Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants

EDUCATION
A Road Worth Traveling
The ABA School Approval Process
by Pamela J. Bailey, CLAS
As practicing paralegals, we sometimes become so caught
up in our everyday work that we fail to entertain career possibilities
and enhancements that could add greatly to the paralegal
experience. Becoming involved in paralegal education is
such an enhancement.
Many of us have been asked over the years to be guest
speakers to paralegal classes. Some have served on paralegal
program advisory boards and served as mentors for paralegal
students, and others have team taught paralegal classes or
been primary instructors. Some of us direct paralegal programs.
All of these activities serve as a means of expanding
our involvement in our profession.
The American Bar Association Standing Committee on
Legal Assistants School Approval Commission (ABA
Commission) has long recognized the contribution of legal
assistants to its approval process and has encouraged participation
in the procedures. Of the 13 voting members of the
Commission, four are either practicing paralegals or have
been practicing paralegals during their careers. NALA provides
one of these positions to the ABA Commission.
Since 1974, the ABA has had guidelines that educational
programs for the training of paralegals must meet to gain
ABA approval. The guidelines have changed as the profession
has changed and the requirements of the legal market have
become more demanding. The latest changes will take effect
in fall 2003. In 1975 eight paralegal programs were approved
by the ABA. Today, there are approximately 250 programs
that have obtained ABA approval.
Once a paralegal program decides to seek ABA approval
and submits a comprehensive self-evaluation for consideration,
the ABA arranges for the program to undergo a two-day site
visit by a team put together by the ABA. For initial approval,
the site team is made up of an ABA Commission member, a
paralegal educator, and a legal assistant from the local legal
community who has no connection to the program.
The site team is extremely important to the process
because it is charged with objectively delving into all aspects
of the program and segments of the educational institution
that influence or work with the paralegal program and students.
To fairly assess the program and how it is meeting market
needs, the site team must also learn what the demands of
the local paralegal market are for entry-level paralegals.
As a practicing paralegal, when you accept a position on
the visiting team, you will be asked to review The ABA
Guidelines For The Approval of Legal Assistant Education
Programs and the self-evaluation materials submitted by the
program being reviewed. These materials provide the foundation
for the site visit. The team chair will work with the program
director to establish the agenda for the site visit. You
could be asked to take responsibility for closely reviewing one
or two sections of the self-evaluation and relevant exhibits and
for drafting a section of the site team report.
If you have been involved in ABA site visits in the past and
are comfortable with the assignment, you may be encouraged to
actively participate in the site visit by asking questions of the program
director, school administration, program graduates, current
students, faculty, and members of the advisory board about the
program to clarify information from the self-evaluation.
Why Your Role is Important
First, because you are from the local legal community,
you are in the best position to know the demands of the local
market and what employers are requiring of entry-level legal
assistants. You are able to assess if the program is providing
the necessary educational foundation for graduates to become
employed in entry-level positions.
You generally know what employers are seeking in terms
of paralegal skills, such as technology, communication and
organization skills, and which practice areas are in the greatest
demand. You are also likely to have a sense of trends in the
market, how legal assistants are being used in non-traditional
settings, and the current demand for entry-level paralegals.
Second, some paralegal programs offer continuing legal
education to the practicing paralegal community. Coupled
with your knowledge of market trends, you can offer suggestions
to the program that will help ensure that CLE offerings
are timely and necessary to enhance the positions of legal
assistants in that particular legal community.
Third, you will also be aware of the reputation of the
program being assessed and any competitor program(s). This
knowledge can greatly assist the site-team chair and paralegal
educator team member in the on-site review of the program
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FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003