The Paralegal American Association for Paralegal Education Volume 32, No. 2 FALL/WINTER 2017 The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of Designing and Assessing Assignments See article on page 12 Open Letter to the AAfPE Membership As you know, the AAfPE bylaws were amended last year to add the words “or legal studies” to the definition of Affiliate Membership, paving the way for AAfPE to seek out new affiliate members that do not offer paralegal programs but instead offer extensive legal studies programs within their institutions. Previously, the bylaws of the association prevented any institution or organization that did not offer a paralegal education program from joining the association, which precluded a large number of vocational schools, colleges, universities, and other higher-education institutions throughout the country that offer extensive programs in legal studies from AAfPE membership. By approving the change, AAfPE members acknowledged the association’s need to not only increase membership numbers but also bring in a diverse body of membership that would contribute to the collective knowledge base and strength of the association—both key factors in AAfPE’s long-term viability. Today, AAfPE launches a new logo, reflecting the membership’s decision to include both paralegal and legal studies programs. This new logo represents the next step in AAfPE’s mission to promote quality paralegal education, develop educational standards, and encourage professional growth, in order to prepare graduates to perform a significant role in the delivery of legal services. It is an essential piece of AAfPE’s plan to grow membership in both numbers and diversity. It demonstrates the commitment of both the association and its members to promote high standards for all legal education, regardless of the forum. Please join me in celebrating this significant investment in AAfPE’s future by sharing AAfPE’s new logo. Sincerely, Julia Dunlap, President American Association for Paralegal Education 2 FALL/WINTER 2017 THE PARALEGAL EDUCATOR 222 S Westmonte Drive, Suite 101 Altamonte Springs FL 32714 The Paralegal American Association for Paralegal Education table of contents The Paralegal Educator is published two times a year by the American Association for Paralegal Education, 222 S. Westmonte Drive, Suite 101 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 Message from the President 5 (407) 774-7880 Fax: (407) 774-6440 E-mail: [email protected] Message from the President-Elect 8 PUBLICATION DATES: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $50 per year; each AAfPE A Model for Teaching Legal Research through member receives one subscription as part of the membership benefits; additional member subscriptions Instructional Scaffolding 9 available at the rate of $30 per year. ADVERTISING RATES: (856) 423-2829 The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How EDITORIAL STAFF: of Designing and Assessing Assignments 12 Carolyn Bekhor, JD - Editor-in-Chief Steven A. Dayton, JD - Assistant Editor The Road Less Traveled: Advising Graduates Margaret Uchner, Esq. - Chair, Publications on How to Best Become a Freelance Paralegal 16 PUBLISHER: American Association for Paralegal Education Articles and letters to the editor should be submitted An Update on Programs for Limited Practice by Non-Lawyers 19 via the online form available at http://www.aafpe. org/?page=callforauthors. #ParalegalEd: Capitalizing on the Popularity of Social Media 25 DEADLINES: January 31 and June 15. Conflicts When Representing Estates 30 Articles may be on any paralegal education topic but, on occasion, a Paralegal Educator issue has a central theme or motif, so submissions may be published in any issue Encourage Cell Phone Use in Your Class 32 at the discretion of the Editor(s) and the Publications Committee. (A submission may be rejected as well at the discretion of the Editor(s) and/or Committee.) On a Mission to Help Survivors of Domestic Violence 33 Articles may be of any length although, generally, submissions should not exceed 1,000 words. The article Teaching Oral Presentation Skills to Legal Studies Students 35 should be submitted with an appropriate title, the author’s biography (3-5 sentences) at the end of the The Omniscient Mentor 37 article, and with a recent photo (.jpg at 300 dpi only). Articles should be submitted in Microsoft Word®. It is preferred that articles be double-spaced, 12-point LEX Update 41 Times New Roman, and follow the conventions of good English. Please spell and grammar-check articles before submission. Additional editorial guidelines can be found LEX Essays 42 at the AAfPE website (www.aafpe.org). Publication and editing of submissions are within 2017 - 2018 AAfPE Officer Election 48 the purview of the Editors, President, and Executive Director. The opinions expressed in The Paralegal 2017 - 2018 Candidate Statements 48 Educator are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of AAfPE. AAfPE Bytes 54 Articles may be reprinted with the permission of AAfPE. To secure permission to reprint articles, please contact the Executive Director. © 2017 American Association for Paralegal Education THE PARALEGAL EDUCATOR FALL/WINTER 2017 3 Honorary Membership in AAfPE AAfPE 2018 Calendar Each year, up to two persons who have provided outstanding service to AAfPE, but are no longer involved February 2018 in paralegal education, may be conferred with honorary Board of Directors Meeting lifetime membership. June 2018 A nominee must have two (2) letters of recommendation Board of Directors Meeting from two (2) different AAfPE member institutions. If you are interested in nominating someone for this October 29-30, 2018 achievement, please mail and/or email your letters of Board of Directors Meeting recommendation on institution letterhead to AAfPE Headquarters at [email protected] or 222 S. Westmonte Newport, Rhode Island Dr, #101, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. Nominations received by May 31 will be considered for award at the October 31 - November 3, 2018 next National Conference. 37th National Conference Newport, Rhode Island Help at Your Fingertips: Writing for The Paralegal Educator Would you like to impress your boss, The Educational Resource Library your colleagues, your students? The Paralegal Do you have a teaching experience, American Association for Paralegal Education knowledge relevant to the paralegal Volume 31, No. 1 SPRING/SUMMER 2016 The mission of the ERL is to provide members with profession, or a solution to a problem course-level resources, such as syllabi and subject- that you would like to share? matter projects; and program-level resources, such as assessment plans, rubrics, professional If you are thinking “yes” to any part development ideas, and surveys. Since the ERL’s of these questions, then it is time to Intimate Partner Violence inception, the Education Committee has been put your ideas on paper and write on College Campuses gathering and cataloguing all types of information, an article for AAfPE’s national See article on page 18 even archives of relevant listserv discussions, in an peer-reviewed magazine – effort to streamline AAfPE institutional members’ The Paralegal Educator. access to material designed to make our lives easier The Paralegal The Educator is published twice American Association for Paralegal Education Volume 30, No. 2 FALL/WINTER 2015/2016 (always a bonus) and our programs even better. each year. Articles can be submitted To explore the ERL, go to www.aafpe.org, click at any time; the deadlines for the on “Members Only,” and enter your Username two issues will be announced well in advance of the submission date. (your email address) and Password (from AAfPE). A broad theme may be assigned If there is content you would like to see added, to an issue to focus on trends and See article on page 18 please let us know. Or, if you have something concerns within paralegal education Service Learning and Community to add, please send it to [email protected]. and the paralegal profession. Engagement Across the Curriculum Contributors retain all copyright and author Watch for the “Call for Articles” privileges to their own material. The ERL should on the AAfPE listserve which will only get bigger and better as time passes and provide this information. more AAfPE members help it grow. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Bekhor at [email protected] or (909) 448-4410 4 FALL/WINTER 2017 THE PARALEGAL EDUCATOR BY JULIA DUNLAP, ESQ, PRESIDENT - University of California, San Diego - Extension President’s Message Some Parting Thoughts on AAfPE and President’s Term On the wall of my office, I have a very large, framed copy of the Constitution that I bought about 10 years ago at a thrift store. There it was, gathering dust sitting in a bin at Amvets, obviously passed over by bargain hunters, but if you had witnessed my reaction that day, you would have thought I discovered a priceless heirloom … and, indeed, I had. I stare at it every day I’m at work. When I returned from New York City on a trip where I had the great pleasure of seeing the musical Hamilton (thank you, Steve Dayton), the first thing I did when I got back to my office was look for Alexander’s signature next to the New York delegation and appreciate his fine penmanship. Yet even with the success of a musical celebrating our nation’s origination, and all the discussion of Constitutional conflict in the news, I cannot tell you how many people walk into my office and barely notice it hanging right inside my door, much less comment on it … and it is hard to miss. But I bet my AAfPE friends and colleagues would notice it and appreciate its intrinsic value. I know this to be true because I know we all honor the law and our profession. As educators, our ability to teach the principles of this document that our country was founded upon and to which many of us have sworn an oath, now, perhaps more so than ever, is a reward in and of itself.