{"data":{"id":"us-sd/sdcl-16-18-34.1","jurisdiction":"us-sd","citation":"SDCL § 16-18-34.1","heading":"Minimum qualifications.","body":"Any person employed by a licensed attorney as a legal assistant must meet the minimum qualifications of:\n(1) Successful completion of the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) examination of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.; or\n(2) Graduation from an ABA approved program of study for legal assistants; or\n(3) Graduation from a course of study for legal assistants which is institutionally accredited but not ABA approved, and which requires not less than the equivalent of sixty semester hours of classroom study; or\n(4) Graduation from a course of study for legal assistants, other than those set forth in (2) and (3) above, plus not less than six months of in-house training as a legal assistant; or\n(5) A baccalaureate degree in any field, plus not less than six months in-house training as a legal assistant; or\n(6) A minimum of three years of law-related experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney, including at least six months of in-house training as a legal assistant; or\n(7) Two years of in-house training as a legal assistant.\nProvided, further, that any legal assistant hereunder shall have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED).\nFor purposes of these standards, \"in-house training as a legal assistant\" means legal education of the employee by a licensed attorney concerning legal assistant duties and these guidelines. In addition to review and analysis of assignments, the legal assistant should receive a reasonable amount of instruction directly related to the duties and obligations of the legal assistant and the Rules of Professional Conduct as stated in this chapter.","path":["TITLE 16. COURTS AND JUDICIARY","CHAPTER 16-18. POWERS AND DUTIES OF ATTORNEYS"],"source_url":"https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/16-18-34.1","current_through":"2026-08-31","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T15:18:56Z","sha256":"5659bbf492068846c9485c470127f71ac0a5d22eb193d7d03bf7d0d5b9347c2f","source_id":"us-sd","stale":true,"prev":"us-sd/sdcl-16-18-34","next":"us-sd/sdcl-16-18-34.2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}