In this webinar, presenters Toni Marsh, Program Director; Shiromi Praba, Academic Advisor; and Rachael Lawrence, Student Services Advisor answer questions about the Paralegal Studies online program and what it's like to study online.
More than Just Lines on a Map: Best Practices for U.S Bike Routes
GW Online Paralegal Studies May 18th Webinar
1. The George Washington University Master of Professional Studies in Paralegal Studies Webinar Tuesday, May 18 th @ 12:30 PM EST To hear the audio portion of this webinar, please follow the instructions on your screen
2.
3. Toni Marsh Program Director Shiromi Praba Academic Advisor Rachael Lawrence Student Services Advisor
4.
5.
6. The new paralegal To contact our Admissions Office, please call 1.866.232.0232 Ext. 3421
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Notes de l'éditeur
We will be starting the webinar shortly.
Welcome to The George Washington University’s Master of Professional Studies in Paralegal Studies webinar. My name is Angela and I will be your moderator for today. In a moment, I will be handing things over to our first speaker. Before we begin, I would like to explain how this presentation will work. To cut out the background noise, we’ve muted your phone. So you can hear the speaker, but they cannot hear you. Please complete the poll questions on the right-hand side of your screen in the “Poll Box.” Your answers will be used to improve future webinars. We will be having a brief presentation today, followed by a Q&A session. To ask questions, just type your question into the chat box in the right-hand side of your screen and hit ‘Enter.’ We will address your questions in the order asked and will try to answer as many as time allows.
Your panelists today are Toni Marsh , Shiromi Praba, and Rachael Lawrence . Professor Marsh has practiced criminal and juvenile law for nineteen years and is the author of Juvenile Law (2006). She completed her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in English from Cleveland State University. Shiromi Praba is on board to answer any of your admissions questions. As an Admissions Advisor, Shiromi walks new students through the entire admissions and financial aid process, making it easy for them to get started and pursue their degree. We also have Rachael Lawrence , Student Services Advisor, on hand to answer your enrollment and class questions. Rachel’s objective is to help all students achieve their educational goals by counseling students during the enrollment process. Okay, let’s get started.
This is an exciting time to be a paralegal. Paralegals command high salaries and generous benefits, perform a wide range of duties, and enjoy positions at the top of legal support network. The job market is robust, and the majority of paralegals reporting very high job satisfaction. Law firms can bill their paralegals’ hours to clients, just as they bill attorneys’ hours, but at a far lower rate. Savvy law firms understand the economic benefits of using paralegals to perform a wide range of tasks with increasing responsibilities. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of paralegal positions will increase by more than 27% over the next eight years. CNN Money Magazine lists the paralegal as among the hottest jobs in the US.
Topical Legal Specialties We offer legal specialties in Government Law, Intellectual Property Law, and International Law. The federal government is one of the top employers not only in Washington DC, but also in the rest of the country. Our graduates are prepared to enter the federal government and study with experienced federal attorneys. Most of the country’s IP firms have offices in Washington DC and in Northern Virginia, which is the home of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. IP paralegals are in great demand, and are the most highly paid paralegals overall. The international community is at our doorstep. Our campus is within five blocks of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization, the State Department, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the embassies of the world, and we have used that wealth of resources to build our international law program. Integrated Curriculum We took the three most important aspects of any paralegal education program – technology, ethics and professionalism, and writing – and integrated them throughout the program. Paralegals are taking the lead in acquiring and implementing technology in the legal environments. GW weaves the use of and instruction in technology throughout the curriculum. All students receive their own personal LexisNexis and Westlaw accounts. Written and spoken communication skills are keys to success in any field, especially the legal field. Each of our courses include education in legal writing and speaking, so our graduates communicate clearly and confidently. Anyone can learn to write well, and every GW student will get the opportunity to do that in this program. Paralegals are assuming positions of leadership and responsibility. We make ethics and professional responsibility throughout the curriculum so students will internalize these important concepts naturally.
GW PLX Program Features The master’s degree is a total of 32 credits and lasts four semesters, for a total of 15 months. The master’s degree comprises the 12 credit core course sequence, all three legal specialties, a non-credit practicum, and a two-credit independent research project. Students who are already working in a legal environment may use their current positions as their Practicum's. Core Course Sequence The core course sequence comprises those subjects every working paralegal must know: American Jurisprudence, Legal Research and Writing, Corporations and Contracts, and Litigation. Advanced Standing GW will grant up to 12 credits of advanced standing status to applicants who meet program requirements and are admitted to the program, and who either have a GW paralegal certificate, or who have a certificate from another school and have passed the PACE or CLA exam.