The Vermont Paralegal Organization (“VPO”) will strive to annually award a Paralegal Certification Scholarship in the amount of $300.

Application:

Applications for the Certification Scholarship will be accepted by the Certification Ambassador on a quarterly rolling basis.  Deadlines for applications will be March 30, June 30, September 30, and December 30 of each year.  If no applications are received within any quarter, applications received during the next quarter will be considered for award of the scholarship. 

Applicants will be required to submit a written application.  Click HERE is the application.

The eligibility criteria for the scholarship are:

1.      Applicants must be a member of the VPO.

2.      Applicants must be eligible, meeting educational and experience requirements, for the Paralegal Advance Competency Exam® (PACE®) or the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam^TM (PCCE™), at the time of the application.  Applicants are encouraged to confirm their eligibility with NFPA prior to application for the VPO scholarship.

Scholarship Award:

One applicant will be selected annually based on a majority vote of the Paralegal Certification Scholarship Selection Committee.  A decision will be made within 15 days following the quarterly deadline in which the application was received.  Once the scholarship is awarded within a calendar year, applications will then only be considered in the following calendar year.  

Considerations in the selection process include:

1.       Applicant’s goals and desires for taking/passing a Paralegal Certification Exam;

2.       Participation in paralegal association activities;

3.       Participation in community activities, volunteerism, etc.; and

4.       Activities which promote the vocation of paralegals and paralegal education.

When a scholarship is awarded, notification to the membership will be made on the VPO website, Facebook page, members' discussion forum, and in the VPO newsletter, or any combination thereof.  

Utilizing the Scholarship:

The scholarship recipient will have one (1) year from the date of the award to utilize the scholarship and complete the process of taking the exam or will forfeit all rights to the scholarship.  All scholarship proceeds not used by the recipient within one (1) year MAY be available for reallocation to another Certification Scholarship applicant.

In the event the scholarship recipient does not either (a) use the scholarship within one (1) year for any reason, or (b) notify the Certification Ambassador within nine (9) months of receiving the scholarship of the inability to use the scholarship for any reason, the recipient shall be ineligible to reapply for the scholarship for a period of two (2) years following the one (1) year anniversary of the award.

Scholarship proceeds may be used to pay for a Study Manual, Application, examination fee, and/or review courses.  All scholarship funds will be paid directly to the scholarship recipient for reimbursement of funds paid to NFPA or associated providers upon submission to the Certification Scholarship Committee or Ambassador of proof of payment.