September 2025 Volunteer Spotlight – Jennifer Devine, ACP

Jennifer Devine, ACP, was appointed as NALA’s 2025-2027 Certifying Board Chair in July 2025. She has served on the Certifying Board (CB) since 2018, following a fateful encounter with Debbie Overstreet, ACP, at the 2016 NALA conference in Las Vegas. Debbie encouraged her to get involved with NALA. Not long after, someone from NALA reached out to her about joining the CB, and she happily obliged.

“Elevating the paralegal career is important to me,” Jennifer shared. “Volunteering with NALA was the most logical next step toward that goal.”

When she first joined the Certifying Board, she did not expect to become Chair. However, after several years of service, she felt like giving a bit more.

“The Board has given me so much,” Jennifer gushed. “My biggest goal is to give back to the other volunteers on the Board and keep a good thing going.”

Jennifer runs her own freelance paralegal business, Turning Point Paralegal
Consulting, LLC. She has been a NALA member and Certified Paralegal (CP^®) for over a decade, since 2014. She holds Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP^®) credentials in Real Estate Principles (2016) and Business Organizations: Incorporated Entities (2020).

Jennifer decided to get certified after 10 years at the same law firm, when she realized she wanted more than the job was giving her. Hoping to kickstart her career growth, she researched her options and chose to pursue NALA certification through the Certified Paralegal (CP^®) Exam.

During a luncheon for her local NALA affiliate, the Madison Area Paralegal Association, she inquired about a study group for the exam and discovered a prep course at Madison College. She felt the course was a great resource and appreciated having someone to talk to about the practice questions. She took the CP^® Exam in 2014 and passed on the first try.

As a member of the CB, Jennifer plays a pivotal role in supporting the CP^® Program. During its NCCA reaccreditation in 2024, she helped establish the Exam Development Commission (EDC) and acted as liaison between the CB and the newly formed panel of volunteers. A key part of her work included training the volunteer graders by sharing the CB’s longstanding grading standards to ensure consistency and impartiality. Thanks to her guidance, the EDC continues to thrive with ongoing training and development.

Jennifer encourages others to get involved with essay grading, item writing, and item review, pointing to a constant need for those volunteers. Her favorite part about serving with NALA is the spirit of collaboration.

“What I enjoy most is being surrounded by extremely kind, smart, and driven people,” she revealed. “Everybody works hard and shares equally.”

Another thing she loves about NALA is the annual conferences. She has been to seven conferences, beginning in Tulsa in 2015.

“I like being able to meet career-minded people from all over the country,” she professed.

Her advice to the NALA community is not to let fear hold them back.

“Whatever it is you want to do, do it scared,” she implored. “You don’t have to be comfortable. Say yes and figure it out later.”

Outside of her professional service, Jennifer enjoys cooking, traveling, and watercolor painting. She sums up her thoughts on volunteering and community with a quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Reflecting on the quote, she wants to encourage others with the reminder that “None of us is too small to do something great.”