Texas Forum XXV
The Silver Forum—Testing Paralegal Education after 25 Years
The twenty-fifth annual
Texas Forum was
held at the Hilton Garden
Inn in Austin on November
9, 2007. The Paralegal Standing
Committee of the State
Bar of Texas (“PC”) sponsors
this event each fall, and
attendees include members
of the PC, the Board of
Directors of the Paralegal
Division (the “Division”),
and paralegal educators from
around the state. The topic
of this year’s Forum was
“Testing Paralegal Education
after 25 Years.”
The main focus of this Forum was educating
and preparing paralegals for the
marketplace and the topics were discussed
in panel format. The first discussion was
moderated by Patricia Giuliano, President
of the Paralegal Division, and an intellectual
property paralegal with Cox Smith
Matthews Incorporated. The Division’s
panel discussion was entitled “Education
and Training for Entry-Level Paralegals”
and the panel was made up of two paralegals
and two people from the law office
management side. The paralegal panel
members were Stephanie Hawkes, RP, of
Nissan North America, Inc., and Cheryl
Bryan, CP of Orgain, Bell & Tucker, LLP.
The administrator representatives were
Toni Beasley, president of the Association
of Legal Administrators, Austin-Central
Texas Chapter, and Office Administrator
with Andrews Kurth, LLP, and Chistine
Bhamani, Human Resources Manager
with Brown McCarroll, LLP. The questions
focused on what working paralegals
and legal administrators see as areas on
which educators could place more emphasis
to help new graduates more quickly
assimilate into the workplace, and areas
where schools are excelling in educating
new paralegals.
The second panel discussion was moderated
by Lynn Crossett, J.D., the Director
of the Legal Studies Program at
Texas State University in San
Marcos. Dr. Crossett’s panel was
made up of educators and directors
of paralegal programs.
Michele Jura, J.D. is the Paralegal
Program Director for the San
Antonio’s Center for Professional
Excellence at the UTSA campus,
Edward B. Quist J.D., a
tenured faculty member and
Paralegal Program Coordinator
at Lamar State College—Port
Arthur, Jeffrey B. Robb, J.D.,
Director of Legal Studies and
Associate Professor in the History
and Government Department
at Texas Women’s University, and Tandy
Schoolcraft, J.D., who is the Director of
the Paralegal Program at San Antonio College.
This panel provided information
regarding the structure and content of
their respective programs, the types of
degrees offered, the required courses, electives
offered, how legal research and writing
skills are taught, practice tips, internships,
and student placement opportunities.
These presentations were followed by a
combined networking lunch and then
individual break-outs sessions of the PC
and Texas Paralegal Educators. |
