be certified. While Certification is voluntary in most states, it increases a paralegal's skill sets or prepares him or her to enter the profession, often increases the likelihood of a paralegal's hire or promotion, and serves to identify a person as capable of work that is on par with certain standards. Certification is typically accomplished by taking and passing one of several privately administered tests from one of several paralegal associations. Graduation from a certificate program does not certify a paralegal; in most states, passing an exam administered by a recognized entity is the only benchmark generally considered to be a "certifying event".

Many states, such as Florida, have started to legislate licensing requirements for paralegals, in an effort to maintain quality and to determine who can call themselves paralegals.