the exam with flying colors. Of course, if you do not meet any of these requirements, you can still be a financial, legal examiner in Washington by completing the necessary training and onsite experience. You will need to find out what the requirements are for your specific state before you begin your training.

Becoming a financial legal assistant is a very rewarding career that many people enjoy. As a financial legal assistant you are going to be assisting attorneys with their clients. You will be an extremely valuable asset to any law firm, but you should be prepared for the job ahead of time. This means that you should spend time doing research so that you know exactly what to expect from the CFA exam. There are plenty of books and resources available to help attorneys and prospective CFA prepare. So, get started on your research today.