Scholarships

Member Scholarship

The CLA/CP Exam Scholarship is a $250.00 scholarship awarded annually to a TPA member in good standing pursuing the National Association of Legal Assistant’s (NALA) CLA/CP Exam. The funds are paid to NALA to go towards the fees associated with this exam. The scholarship may also be used for the “Advanced” (ACP) certifications through NALA. The deadline for returning applications is October 15th. The TPA Board votes on the recipient at its Annual Spring Meeting.

Student Scholarship

The Lawassa B. Jones Memorial Scholarship is a $500.00 scholarship awarded annually to a student pursuing a degree in paralegal/legal assistant studies. The Tennessee Paralegal Association (TPA) instituted the scholarship in the 1990s, naming it in memory of TPA founding member, Lawassa B. Jones, who lost her battle with cancer in 1993.

The criteria the TPA Board members consider in awarding the scholarship include financial need, scholastic ability, leadership and extracurricular activities. The application, along with a letter of personal recommendation; a letter of scholastic recommendation (including an official copy of the student’s transcript); and a short statement explaining the student’s reasons for applying for the scholarship and why he/she chose to become a paralegal must be sent to the TPA scholarship committee chairperson by October 15th of each year. The TPA Board votes on the recipient at its Annual Meeting held in November.

Once the recipient of the scholarship is selected, he or she is immediately notified by mail and a check in the amount of $500.00 is forwarded to the recipient’s school to be credited to the recipient’s account for future use for tuition, books and any other school related items and expenses.

This scholarship has helped several students realize their dreams of becoming a paralegal. One recent recipient, Elizabeth Green, a student of South College in Knoxville, thanked the TPA and said, she could not express in just a few words what the scholarship meant to her. She described a feeling of relief from “the burden of worrying about how she was going to pay for books” and “the freedom to focus on her education.” She also expressed a sense of gratitude that her hard work was recognized and rewarded.