NALA ACP study guide
NALA ACP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP®) designation is associated with NALA, the paralegal association that also administers the Certified Paralegal (CP®) program. NALA describes its certification page as covering four audiences: Applicants, Examinees, Certified Paralegals, and Advanced Certified Paralegals. The NALA ACP study guide has 5 sections and about 1,799 words.
01Litigation & Trial Practice
ACP specialty designations rotate, and litigation is one of the practice areas most often offered. This section tests whether you can move a case from intake to judgment without losing a deadline: the sequence of pleadings, the Rule 16 scheduling order, jury demands, dispositive motion practice, and the paralegal's trial-support role.
400 words, about 2 min02Discovery Practice
Discovery is a core ACP focus area because it is where paralegals do the most substantive work: drafting and responding to written discovery, building privilege logs, preparing deponents, and managing ESI. Expect questions on the numeric limits in the Federal Rules and on the scope and proportionality standard.
345 words, about 2 min03Contracts
The contracts area tests formation, defenses, interpretation, and remedies under both common law and UCC Article 2. Questions frequently turn on whether a transaction is for goods or services, because that choice selects the governing rule set.
352 words, about 2 min04Estate Administration & Probate
Estate administration tests the paralegal's ability to open an estate, marshal assets, publish notice to creditors, and close with an accounting. The governing statute is state-specific, so questions reward knowing which rule the local probate code actually adopts rather than assuming the Uniform Probate Code applies everywhere.
352 words, about 2 min05Real Estate Transactions
Real estate work covers the purchase contract, title, closing, and recording. ACP-level questions focus on the statute of frauds, deed warranties, priority under recording statutes, and the disclosures and timing rules that attach to a federally related mortgage loan.
350 words, about 2 min