Professor Joyce McMillan

In a closed session, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently voted in favor of allowing law schools to accept Graduate Record Examination scores from applicants in place of Law School Admission Test scores. The change is effective immediately. Read more here.

On November 11, 2020, three paralegals from varied areas of the law served as guest speakers in my Legal Research (LGL 125) class. These paralegals shared valuable tips that will help you along your journey to becoming a paralegal or legal assistant. Read more here: Tips from Guest Speakers Fall 2020

We just survived another Friday the 13th (November 2020).

If the number 13 scares you, you’re not alone.

Millions of people in the world, including prolific horror writer Stephen King, have an irrational fear of the number 13. The phenomenon is so widely reported, it even has its own hard-to-pronounce name: triskaidekaphobia.

Those who suffer from triskaidekaphobia associate the number 13 with bad luck or danger due to superstitions. They may avoid staying at hotel rooms with the number 13, going up to the 13th floor of any building or sitting in the 13th row in airplanes — if such floors or aisles even exist.

People with more deeply rooted triskaidekaphobia, like King, might also skip the 13th step on staircases, get anxious watching Channel 13 or, while reading books, make a point not to pause on pages in which the digits add up to 13, like page 94. “It’s neurotic, sure. But it’s also . . . safer,” King wrote about his phobia in 1984.

[Information is from an October 2017 article in Time Magazine]

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the paralegal profession will grow much faster than average through 2026 with a 15 percent annual growth rate. Read more of the article from Madonna University’s publication: Paralegals are in Demand

This single mom overcame several obstacles to reach her goal. If she can do it, you can too. Read her inspirational story here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/04/11/single-mom-five-who-graduating-law-school-epic-photos-didnt-do-myself/508296002/.

Beginning in fall 2019 the Law School Admittance Test (L-SAT) will begin transitioning to a digital format.

Read more here…L-SAT offered in digital format

As a general rule, paralegals and other non-lawyers are not allowed to practice law. However, in Washington State limited license legal technicians are allowed to represent clients in Family Law matters. You will find additional information here:  https://www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/join-the-legal-profession-in-wa/limited-license-legal-technicians/become-a-legal-technician.

Did you know that some law schools no longer require applicants to take the LSAT? Most of those schools require either the LSAT or GRE. Now the American Bar Association (ABA) is considering doing away with the LSAT requirement. Read more here…ABA Considers Tossing LSAT Requirement

U.S. News & World Report ranks the Paralegal Profession at #7 for Social Services jobs. Learn more about the paralegal profession including tips for landing your first job or internship. Read more here…http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/paralegal.