IPA became associated with the National Association of Legal Assistants.Paralegals (NALA) in 1998. Through this association, IPA is able to offer the benefits of national activities in addition to those on the state and local levels.

NALA leads the paralegal profession by providing a voluntary certification program, continuing legal education, and professional development programs for all paralegals.   

NALA Mission Statement:  The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) is the leading paralegal association in the U.S. Its mission is to provide continuing education and professional development programs to all paralegals. NALA provides current information about the profession, continuing education programs (publications, courses and webinars), networking opportunities, professional certification programs, occupational survey reports, and publications to help paralegals excel in the workplace. NALA is a non-profit organization, 501(c)(6), representing more than 18,000 paralegals, who are individual members or members of NALA affiliated associations.  

NALA is a membership organization. This means that the individual members of NALA are the leading force of NALA programs and policies. Through NALA, paralegals across the nation have come together to develop programs and standard setting codes to help them grow in the work place. The association is governed by a Board of Directors, and maintains an office and headquarters staff in Tulsa, Oklahoma. NALA is a trade name (filed in Oklahoma in 2003) for The National Association of Legal Assistants which was formed on April 10, 1975 in Oklahoma.