California Certified Legal Secretary, CCLS Certification

Certification

Certification is achieved by passing a comprehensive examination including legal procedures, legal terminology, performance skills, reasoning and ethics, law office administration, communications, and bookkeeping.

CCLS Test Application

Click here to download a copy of the CCLS test application in PDF format.

Study Groups

SDLSA is currently holding a study group to help our members study for this exam. If you are interested in joining a study group, please contact Ann Posthill at . The study group meets on Wednesdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the offices of Hooper Lundy located at 101 West Broadway, Suite 1330, San Diego, CA 92101-8214.

A. Eligibility

1. Any person who has a minimum of two years' full-time experience as a legal secretary, or equivalent as approved by the Certifying Board, may apply to take the examination.

2. Membership in Legal Secretaries, Incorporated, is not a requirement to sit for the examination.

B. Dates

The examination is given in March and October each year, usually on the third Saturday of the month.

C. Application Deadlines

A candidate's completed application form and any requested attachments must be received by the Certifying Board 60 days prior to the examination date. A candidate must notify the Certifying Board if she or he will not be present on the examination date. An application for deferral to the next examination date may be submitted to the Certifying Board with the proper fee and in accordance with the operating rules of the Certifying Board.

D. Test Sites

Permanent test sites have been established in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Notice of the address of the test site to which a candidate must report is mailed to each candidate approximately 30 days prior to the examination date. Additional test sites may be established pursuant to the Certifying Board's Operating Rules.

E. Examination Contents

1. Ability to Communicate Effectively. This section of the examination measures the candidate's proficiency in written communication, including grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and sentence structure. Testing in this section is provided in two formats: multiple choice and practical review. Both formats must be taken; however, passage of either format is considered passage of the section.

2. California Legal Procedures. This section of the examination tests the candidate's knowledge of California legal practice and procedure and is primarily focused on the areas of litigation, real estate, probate and estate planning, corporate, and family law.

3. Skills. In this section of the examination, the candidate reviews instructions and uses her or his knowledge of legal practices and procedures to identify correctly completed assignments in the areas of litigation, real estate, probate and estate planning, corporate, and family law.

4. Bookkeeping, Record Keeping, and Computations. This section of the examination tests the candidate's knowledge of accounting terminology and principles, accounts management, and arithmetical calculations which might be performed in a law office or legal department.

5. Legal Terminology. This section of the examination tests the candidate's knowledge and understanding of the proper forms of legal citation based on the California Style Manual and the candidate's knowledge of legal terms.

6. Law Office Administration. This section tests the candidate's knowledge of records management, office equipment and supplies management, computer technology, office etiquette, and personnel management.

7. Reasoning and Ethics. The reasoning portion of the examination verifies the candidate's ability to evaluate facts and situations logically and to reach rational conclusions; the ethics portion tests the candidate's understanding of accepted professional standards of conduct.

F. Partial Retakes

1. A candidate must pass a minimum of four sections of the examination at one sitting to qualify for a partial retake of the examination (other than a retake of all seven sections). The three or fewer sections which were not passed may be retaken upon submission of an application and the payment of the required retake fee. All unpassed sections must be taken at one sitting, and all seven sections must be passed within seven test cycles, including the test cycle at which the four or more sections were initially passed. See the Certifying Board's operating rules for further details.

2. The deadline for a retake application is the same as the deadline for receipt of an application to take the full examination.

3. A retake candidate must notify the Certifying Board if she or he will not be present on the examination date.

G. Fees

The appropriate fees must be submitted with an application to sit for the complete examination, to sit for a retake of three or fewer sections of the examination, or to defer taking all of the examination (or part of the examination if the candidate is in retake mode) to the next test date. If a candidate does not pass four or more sections, an application to sit for the complete examination and full registration/examination fees must be submitted to the Certifying Board before the candidate will be permitted to sit for the examination again.

H. Refunds

A refund of the examination fee may be requested no later than 60 days prior to the examination date. The Certifying Board will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to refund an examination fee if request is made less than 60 days prior to the examination date and if the request is made by the candidate because of an emergency or health reason. In no event will the registration fee be refunded.

I. Scoring

A candidate may pass the examination in two ways: an overall score of 75 percent or better or a score of 70 percent or better on each individual section (retakes allowed if four or more sections passed at one sitting).

J. Grading/Mailing Results

The examination will be graded within six weeks of the test date and the results mailed to the candidates.

K. Recertification

Once you have become a California Certified Legal Secretary, you must complete 15 hours of continuing legal education within a 3-year period in order to maintain your certification. Every 3 years, you must submit proof of attendance of at least 15 hours of continuing education to the CCLS Certifying Board.