CLOC Launched Legal Operations Certification
The new credential for legal operations pros aims to professionalize the field and move past derogatory terminology.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Professional Services
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The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) has introduced the Legal Operations Certified Professional (LOCP) certification to standardize the expertise of non-lawyer professionals. The program is designed to provide industry-wide recognition similar to established credentials in other sectors.
Why it matters
The certification addresses long-standing industry dissatisfaction with the term non-lawyer, which practitioners view as derogatory. By formalizing these skill sets, the designation seeks to elevate the status of operations teams within law firms and corporate legal departments.
CLOC has launched the Legal Operations Certified Professional (LOCP) program for industry professionals. The certification currently lacks disclosed enrollment figures or benchmarking against prior industry qualification programs.
The players
CLOC
The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium is a global trade organization that sets standards and promotes best practices for legal operations professionals.
The details
CLOC designed this certification to mirror the professional standing of the CPA designation for accountants and the PMP certification for project managers. The initiative aims to provide a formal career credential for professionals who manage the business side of law but do not hold legal degrees. By creating this standard, the organization intends to replace the use of the term non-lawyer with a definitive professional title.
Timeline
September 21, 2026: The certification program was officially launched.
Market Landscape
The introduction of the LOCP designation follows the model of the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in standardizing non-legal professional skill sets. This move represents a strategic effort to mirror the industry-wide recognition achieved by certifications in accounting and project management.
Owners and legal department managers should assess whether staff should pursue this credential to formalize internal operations roles. The designation may eventually become a standard requirement for hiring or promoting talent in legal business functions.
The takeaway
The Legal Operations Certified Professional credential is a direct response to industry calls for better professional nomenclature. Operators should monitor the adoption rate of this certification among peers to determine if it becomes an essential hiring benchmark in the coming year.
Further reading
For more on industry standards, visit the Professional Services section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bloomberglaw.
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