How Do I Register As An LDA?

The first requirement to becoming a Legal Document Assistant "LDA", is possessing a background in a legal profession, i.e., paralegal, legal secretary, law clerk, etc. The following is a more descriptive outline of educational and work experience requirements:

1. Visit your local County Registrar-Recorders Office and obtain an application or visit their website to see if one is posted there.

2. After you have completed the application and have attached the necessary documentation pertaining to your qualifications as well as educational requirements, you must obtain a $25,000 bond. The best bonding company I have used in the past is Pennbrook Insurance Services. Some bonding companies run a personal credit check for an LDA bond, but Pennbrook may be lenient in this department. However, do call for more information. Pennbrook can be reached at (415) 362-0445. Please be sure to mention Vanessa from CALDA referred you.

3. Once you have all the above documentation, proceed back to your County Registrar-Recorders Office, record the bond, pay the necessary filing fees and afterwards the County Clerk will provide you with a registration number that will be printed on an ID sized card which states your name, address, registration number, expiration date, the County of registration, and verbiage that states “the County Clerk has not evaluated this person’s knowledge, experience, or services”. Once you have received your card, you’re all done. Do note, an LDA must register and obtain a new bond every 2 years from the date of their registration; this goes for all counties in California.  Also, when renewing your registration, if your registration lapse by one (1) day, you will automatically be issued a new registration number - with your old one kept for historical purposes.

Multiple County Registrations — For some LDAs, they do register in multiple counties, commonly for more exposure with advertising and business. If you are one that would like to do so, you need to contact that county's recorders office and obtain their application. Do note that you can use the same bond you purchased for your first registration. The bond does not state the county in which you have registered in — it only states your name and what the bond is issued for. That's it! In the past, I have experienced controversy over the usage of the bond and prior LDAs being told that they needed to obtain a new bond for every new county they register in. Once you have completed the application, proceed to the recorder’s office, pay the fees and the county clerk will provide you with their registration number for their county.

Organization For LDAs — CALDA (California Association of Legal Document Assistants) is a non-profit organization designed to educate and promote LDAs through Continuing Legal Education (CLE) with teleclasses, seminars, informational newsletters, and their annual conference. Since being a member of CALDA, I believe they are the best organization for LDAs. Their quarterly Newsletter — Access — is distributed to every member and entails tons of information, updates about the LDA profession and new court forms. CALDA also has a question & answer forum that members can take advantage in receiving and/or asking questions regarding their need of assistance with a matter or attending many of their local chapters' educational seminars. There are various annual membership fees, so please visit their website at www.calda.org for more information. I assure you, you'll be glad you did.