NALS PLS/CLP study plan
NALS PLS/CLP · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Written Communication & Legal Knowledge and Procedure
Draft a one-page style sheet covering grammar, punctuation, and citation format rules you will apply to all written work
Identify and label the structural parts of a legal document (caption, body, signature block, certificate of service) from three sample formats you construct yourself
Explain in writing the difference between a pleading, a motion, and a discovery request
List the top ten proofreading errors you personally make and pair each with a correction strategy
Your checkpoint
A personal style sheet plus a one-page annotated diagram of a legal document's parts
Written Communication & Legal Knowledge and Procedure
Write a 300-word client letter explaining a procedural timeline in plain language
Summarize the stages of civil litigation from intake through judgment in a numbered outline
Practice converting passive, jargon-heavy sentences into active plain-English sentences in ten rewrites
Build a glossary of twenty legal terms with one-sentence plain-language definitions
Your checkpoint
A 300-word plain-language client letter and a 20-term glossary
Legal Knowledge and Procedure & Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Map the deadlines and filing requirements for a hypothetical case onto a calendar
Define the paralegal's role boundaries versus the attorney's, citing unauthorized practice of law concepts
Identify three confidentiality obligations and describe how each applies to daily tasks
Draft a conflicts-of-interest intake checklist
Your checkpoint
A case-timeline calendar and a one-page UPL/confidentiality boundary summary
Ethics and Professional Responsibility & Office Administration and Technology
Write a short scenario analysis of an ethical dilemma involving a supervising attorney's instruction
Compare how confidentiality rules apply to email, cloud storage, and physical files
Set up a folder and naming convention system for a sample client matter
List five document-retention and backup practices that protect client data
Your checkpoint
An ethics scenario analysis and a documented file-organization system
Office Administration and Technology & Human Relations and Client Interaction
Demonstrate proficiency in five core functions of word processing or case management software by producing sample outputs
Build a spreadsheet that tracks case deadlines with conditional formatting or alerts
Draft a script for a difficult client phone call and rehearse it aloud
Identify three communication accommodations for clients with limited English proficiency or disabilities
Your checkpoint
A working deadline-tracking spreadsheet and a call-handling script
Human Relations and Client Interaction & Written Communication
Write a professional email responding to an upset client within 24-hour turnaround norms
Describe how to handle a client who requests legal advice the paralegal cannot give
Summarize cultural-competence and active-listening techniques in a one-page guide
Revise the week 2 client letter to a lower reading level and compare versions
Your checkpoint
A client email, a one-page communication guide, and a before/after letter revision
Office Administration and Technology & Legal Knowledge and Procedure
Complete a timed exercise producing a correctly formatted legal document from raw notes
Explain e-filing procedures and common rejection reasons
Describe how to organize and Bates-number a document production
Audit a sample case file for missing documents or misfiled items
Your checkpoint
A formatted document produced under time pressure plus a file-audit report
Written Communication & Office Administration and Technology & Legal Knowledge and Procedure & Ethics and Professional Responsibility & Human Relations and Client Interaction
Take a full-length timed practice test and score each domain separately
Review every missed item and write the underlying rule in your own words
Re-drill the two weakest domains with focused exercises
Assemble a one-page exam-day checklist covering timing and question strategy
Your checkpoint
A scored practice test with a written error log and a final exam-day checklist
Milestones
Week 2: Produce a plain-language client letter and 20-term glossary without external templates; self-score readability
Week 4: Explain UPL and confidentiality boundaries accurately in writing and pass a self-quiz on ethical scenarios at 80% or higher
Week 6: Demonstrate software and spreadsheet deliverables that function correctly and show a revised letter at a lower reading level
Week 8: Score 75% or higher overall on the timed practice test with no domain below 65%, and show a completed error log