Legal Assistant Registration Program

Legal Assistant Registration Card

The KCBA Legal Assistant Registration card allows Legal Assistants to check out court files from the King County Clerk’s office in accordance with King county Local Rule 79(d)(4)(A); use the King County Law Library; and present agreed and/or ex parte orders as authorized under King County Local Rule 54(f).

KCBA defines Legal Assistant as an inclusive term for legal assistants, paralegals, and legal paraprofessionals, employed by a single attorney or firm, or contracting with several firms—so long as 50% or more of their work is non-clerical. KCBA defines non-clerical work as investigative and information gathering activities, and dealing with clients directly in a professional and ethical manner under the supervision of an attorney.

An Employed Legal Assistant works as an employee, or a contract legal assistant, for only one law firm, administrative agency, or corporation. While, the term Contract Legal Assistant works for more than one law firm, administrative agency, or corporation for more than six months.

KCBA requires that a Legal Assistant hold a degree, or certificate of completion, from a legal assistant program, or from an ABA accredited school. If a Legal Assistant does not have that education background, KCBA accepts registrations from Legal Assistants who have equivalent college education and/or work experience in the legal field and have recently completed at least two Continuing Legal Education courses, including one course on ethics and one course in your legal area of practice. You will have to provide written verification of your attendance.

Frequently Asked Questions

A: Yes, you do need to pay the full fee. Once we have reviewed your application to make sure you meet all of the program requirements, we will send you two cards for the price of one: a card for the remainder of this year and a card that is valid for the whole of the next calendar year.

A: Yours is an initial application. If you work under the direct supervision of only one attorney, you are an employed legal assistant. You need the Initial Application for Employed Legal Assistants found below. If you contract to work for multiple firms, you are a contract legal assistant and should use the Initial Application for Contract Legal Assistants found below.

A: Yours is a renewal application. You do not need to submit new letters of recommendation or affidavits if you are working for the same attorney who sent those documents last year. Use the Renewal Application for Employed Legal Assistants or Renewal Application for Contract Legal Assistants both found below.

A: In general, you must have worked at the new firm for the required six months before you can apply for your new card. You can use a renewal application form, but you need to submit new letters of recommendation and affidavits from each new attorney you work for. In the case of contract legal assistants who work for multiple attorneys, you do not need to resubmit affidavits from attorneys whose documents were provided the previous year, but you must submit new letters of recommendation and affidavits from any new attorney. If you have been in the KCBA Legal Assistant Registration program for several years and have recently changed firms, you may request that the six-month waiting period be waived. Please have the responsible attorney at your new firm request the waiver in writing. Complete the renewal application, include all of the required documents and also include a letter of recommendation from the responsible attorney at your previous firm.

A: Yes, we can issue multiple cards, but please make clear in your cover letter the number of cards you are requesting and the name of the attorney to be listed on each card. Generally, there is no additional fee for up to 4 cards.

A: The sponsoring attorney is the attorney who takes ultimate responsibility for your compliance with the terms of the legal assistance registration agreement. Responsible attorneys are those attorneys in each of the firms that you work for who are responsible for your work at that firm.

A: If you need a replacement card to use during the same calendar, call or send an email to Camille Zahajko at CamilleZ@KCBA.org or call 206-267-7048, and we will send you a new one. If you are sending in a renewal application and cannot enclose your card because you lost it, include a statement to that effect with your application.

A: The general answer to this question is, no. The card is designed for use in King County Courts. You would have to call the clerk’s office for Snohomish or Pierce County to find out if a particular judge at that particular court is willing to accept the card.

Revised 9/1/08

Application Forms

We use the term Employed Legal Assistant to describe those persons who work as employees or contract legal assistants for only one law firm, administrative agency or corporation.

If you are an Employed Legal Assistant, you must file the following items as part of your initial application to register with the King County Bar Association Legal Assistant Program:

  1. Initial Application form;
  2. A letter of recommendation from your Responsible Attorney;
  3. An Affidavit of the Responsible Attorney;
  4. Affidavit of Applicant;
  5. A copy of your degree or school certificate;
  6. List and provide verification of participation in at least two recent legal education seminars, one in ethics and one in your law field if you do not hold an AA paralegal degree or certificate;
  7. Pay a registration fee of $35.00.

Please print and complete the forms below:

  Initial Application

  Affidavit of Responsible Attorney

  Affidavit of Applicant

We use the term Employed Legal Assistant to describe those persons who work as employees or contract legal assistants for only one law firm, administrative agency or corporation.

  1. A renewal application, where there has been a change in the Responsible Attorney, will be treated like an original application, and you will be required to submit the items listed below, as follows:
    1. Renewal Application form
    2. A letter of recommendation from your new Responsible Attorney,
    3. An Affidavit of the new Responsible Attorney;
    4. Affidavit of Applicant
    5. A copy of last year’s KCBA Legal Assistant registration card
    6. Pay a registration fee of $35.00.
  2. If you have been a member of the KCBA Legal Assistant registration program for several years, have recently changed firms and are requesting a waiver of the six-month requirement, you are required to submit all of the items listed above and:
    1. A written request for the waiver from your new Responsible Attorney,
    2. A letter of recommendation from the Responsible Attorney at your previous law firm
  3. If you are renewing your Legal Assistant registration and your Responsible Attorney remains unchanged, you need only submit the following documents:
    1. Renewal Application
    2. A copy of last year’s KCBA Legal Assistant registration card
    3. Registration fee of $35.00

Please print and complete the forms below:

  Renewal Application

  Affidavit of Responsible Attorney

  Affidavit of Applicant

A Contract Legal Assistant is a legal assistant who works for more than one law firm, administrative agency or corporation. The contract legal assistant works under the direct supervision of an attorney who can be considered to be the sponsoring attorney.

If you are a Contract Legal Assistant, you must file the following items as part of your initial application to register with the King County Bar Association Legal Assistant Program:

  1. Initial Application form
  2. Sponsoring Attorney’s Affidavit
  3. A letter of recommendation from your Sponsoring Attorney,
  4. Affidavit of the Responsible Attorney for each law firm for which you perform services;
  5. Affidavit of Applicant
  6. A copy of your degree or school certificate
  7. List and provide verification of participation in at least two recent legal education seminars, 1 in ethics and 1 in your law field if you do not hold an AA paralegal degree or certificate;
  8. Pay a registration fee of $60.00.

Please print and complete the forms below:

  Initial Application

  Sponsoring Attorney’s Affidavit

  Affidavit of Applicant

A Contract Legal Assistant is a legal assistant who works for more than one law firm, administrative agency or corporation. The contract legal assistant works under the direct supervision of an attorney who can be considered to be the sponsoring attorney.

  1. A renewal application, where there has been a change in a Responsible or Sponsoring Attorney, will be treated like an original application, and you will be required to submit the items listed below, as follows:
    1. Renewal Application form
    2. A letter of recommendation from your Sponsoring Attorney,
    3. An Affidavit of the Sponsoring Attorney;
    4. Affidavit of the Responsible Attorney for each law firm for which you perform services;
    5. Affidavit of Applicant
    6. A copy of last year’s legal registration card
    7. Pay a registration fee of $60.00.
  2. If you are renewing your Contract Legal Assistant registration and your Sponsoring & Responsible Attorneys remain unchanged, you need only submit the following documents:
    1. Renewal Application
    2. A copy of last year’s KCBA Legal Assistant registration card
    3. Registration fee of $60.00

Please print and complete the forms below:

  Renewal Application

  Sponsoring Attorney’s Affidavit

  Affidavit of Applicant

Cards are good for a calendar year. If you are just joining the program or renewing in November or December you’ll receive a card to finish out the year and one for the new year.

Questions?

Please contact Camille Zahajko
email: CamilleZ@kcba.org
phone: (206) 267-7048

Please mail your completed applications to:
King County Bar Association

Attn: Camille Zahajko
1200 5th Ave, Suite 700
Seattle, WA 98101