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The American Association for Paralegal Education
(AAfPE) is the only national organization for paralegal educators.
This national organization, with over 450 members, has been serving
paralegal educators and educational institutions since 1981. AAfPE’s
member schools currently enroll nearly 50,000 students and have
nearly 200,000 graduates. AAfPE's primary mission is to promote
high standards for paralegal education.
Short-term Programs
In recent years there has been a proliferation of short-term entry-level
paralegal training programs of very limited duration, some with
as few as 125 clock hours (which is less than nine semester credit
hours). These programs do a fundamental disservice to the legal
profession by creating unrealistic expectations in both employers
and students that a quality paralegal education has been delivered
when such may not be the case. AAfPE opposes the proliferation of
these short-term paralegal programs because these programs do not
meet minimal standards recognized by virtually all paralegal educators,
lawyers and paralegals. These programs undermine the legitimate
educational efforts of AAfPE institutions that seek to provide quality
entry-level paralegal education. These short-term programs are doing
a disservice to the students who enroll in them, to those who employ
paralegals, and to the legal profession.
These short-term programs harm students
because:
- Students spend significant sums of money
in the hope that these short-term programs will provide an education
that qualifies them to function as paralegals;
- Graduates often receive far less instruction
than AAfPE and most paralegal educators view as necessary;
- Such brief programs cannot adequately present
all of the content required of a quality paralegal education;
- Many such programs charge students at a significantly
higher hourly rate than do those offered by institutions providing
superior programs; and
- The reputation of the colleges and universities
that offer these short-term programs or that offer campus space
to these programs may become tarnished as do their legitimate
programs.
These short-term programs harm those who employ
paralegals because employers who hire graduates of short-term programs
may assume that prospective employees from other programs are similarly
ill prepared to cope with the demands of the paralegal profession;
and
The profession is harmed by these short-term programs because:
- Consumers of legal services may receive lower
quality services rendered by the graduates of such programs when
those graduates are not capable of performing the complex duties
required of today’s paralegal; and
- The paralegal/legal assistant profession
reputation as a vital, cost effective, and reliable player in
the delivery of legal services may be diminished.
While AAfPE believes that any education can be
beneficial, AAfPE also believes that entry into the paralegal profession
requires formal education of sufficient length, sophistication,
depth, and quality to produce an entry-level paralegal who can function
effectively in today’s sophisticated legal environment. It
is AAfPE’s position that those attempting to provide students
with a paralegal education must maintain certain minimum standards.
The failure of short-term programs to live up to these educational
minimums harms the public and everyone engaged in the legal profession.
STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MINIMUMS
Paralegal programs must be of sufficient length and quality to prepare
students for the challenges of the paralegal profession. AAfPE has
previously published two policy statements related to entry-level
paralegal education. AAfPE’s Core Competencies for Paralegal
Education Programs specifically describes the exit competencies
expected of students completing the curriculum offered in quality
paralegal education programs. AAfPE’s Statement of Academic
Quality sets out the minimum standards for paralegal education programs
in such areas as curriculum development, physical facilities, faculty,
marketing and promotion, instruction, qualification of the program
director, student competencies, and student services.
In 2001, AAfPE went a step further and created
a document, the Position Statement of the American Association for
Paralegal Education Regarding Educational Standards for Paralegal
Regulation Proposals that sets forth the following minimum educational
standards:
A person is qualified as a paralegal with (1) an associate or baccalaureate
degree or equivalent course work and (2) a credential in paralegal
education from a paralegal program associated with an educational
institution accredited by a nationally recognized agency completed
in any of the following types of educational programs: associate
degree, baccalaureate degree (major or minor), certificate, or master’s
degree.
In addition to, and because of its belief in
quality paralegal education, AAfPE, along with the five other major
law-related associations, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations,
the National Association of Legal Assistants, the Legal Assistant
Management Association, the Association of Legal Administrators,
and the Standing Committee on Legal Assistants of the American Bar
Association, drafted the brochure, Choosing a Quality Paralegal
Education Program. These organizations, all of which are dedicated
to insuring the quality and growth of this profession, set forth
the minimum education necessary to prepare a person to succeed in
an entry-level position in the paralegal field. The collective wisdom
of these law-related organizations is that a paralegal program must
include at least 18 semester units of paralegal coursework and appropriate
general education.
It is the purpose of this statement to make clear
that short-term programs do not meet the minimum standards necessary
to prepare students to enter the paralegal profession. These minimum
standards include:
- Post-secondary coursework in substantive
and procedural law, the American legal system, law offices and
related environments, the paralegal profession, legal research
and writing, ethics, and areas of legal practice such as those
described in AAfPE’s Core Competencies for Paralegal Programs;
- No fewer than 18 semester credit hours (or
the equivalent) of substantive paralegal courses;
- The completion of a minimum of 60 semester
hours (or the equivalent) of total post-secondary study prior
to graduation. A semester hour is equivalent to 15 classroom hours
of at least 50 minutes in duration. The course offerings may be
for credit or not for credit, but should meet these minimum time
periods.
- The paralegal education program must be offered
by an institution that is:
- An institutional member of the American Association
for Paralegal Education; or
- A paralegal educational program approved
by the American Bar Association; or
- A paralegal education program offered by
an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the United
States Department of Education and offering courses at the post-secondary
level.
CONCLUSION
The continued growth of the paralegal profession
requires quality education that meets established minimum standards.
Institutions presently offering paralegal programs, as well as those
that may consider offering such programs, are encouraged to evaluate
their offerings in light of the standards for paralegal education
that have been adopted by the American Association for Paralegal
Education, the recognized expert in quality paralegal education.
Adopted unanimously by the AAfPE Board
of Directors on February 8, 2003, in St. Louis, Missouri, pursuant
to the unanimous support of the AAfPE voting membership at the AAfPE
Annual Business Meeting October 3, 2002 in Orlando, Florida.
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