HISTORY and PURPOSES

On January 15, 1987, by formal declaration, the Missouri Alliance of Paralegal Associations (M.A.P.A.) was created as a central forum and unified voice for Missouri paralegals. M.A.P.A. perceived the need for an organization with membership open to all Missouri paralegals. November 12, 1998, the delegates unanimously agreed that, because representation by M.A.P.A. was contingent upon membership in a local paralegal association, M.A.P.A. was not able to meet the needs of all paralegals throughout the state. M.A.P.A. created a new organization and, upon doing so, was dissolved.

The Missouri Paralegal Association (M.P.A.) was incorporated in 1998 as a Missouri non-profit corporation for the following purposes:

• to develop and advance the highest quality standards for education, ethical responsibility and professionalism;

• to provide Missouri paralegals with a forum for the exchange of information and ideas;

• to increase the knowledge of the public, the judiciary and the legal community of the role and the benefits of the paralegal profession;

• to offer and support continuing legal education (CLA) programs for paralegals; and,

• to provide a unified voice for addressing issues affecting the paralegal profession at state and national levels.

Paralegal: a person qualified through education, training, or work experience and employed or retained by an attorney, law office, government agency, corporation or other entity to perform substantive and procedural legal work under the ultimate direction and supervision of an attorney or as authorized by administrative, statutory, or court authority.

Paralegal Experience: the performance of substantive legal work, non-clerical or non-administrative in nature, that, absent a paralegal, an attorny would perform.