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CSUEB Paralegal Studies Program Reapproved By American Bar Association For Another Seven Years

  • March 20, 2015 12:00am

Cal State East Bay's Paralegal Studies Certificate Program has been granted reapproval for another seven years by the American Bar Association (ABA). The term of approval is retroactive to February 2013 and will continue through February 2020.

"As one of the leading paralegal programs in Northern California, we were very excited to get the news that we were reapproved by the American Bar Association. ABA reapproval is an endorsement that Cal State East Bay's Paralegal Program continues to move in the right direction," said Dwight Dickerson, director of Cal State East Bay's Paralegal Studies Certificate Program.

Founded in 1878, the ABA is one of the world's largest voluntary professional organizations, and is committed to supporting and improving the legal profession.

The ABA approval process involves extensive investigation of self-evaluation reports submitted by the paralegal program as well as on-site evaluations of program operations.

CSUEB's Paralegal Studies Program is one of seven ABA-approved programs in Northern California.

Since its inception in 1980, CSUEB's Paralegal Studies Certificate Program has qualified aspiring paralegals for positions at some of the most sought-after law offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program has been consistently ABA approved since 1994.

To earn a certificate in Paralegal Studies, students must complete nine required courses, one elective, and an internship. As part of the core curriculum, students in the program learn to investigate and prepare cases for trial, draft legal documents, interview clients and conduct legal research while receiving hands-on instruction and practical assignments from legal experts and practicing attorneys.

"These are exciting times for the Paralegal Program here at Cal State East Bay," said Dickerson, who has been the director of the program since 2008. "Now that we [the program] have been reapproved by the ABA, we are positioned to take the program to an even higher level."

To learn more about CSUEB's Paralegal Studies Certificate Program.

—Erin Merdinger

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