South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association

What South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association does

The South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association (SCUPA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded on January 9, 1979, in Greenville, South Carolina, originally as the Greenville Association of Legal Assistants. It serves the Upstate region's paralegal community, with members drawn from most large law firms and corporations in the area as well as smaller firms, freelance paralegals, and paralegal students. SCUPA is an affiliate of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and holds Accredited Sponsor status with the South Carolina Board of Paralegal Certification, allowing it to issue NALA and SCCP-approved continuing legal education (CLE) credits.

SCUPA's core offerings are four membership tiers (Active, Student, Corporate, Organizational) bundled with monthly CLE-eligible luncheons on the second Thursday of each month at the Poinsett Club in Greenville, a flagship 30th Annual Seminar scheduled for October 16, 2026 at the Kroc Center, and supporting services including job boards, mentorship, newsletters, pro bono programs, and networking. The organization was a founding member of the South Carolina Alliance of Legal Assistant Associations in 1989 and partnered with NALA in March 1990 to administer the Certified Paralegal Examination in South Carolina.

The business model is a mix of recurring subscription revenue (annual membership dues, pricing not publicly disclosed) and transactional revenue (annual seminar registration and vendor fees). Distribution is regional and largely self-serve: members download PDF applications from scupa.org and RSVP to events via email, with social channels (Facebook, Instagram) used for top-of-funnel community engagement. Operating costs are minimal, reflecting a 1-10 employee base, volunteer board governance, and event-only physical footprint.

Name

South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association

Legal name

South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association

Website

https://scupa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SCUPA is a Greenville, South Carolina-based nonprofit professional association serving Upstate paralegals through memberships, monthly CLE-eligible luncheons, and an annual seminar, operating as a NALA affiliate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Educational Support Services (611710), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Paralegal professional association
• Continuing legal education
• Legal community networking
• Professional membership services
• Legal education events

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from Active, Student, Corporate, and Organizational members. Active and Student memberships available. Credit card payments subject to 10% processing fee.
2. Annual Seminar Revenue: Annual seminar attracts legal professionals for CLE credits with vendor participation. Vendor registration packets available for purchase.
3. Vendor Fees: Annual seminar vendor registration fees from legal industry vendors and service providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SCUPA is a nonprofit professional membership association that sells annual memberships to paralegals, paralegal students, law firms, and corporations, and delivers continuing legal education through monthly luncheons and an annual seminar. Members gain access to NALA-aligned resources, networking with attorneys and paralegals across the Upstate South Carolina legal community, CLE credit-eligible programming, job boards, and mentorship. It supplements membership revenue with vendor sponsorships tied to its annual seminar and community pro bono service initiatives.

Product overview

SCUPA is a professional paralegal association that provides a unified offering of membership services for paralegals, students, law firms, and corporations. The core offering combines Active and Student Memberships with organizational and corporate membership options. Members benefit from monthly luncheons with CLE credits, an annual seminar, pro bono community programs, and networking opportunities—all designed to advance the paralegal profession in South Carolina's Upstate region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Active Membership Full annual membership for working paralegals, providing CLE-eligible programming access (monthly luncheons, annual seminar), networking, job boards, mentorship, and access to NALA-aligned resources and benefits.
• Student Membership Annual student-tier membership providing paralegal studies students with early-career access to SCUPA's networking, mentorship, and professional resources.
• Corporate Membership Corporate-tier annual membership for organizations that support the legal community and want to engage with the paralegal profession through SCUPA.
• Organizational Membership Group annual membership for law firms and legal corporations sponsoring multiple paralegal staff memberships under one organizational account.
• Monthly Luncheons Educational luncheon meetings held on the second Thursday of each month at the Poinsett Club in Greenville, SC, featuring legal professional presentations that satisfy NALA and SCCP continuing legal education credit requirements.
• Annual Seminar Annual full-day legal education seminar for paralegals and legal professionals at the Kroc Center in Greenville, SC, offering NALA and SCCP approved CLE credits, local speakers, vendor participation, and networking. The 30th edition is scheduled for October 16, 2026.
• Pro Bono Programs Community service and pro bono initiatives by SCUPA members supporting local Upstate SC organizations, including A Child's Haven, Safe Harbor, Harvest Hope, Greenville Literacy Association, and similar charities, with volunteer time, donations of funds and goods, and a dedicated annual book drive (over 200 books collected for Greenville Literacy Association in 2026).
• Vendor Sponsorship at Annual Seminar Vendor registration and sponsorship opportunities at SCUPA's annual seminar, allowing legal industry vendors and service providers to exhibit to Upstate SC paralegals and legal professionals via the published vendor registration packet.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 books collected for Greenville Literacy Association book drive in 2026

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• South Carolina Alliance of Legal Assistant AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989SCUPA was a founding member of the South Carolina Alliance of Legal Assistant Associations, established in 1989 to promote and strengthen the paralegal profession across South Carolina.
• NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 1979SCUPA is affiliated with NALA and has adopted NALA's goals, objectives, and programs. In March 1990, SCUPA partnered with NALA to administer the Certified Paralegal Examination in South Carolina for the first time. SCUPA provides members with national updates on the paralegal profession, court decisions, administrative rulings, and professional guidelines.
• South Carolina Board of Paralegal CertificationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCUPA is an Accredited Sponsor of the SC Board of Paralegal Certification, allowing the organization to provide SCCP approved CLE credits at its monthly luncheons and annual seminar.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Carolina Paralegal Association: A regional paralegal bar in North Carolina offering similar membership, CLE, and networking services to SCUPA. It is directly comparable because both are state-level paralegal associations serving a contiguous Southeastern US geography with analogous programming.
• Georgia Association of Legal Assistants: GALA is a Georgia state-level paralegal association providing CLE and networking, structurally and functionally analogous to SCUPA but serving an adjacent Southeast market.
• South Carolina Alliance of Legal Assistant Associations: SCUPA was a founding member of this state-level alliance in 1989. It is a coalition of SC paralegal associations, making it the most directly comparable peer in terms of mission and constituency, though it operates at the state rather than regional level.

Broad incumbents

• South Carolina Bar: South Carolina Bar operates the SC Bar Paralegal Seminar Committee referenced by SCUPA's president and runs its own CLE programming. It overlaps with SCUPA on serving the South Carolina legal community, though it serves attorneys rather than paralegals.
• National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA): NALA is the national umbrella organization of which SCUPA is a direct affiliate. It operates at the national level for paralegal certification, advocacy, and CLE, making it the most structurally comparable organization to SCUPA at a larger scale.
• National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA): NFPA is the competing national paralegal association, operating parallel state-level affiliates. It is comparable to SCUPA because both serve the same professional constituency (paralegals) with membership, certification, and CLE programming.
• American Bar Association (ABA) Center for CLE: The ABA runs CLE programming that paralegals frequently use as an alternative to state-affiliated paralegal association events. It is a comparable incumbent competitor for CLE dollars and member attention in the broader legal professional development market.

Regional players

• South Carolina Bar CLE Division: The SC Bar's CLE division provides accredited continuing education programs in South Carolina that overlap with SCUPA's accredited-sponsor offerings. Comparable as both compete for South Carolina-based legal CLE demand, though the SC Bar serves a broader legal audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SCupstateparalegalassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/scupaparalegals
• Xx.com/scparalegals

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association