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Call 919-760-2855 or e-mail paralegal@meredith.edu for more information.

Congratulations to graduates Jennifer Swails Watford (2000), Legal Assistant Today's 2003 Rookie Paralegal of the Year and Julianne Fink (2004), Legal Assistant Today's 2006 Rookie Paralegal of the Year.

Jennifer Swails Watford

Julianne Fink

Meredith College’s Paralegal Program is an ABA-Approved and North Carolina State Bar Qualified Paralegal Program. It is a post-baccalaureate certificate program for men and women who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Admission is competitive.

The Program was established in 1979 based upon the recommendations of a committee created to study the need for a paralegal program and the support for such a program in the community. One of the first graduates, Alice Penny, had been working as a legal secretary since 1959 and saw her role evolve into a true “paralegal” job long before the program was created; her reason for entering the program? “I knew what I was doing very well—sometimes better than some of the attorneys—but I did not know why.” Meredith’s program continues to have a mix of practicing paralegals, non-paralegals working in law firms, recent college graduates and those seeking to make a career change. When Meredith’s Paralegal Program was created in 1979, two questions had to be answered: was there a need for such a program and were there national standards already in place for such a program? The answer to both questions was yes. The most widely recognized indication of quality is approval by the American Bar Association, which specifies high standards for a paralegal program's curriculum, faculty, resources and student services. The American Bar Association and the American Association for Paralegal Education both promulgated recommendations for the standards of a quality paralegal program. Meredith joined the American Association for Paralegal Education in 1981 and, after a self-study was completed, successfully applied for ABA-approval in 1983.

Meredith College’s Paralegal Program has served as a symbol of excellence in paralegal education and has continued to provide a rigorous course of study that is always aware of the needs of the legal community and with a commitment to paralegal education. The Paralegal Program has an Advisory Committee of attorneys, paralegals and laypersons from across the legal community providing input and making recommendations for changes to the program. Surveys are sent to graduates to provide continuous feedback as to the quality of the training and changes are periodically made to the program in response to that feedback.

The current Director of the Paralegal Program, Marisa Campbell, is active and involved in paralegal education nationally as well as in attorney and paralegal associations throughout the state of North Carolina. She was elected President-Elect of the American Association of Paralegal Education (AAfPE) at their annual meeting in October 2006 and has been a frequent presenter on topics of paralegal education at both national and regional conferences. Ms. Campbell was also appointed to a 3-year term on the inaugural Board of Paralegal Certification of the North Carolina State Bar in 2004. She is a member of the General Curriculum Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association, a member of the CLE Committee of the Wake County Bar Association, and has spoken at conferences for the North Carolina Paralegal Association, the North Carolina Bar Association’s Legal Assistant’s Division, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyer’s Legal Assistant’s Division, the Raleigh-Wake Paralegal Association, the Guilford County Paralegal Association, the RTP-Paralegal Association, and the North Carolina Bar Association’s annual Practical Skills course. This involvement in the legal community is part of Meredith College’s long time commitment to paralegals and paralegal education and a commitment to excellence in paralegal education.

Meredith College’s Paralegal Program

The primary goal of the Paralegal Program is to introduce students to the study of law and the legal profession. The program’s focus is on the role of paralegals in assisting attorneys. The three concentrations—Civil Litigation, Business Organizations and Real Estate—and various electives offer instruction in specific skills used by paralegals in each area of law. The program is designed to train paralegals and not lawyers or legal administrators. In addition, the program seeks to serve the local legal community with continuing education courses and to promote public awareness of the role of paralegals in the efficient delivery of quality legal services.The instructors are qualified professionals experienced in the use of paralegals and committed to their education and promotion as essential members of the legal community. They impose rigorous standards on students to prepare them for this role. The director, faculty and students participate in various association activities, seeking to encourage the sharing of resources and expertise and to enhance the professionalism of paralegals and legal assistants.

Paralegal Program Students

In 2006, three of four competitive, merit-based scholarships offered by the North Carolina Paralegal Association were won by Meredith Paralegal Program students.Students at the Paralegal Studies come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are already working in law firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations or corporate law departments, while others are seeking a career change. Recent graduates of undergraduate schools often choose paralegal studies as a practical application of their liberal arts education. Some students are considering law school or other graduate work in the future. Others are satisfying a long-standing interest in the law. Student participation in classes is high and networking is an important part of their experience at Meredith. Students may come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but the motivation and commitment to excellence is high – all of the students have bachelor’s degrees and admission is competitive.Whatever their motivation, Paralegal Program students benefit from a comprehensive program of education under the guidance of experienced professionals. The program is designed to be completed in two semesters in the evening; legal survey and legal research can be completed during the day in the spring semester. Students working part or full time appreciate the opportunity to plan their schedules to suit their needs and interests.

Location

Located in central North Carolina, Raleigh is the state capital and home of Meredith College. The college’s outstanding facilities are in a park-like setting of 225 acres conveniently located at the junction of US 1 and 64 and Wade Avenue. Interstate 40 provides easy access to nearby Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. A map may be found at http://www.meredith.edu/about/campus-map.htm.

Parking

A student parking on campus is required to have a parking decal which can be purchased for either the academic year or for the semester at the campus security office. Parking is permitted in any space marked “commuter.”

Facilities, Student Activities, and Housing

On-campus housing is not available to Paralegal Program students. Many students live in one of several apartment complexes within a few minutes of campus. Apartment guides and information on apartment shares are available at the Cate Student Center.The Cate Student Center provides a study and meeting area for students, as well as the student bookstore, vending machines and snack bar. Belk Dining Hall, the college cafeteria, serves three meals a day when the college is in session. Recreational facilities include an indoor swimming pool and fitness center in Weatherspoon Gymnasium and lighted tennis courts adjacent to the gymnasium.Students are encouraged to join local and statewide paralegal association(s) for social and networking opportunities.

Classroom and Library Facilities

Classes are taught in the undergraduate and graduate classroom buildings on the Meredith Campus. Courses may involve some off-campus instruction. Personal computers for word-processing and for access to LEXIS or WESTLAW and the internet are available in five campus computer laboratories. Paralegal students also are trained to use either LEXIS or WESTLAW computerized legal research service. Internet access is also available to all program students, and many instructors include Internet-based resources in their classes.

Students in Legal Research utilize the legal reference collection in the Meredith College library and the North Carolina Supreme Court library in downtown Raleigh. Students also have access to the libraries of law schools in Durham and Chapel Hill and should anticipate that during the term that they are taking the Legal Research class.

Meredith College does not discriminate in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs, or in access to its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or age.