Profile: Center For Advanced Legal Studies - The Paralegal People 

Interested candidates may take their paralegal classes in a traditional on-campus environment; via the Center’s Online Interactive Instruction™; or in a blended format. 
 

Staff at the Center for Advanced Legal Studies. 

Perhaps more importantly, the Center for Advanced Legal Studies is one of just four ABA-Approved paralegal programs in the Houston area, and the only one focusing solely on paralegal education, hence their nickname “The Paralegal People.” Why is that important? For starters, most states (including Texas) require all attorneys to graduate from an ABA-approved law school in order to sit for their bar exams (please see Texas Board of Law Examiners Rule I(a)(3), regarding eligibility to sit for the Texas bar exam: “'Approved law school' shall mean a law school approved by the American Bar Association"). It follows, then, that attorneys would hold in high esteem the paralegal programs that have met these stringent requirements promulgated by the American Bar Association. 

But that’s not all, the Center is fully-accredited and approved. You can find out more about the Center’s approvals and Accreditation here. 

(For helpful background information on the paralegal profession, please see “Thinking about becoming a paralegal? Part I” and “Conclusion.”)

For those of you who already possess a bachelor’s degree in any field, you’ll want information on the Center’s certificate program (30 college semester credit hours). This Paralegal Certificate (not to be confused with certification) can be earned in just 7 months via traditional in-person classroom instruction held on campus in the mornings; or in 10 months via blended or Online Interactive Instruction™ classes. Courses included in the Paralegal Certificate Program: 

If you do not yet have a college degree, you’ll want to know about their Associate of Applied Science Degree program in Paralegal Studies (62 college semester credit hours). You can earn this AAS Degree in just 15 months of full-time, traditional morning classes; or in 19 months via the blended or Online Interactive Instruction™ classes. Courses in the AAS Degree Program include all of the above, plus: 

Furthermore, once you graduate the Center, you’re eligible for their lifetime placement assistance program. The Center’s web-site lists the following “small but representative cross-section of some of the hundreds of companies that have hired [their] graduates”:

See more of this list here.

The knowledgeable faculty at the Center consists of attorneys, judges, and those with a Master’s Degree at minimum. You can read more about their faculty here.

Furthermore, Doyle Happe (pronounced “happy”), co-founder of the Center, has over 40 years’ experience in the educational field. The Center’s web-site asserts that he is “passionate about providing quality educational programs that permit graduates to perform at a high level.” Having known this man personally for the last several years, I can unequivocally attest to this fact. The same can be said of his co-founder Gail Armatys.
 

2009 CALS graduate Susan Castleman-Berrera

Additionally, successful graduates of the Center are eligible to sit for NALA’s Certified Paralegal exam, a grueling two-day exam which is arguably the benchmark national certification in the paralegal field.

Best of all, Financial assistance is available at the Center.

Susan Castleman-Berrera, seen in the photo at left, is a 2009 graduate. When asked about the Center, she responded: “I loved going to Center for Advanced Legal Studies. I changed careers and if I can do it, you can do it, too!” I second that sentiment!
 

Author: Sami Hartsfield

Sami Hartsfield is an Examiner from Houston. You can see Sami's articles on Sami's Home Page.

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Find out more about Sami:

Sami Hartsfield is a freelance writer and paralegal who works in civil law in Houston. She is currently completing her bachelor's degree in political science with a 3.9 GPA, and is preparing to enter law school. She interned with the 14th Court of Appeals under Chief Justice Adele Hedges, completed the University of Houston Law Center's Summer 2008 Prelaw Institute, and is currently assisting a local legal aid organization in the public benefits department. Sami holds a national advanced paralegal certification, as well as four specialty certifications: Discovery; Trial Practice; Contracts Management; and Social Security Disability Law. You can e-mail her with questions, comments, or ideas at samihartsfield@gmail.com.

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Source: Sami Hartfield
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