This study addresses the paralegal occupation and how it is defined within the context of licensure, control, and regulation in the United States. Drawing upon social theories of the emergence of professions and the concept of degree of professionalization, the author discusses how the organization of occupations into the modern professions has directly influenced governmental regulation. Paralegalism is presented in terms of its status as an emerging occupation. The model of the professional (attorney) regulating the paraprofessional (paralegal) and controlling the legal knowledge base is explored. The study identifies measures taken by legislatures, courts, and bar associations and reports each state s definition of paralegal, provides the corresponding citation, and advises if mandatory paralegal licensure or certification has been attempted within that state. If attempted, the form of the mandate, licensure or certification, by whom it was attempted, and the status of the action is provided. Primary data sources employed in this qualitative content-analytic study consisted of state legislative and judicial materials. Secondary data sources consisted of selected documents published by professional organizations. The database was constructed using on-line legal resources and data were analyzed within states across the two variables, definition and mandate attempted. Although attorneys have embraced the concept of the paralegal paraprofessional and various state entities have attempted to define it, the results of this study indicate that there is little evidence of uniformity in form of definition across the states. Paralegals are defined by statute in 7 states, court rule in 9 states, court ruling in 6 states, and bar association in 15 states. Thirteen states have no formal definition. No state has adopted mandatory requirements for paralegals even though formal attempts have been made in four. In three of the four states, the action was proposed as mandatory certification rather than licensure. In each state, the actions were brought by different entities. Discussions for proposals continue in several states. / Ph. D.

This thesis entitled, A Comparative Study of Paralegalism in Australia, the United States of America and England and Wales, examines the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services and the educational opportunities that are available to support that role in Australia as compared to England (and Wales) and the United States of America (US). As in other parts of the common law world it is accepted in Australia that not all work which is of a legal nature is performed by qualified legal practitioners. This is despite a rigid demarcation between qualified lawyers and other legal workers. The structure and regulation of the legal profession have an impact in determining the nature of paralegalism in Australia. The legal profession’s monopoly in Australia is, however, confined to the right of appearance in a court of law and to the preparation of certain documents for reward, which leaves a vast field of legal tasks open to performance by other workers, including paralegals. The legal profession is facing many challenges in the twenty first century, including the need to deliver better and cheaper legal services. Paralegals, as part of the legal service industry, are affected by the same tensions but are well placed to contribute to a more “streamlined” practice and to assist in providing greater access to justice for many disadvantaged Australians.This thesis explores the difficulties for Australian paralegals given that there is little formal recognition of, or status accorded to, the paraprofession. Indeed, the word paralegal is not easily understood nor widely used and this translates into uncertainties as to qualifications, market position and function to provide a definition and to determine the parameters of the profession. Paralegals work in a variety of legal environments which include, but are not limited to, working in private legal practices where they are supervised by lawyers.Further, in order to achieve recognition and to make a meaningful contribution to legal service delivery, paralegals require specialist education. This thesis examines the educational opportunities which are available to paralegals in Australia and makes recommendations as to future accreditation based on appropriate qualifications and experience.In order to gain further insight, comparisons are made between the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services in two other common law jurisdictions and Australia. Paralegals play a significant role in the delivery of legal services in the US, where many states constitute bigger jurisdictions than the whole of the Australia. American paralegalism has a twenty year “head start” on that of Australia and it is reasonable to anticipate that their challenges will mirror ours in the future. England, on the other hand, has a legal system very close to our own and the examination of paralegals in both England and Wales has revealed both similarities and differences to our Australian experience, both of which inform the research.

This thesis entitled, A Comparative Study of Paralegalism in Australia, the United States of America and England and Wales, examines the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services and the educational opportunities that are available to support that role in Australia as compared to England (and Wales) and the United States of America (US). As in other parts of the common law world it is accepted in Australia that not all work which is of a legal nature is performed by qualified legal practitioners. This is despite a rigid demarcation between qualified lawyers and other legal workers. The structure and regulation of the legal profession have an impact in determining the nature of paralegalism in Australia. The legal profession’s monopoly in Australia is, however, confined to the right of appearance in a court of law and to the preparation of certain documents for reward, which leaves a vast field of legal tasks open to performance by other workers, including paralegals. The legal profession is facing many challenges in the twenty first century, including the need to deliver better and cheaper legal services. Paralegals, as part of the legal service industry, are affected by the same tensions but are well placed to contribute to a more “streamlined” practice and to assist in providing greater access to justice for many disadvantaged Australians.This thesis explores the difficulties for Australian paralegals given that there is little formal recognition of, or status accorded to, the paraprofession. Indeed, the word paralegal is not easily understood nor widely used and this translates into uncertainties as to qualifications, market position and function to provide a definition and to determine the parameters of the profession. Paralegals work in a variety of legal environments which include, but are not limited to, working in private legal practices where they are supervised by lawyers.Further, in order to achieve recognition and to make a meaningful contribution to legal service delivery, paralegals require specialist education. This thesis examines the educational opportunities which are available to paralegals in Australia and makes recommendations as to future accreditation based on appropriate qualifications and experience.In order to gain further insight, comparisons are made between the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services in two other common law jurisdictions and Australia. Paralegals play a significant role in the delivery of legal services in the US, where many states constitute bigger jurisdictions than the whole of the Australia. American paralegalism has a twenty year “head start” on that of Australia and it is reasonable to anticipate that their challenges will mirror ours in the future. England, on the other hand, has a legal system very close to our own and the examination of paralegals in both England and Wales has revealed both similarities and differences to our Australian experience, both of which inform the research.

This thesis entitled, A Comparative Study of Paralegalism in Australia, the United States of America and England and Wales, examines the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services and the educational opportunities that are available to support that role in Australia as compared to England (and Wales) and the United States of America (US). As in other parts of the common law world it is accepted in Australia that not all work which is of a legal nature is performed by qualified legal practitioners. This is despite a rigid demarcation between qualified lawyers and other legal workers. The structure and regulation of the legal profession have an impact in determining the nature of paralegalism in Australia. The legal profession’s monopoly in Australia is, however, confined to the right of appearance in a court of law and to the preparation of certain documents for reward, which leaves a vast field of legal tasks open to performance by other workers, including paralegals. The legal profession is facing many challenges in the twenty first century, including the need to deliver better and cheaper legal services. Paralegals, as part of the legal service industry, are affected by the same tensions but are well placed to contribute to a more “streamlined” practice and to assist in providing greater access to justice for many disadvantaged Australians.This thesis explores the difficulties for Australian paralegals given that there is little formal recognition of, or status accorded to, the paraprofession. Indeed, the word paralegal is not easily understood nor widely used and this translates into uncertainties as to qualifications, market position and function to provide a definition and to determine the parameters of the profession. Paralegals work in a variety of legal environments which include, but are not limited to, working in private legal practices where they are supervised by lawyers.Further, in order to achieve recognition and to make a meaningful contribution to legal service delivery, paralegals require specialist education. This thesis examines the educational opportunities which are available to paralegals in Australia and makes recommendations as to future accreditation based on appropriate qualifications and experience.In order to gain further insight, comparisons are made between the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services in two other common law jurisdictions and Australia. Paralegals play a significant role in the delivery of legal services in the US, where many states constitute bigger jurisdictions than the whole of the Australia. American paralegalism has a twenty year “head start” on that of Australia and it is reasonable to anticipate that their challenges will mirror ours in the future. England, on the other hand, has a legal system very close to our own and the examination of paralegals in both England and Wales has revealed both similarities and differences to our Australian experience, both of which inform the research.

To improve online learning pedagogy within the field of paralegal education, this study investigated how paralegal students and paralegal instructors perceived the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. Survey results were analyzed using independent samples t-test and correlational analysis, and indicated that overall, paralegal students and paralegal instructors positively perceived synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. Paralegal instructors reported statistically significant higher perceptions than paralegal students: (1) of instructional design and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses; and (2) of technical assistance, communication, and course content in asynchronous online paralegal courses. Instructors also reported higher perceptions of the effectiveness of universal design, online instructional design, and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses than in asynchronous online paralegal courses. Paralegal students reported higher perceptions of asynchronous online paralegal course effectiveness regarding universal design than paralegal instructors. No statistically significant differences existed between paralegal students' perceptions of the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. A strong, negative relationship existed between paralegal students' age and their perceptions of effective synchronous paralegal courses, which were statistically and practically significant. Statistically significant relationships existed between paralegal instructors' perceptions of effective synchronous online paralegal course and the number of courses taught by the paralegal instructor. Lastly, this study provided practical applicability and opportunities for future research.