WSPA Membership

Membership in WSPA is open to paralegals living or working in the State of Washington, as well as to certain other parties interested in the success of both WSPA and the paralegal profession.

Read about some of the Benefits of Membership below, and be sure to click on the first "Read More" tab immediately below this section to learn more about our different Categories of Membership and which one is right for you.  Please join WSPA today!

Definition: A paralegal a person qualified through education, training, or work experience perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This may be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory, court authority to perform this work. See The Profession for more discussion. Membership fees vary depending upon the membership category. Please see the information below to see the current fees for each membership category.

Prospective Members can now join (or renew) their memberships online via our secure web service, Acteva:

• Join New Here
• Renewing Exisiting Members - Renew and Pay Online Here

There are five categories of membership:

• Voting Member - A voting member is eligible for all benefits of membership, including the right to vote in the election of officers and directors. A new member, or a renewing member who has not previously been a voting member, who has three years experience as a paralegal or meets certain education requirements, qualifies for voting membership. A member who has been a voting member for at least a full year must demonstrate that s/he has accrued at least 10 continuing education credits during the preceding year in order to retain his/her status as a voting member.  ($100 per year) (or only $50 for a membership ending December 2010 if joining after July 1st)
• Student Member - A person who does not qualify for voting membership but is a full time student in a paralegal studies program can apply for student membership, which is eligible for all benefits of the association except that he or she may not vote or hold office. ($50 per year) (or only $25 for a membership ending December 2010 if joining after July 1st)
• Non-Profit or Government Employee Member - Any individual otherwise eligible for voting membership who works for a federally recognized non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization or a government agency (including armed forces). Nonprofit and government members are eligible for all membership benefits, including the right to vote and hold office, and must meet the other requirements applicable to voting membership, including experience and/or education and continuing legal education. See Voting Membership, above. ($75 per year) (or only $37.50 for a membership ending December 2010 if joining after July 1st)
• Associate Member - A person who does not qualify for voting, nonprofit, government, or student membership may apply for associate membership. Associate members are eligible for all membership benefits, but may not vote or hold office. ($100 per year) (or only $50 for a membership ending December 2010 if joining after July 1st)
• Sustaining Member - A person, firm, organization, partnership, agency, or other entity interested in supporting the objectives of WSPA shall be eligible for sustaining membership and may participate fully in the affairs of the association except that they shall not be eligible to vote or hold office.  ($200 per year) (or only $100 for a Sustaining membership ending December 2010 if joining after July 1st)

See the Bylaws for a more complete description of membership requirements. See the CLE Guidelines for more information about continuing legal education requirements. In addition to specific membership requirements, any WSPA member is expected to comply with certain ethical guidelines as published by NFPA. New Member Benefits are being added frequently. Check here for lastest details!

Application Forms:  Online Application is recommended, but to apply for membership by mail, please print and complete the appropriate form linked here, then mail it with a check in payment of the required membership fee to:

Washington State Paralegal Association
PO Box 58530
Seattle WA 98138-1530

For more information, write to the above address, call 866-257-WSPA(9772) or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Note: Some of the documents and forms referenced above and left are in pdf format, and can only be opened if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can obtain it at no charge by clicking on the icon to the left.