Law is one of the biggest growing fields, but a lawyer can’t do everything,” Massman said. “Penn State Abington’s program is very exciting, and students don’t have to travel far to get a high-quality education.”
Like Massman, other students enrolled in the program tend to be full-time employees in the Philadelphia region who want to upgrade their professional skills or become paralegals — paraprofessionals who conduct legal research, prepare documentation and other substantive legal work for lawyers in law firms, corporations and governmental agencies, according to Eva Klein, assistant director of professional education at Penn State Abington. Klein administers the program with Dr. Jane A. Owens, director of Continuing Education at the campus.
“Abington’s program is an accessible, affordable way to enter this field,” Klein said. “You don’t have to quit your day job to attend our evening classes, and it’s not required that you have a college degree.”
Since 1978, the paralegal program, which is offered at a number of Penn State campuses, has provided a valuable service to the residents of the Commonwealth, said Nancy Jean LaMont, director of Continuing Education and Outreach at The Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University. LaMont also serves as the program’s academic director, as a result of consideration being given to moving the program’s academic home from The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration to the Dickinson School of Law on July 1.
“We have very dedicated faculty who have made a long-term commitment to the program,” LaMont said. “We’re also reaching out to a wide range of adult learners interested in a career in the legal field.”
The paralegal program is designed to introduce students to basic legal principles and legal research, and it provides them with an overview of the procedures by which the legal system operates. The program also covers specific aspects of the law, including administrative, constitutional, real estate, domestic relations and other topics.
Completing the program generally takes two years, depending on the number of courses a student takes each semester. Three certification tracks are offered: general paralegal, legal issues for business professionals, and legal issues dealing with the elderly. Some students, like Massman, want to complete all three tracks, while others take one or two courses to gain personal knowledge about a particular legal issue.
At Penn State Abington, Klein and Owens work with adult students to customize the program to suit their professional needs. Thanks to feedback from focus groups comprised of paralegals and instructors who provided insights on community needs, Klein and Owens have increased enrollment in the paralegal program by reaching out to more prospective students in law firms, human resources offices and insurance companies, among others.
Many companies are willing to pay their employees’ tuition for course work — and such support helps retain good employees, Owens said.
“Education is a terrific investment for companies to make,” she said. “It increases their employees’ skills and helps their employees feel more empowered.”
Courses are taught by practicing attorneys who combine theoretical knowledge with years of experience in Philadelphia law offices. One instructor, Alan Budman, is a practicing attorney and Penn State alumnus who has been teaching in the program since 1979. His enthusiasm for teaching has remained strong over the years. He describes his students as highly motivated, career driven and conscientious about grades.
“I’ve seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of students who have graduated from the program and are gainfully employed as paralegals,” Budman said. “It’s great to see.”
Another instructor, attorney Richard J. Conn, also has been teaching in the program for more than 20 years. This Penn State alumnus has maintained a strong involvement with the paralegal program. He serves on the University’s paralegal advisory board, is a faculty adviser for the program at Penn State Abington and has taught and designed many courses.
Conn enjoys the interaction with his students so much that he calls teaching the highlight of his week. He thrives on the exciting classroom discussions, because his students don’t hesitate to bring up personal legal experiences and current events. For instance, the recent U.S. presidential campaign — with the weeks-long uncertainty about its outcome — became a much-debated issue in his introductory course on legal issues.
“My students keep me on my feet,” he said. “They bring their life experiences to the classroom, which adds depth to our discussions.”
Conn also keeps the discussions going through e-mail and a Web site complete with supplemental readings and links. Massman, one of Conn’s former students, praises his use of technology to reach out to students, especially during a difficult period when her mother passed away last semester.
“His Web site really helped me when I had to take time away from class,” she added. “I used the site to get caught up with the course work and get important information. Penn State Abington made it very easy for me to get back into the classroom. The faculty and administrators made me feel like a person.”
An outreach program of The Smeal College of Business Administration, Dickinson School of Law and Continuing Education
