CLM Support

The Foundation is proud to support ALA’s Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® credential as part of our mission to educate and inspire current and future legal management professionals. We are committed to lowering the barriers to certification by offering scholarships to cover the cost of the exam fee for anyone wishing to take their career to the next level. These scholarships are intended for members for whom the exam fee would be a barrier to access certification.

In 2026, to honor the 30th anniversary of the CLM credential, the Foundation will offer 30 scholarships – 15 for the Spring exam and 15 for the Fall.

Eligibility:

• All ALA members are eligible to apply.
• Applicants must not have another outside funding source for their exam fee (i.e. coverage of fees from their employer, chapter or other source).
• Members may apply for both first-time and retake exam fees. Scholarships are not contingent upon a passing grade. If a recipient does not pass, they are still eligible to apply for future scholarship opportunities.

How to Apply:

• An application form will be available during the following windows:
  • Spring scholarship application window: February 23–March 20
    • Exam application deadline: April 3
    • Test dates: May 4-29
  • Fall scholarship application window: July 27–August 21
    • Exam application deadline: September 4
    • Test dates: November 2-25
• To ensure a fair chance across all demographics and circumstances, recipients will be selected at random.
• A staff member will contact recipients to coordinate payment or reimbursement of the exam fee.
• The names of recipients will not be announced by ALA; however, recipients are free and encouraged to share that they have received a scholarship. ALA may share testimonials anonymously for marketing purposes.