Student Tribune
MCC's Paralegal Program Receives American Bar Association (ABA) Approval
Last June, representatives from the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing
Committee on Paralegals visited the Law and Criminal Justice Department at the
Downtown Campus to meet with college personnel to determine their
recommendation for the reapproval of MCC's Paralegal Studies Program.
Over the course of the site team's intense three-day visit, several meetings
were held with Paralegal Studies Program Director Michael Martella, Law and
Criminal Justice Chairperson Robert Kennedy, the Dean of Community Engagement,
Kim McKinsey Mabry, as well as the program's Advisory Board, faculty, staff,
program alumni and current students. The meetings were comprised of reviews of
student records, assignments and exams, course syllabi, assessment tools, and
faculty evaluations for the preceding seven year period. The site team also
visited the New York State Appellate Law Library, with which the Paralegal
Studies Program has a longstanding relationship with. This visit included a
meeting with that library's director. The site team also had the opportunity to
observe a Debtor/Creditor legal specialty class.
One of the observations mentioned by the site team included recognition of
MCC's proactive commitment to diversity in its recruitment of faculty, staff
and student body that is reflective of the population served by the college,
and encouraged the college to continue expanding its efforts towards this goal.
They also noted the high satisfaction expressed by both the students and
graduates of the program with both their instruction and career preparation.
We are pleased to share that based on the recommendations of the site visit
team to the House of Delegates of the ABA, the college's Paralegal Program
guidelines were found to be in compliance with those requirements set forth by
the American Bar Association, and that they therefore granted the reapproval of
the Paralegal Studies program at Monroe Community College through February
2025.
Congratulations to Professor Martella for leading his program evaluation
team in successfully securing the ABA reapproval of the Paralegal Studies
Program at MCC.
Wade, Andrea
Academic Services
03/01/2019