Review of Penn Foster Advanced Paralegal Program

I am a certificated paralegal and recently decided to enroll in an advanced paralegal program to further my legal education. In considering a number of online programs, I decided on the "Advanced Paralegal Applications" program offered by Penn Foster Career School, for several important reasons:

*It is accredited through the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) and is also a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

*I was impressed with the affordable price tag for the entire program, which also included text books.

*I liked the fact that I could pay for the course with low monthly installments.

Each course module was based on a study unit or text book that included a study guide explaining the key points, along with the respective reading assignments and corresponding exams. I also found the graded writing projects to be challenging and well put together.

While the program has not been easy, I found that devoting from 4-6 hours a day of independent study was the best approach for me, in order to tackle all of the course materials, graded projects and exams.

The first course module is “Investigations and Interviews” and is based on the study unit Conducting Legal Investigations and Interviewing, by Karen Oporto, Esq. It provides a general overview of the central concepts of legal investigation and interviewing, statutory privileges and immunities, the nature of evidence, investigating a case, interviewing techniques and preparing investigators reports, and witness statements. It was followed by a multiple choice exam and graded project.

The graded project was based on the analysis of five different scenarios simulating a five day work week in a law office. In short, it required the student to frame interviews and questions around a variety of fact patterns. I found the project helpful in reinforcing all of the central concepts contained in the study unit.

My impression was that the first course was designed to provide the student with a simple introduction to distance learning using the Penn Foster system.

The next course module is “Torts” and is based on the text book: Torts Personal Injury Litigation, by William P. Statsky (4th Edition 736 pages). The text provides a thorough breakdown of each tort, along with relevant case law, major defenses and counter-arguments, checklists and research resources. To assess the student, there are six multiple choice exams and two final graded projects.

The first graded project provides practical experience in legal writing and analyzing a tort law issue, utilizing a legal memo format.

The 2nd graded project provides practical experience in interviewing, legal writing, and analyzing a tort law issue. It is followed by preparing a legal memo summarizing the relevant facts using the IRAC approach:

*Issue
*Rule
*Application/Analysis
*Conclusion

The next course module is “Business Law 1” and based on the text book: Fundamentals of Business Law, by Roger Miller and Gaylord Jentz (7th Edition, 667 pages). The text provides an excellent overview on the legal aspects of business today with nicely summarized cases to reinforce key learning points.

The text also covers tort law which creates a nice overlapping effect of reinforcing the points in the tort law course. Following the end of each reading assignment, the student can elect to take an exam. There are four multiple choice exams. The questions and fact patterns require a thorough understanding of the subject matter, to successfully pass each exam.

The next course module is “Civil Litigation” and is based on the following study units: Civil Litigation, Discovery, and Alternative Dispute Resolution, all of which are written by attorneys.

There are three exams (based on the three study units) and one final graded project providing practical experience in drafting a lawsuit based on a specified fact pattern, along with researching an expert witness using online resources, then preparing a legal memo on the selection of such witness. The fact pattern is set around two home inspectors who were negligent in discovering a home’s faulty structural foundation. The owner that purchased the home, then decides to sue them for damages.

The next course module is “Criminal Litigation” and is based on the text book: Criminal Law and Procedure an Introduction, By Ronald J. Bacigal (2nd Edition, 368 pages). The course is broken down into two parts, the first being substantive criminal law (parts A and B); the second being procedural criminal law (parts A and B). At the end of each respective part, the student may elect to take an exam. There are four exams.

This is one of the most succinct legal text books that I’ve read and it flows effortlessly from one idea to the next. Mr. Bacigal is a professor of law at the University of Richmond School of Law, where he has been teaching since the early 1970’s. I truly enjoyed this course and the way it was presented.

The next course module is “Family Law” and is based on the text book: Family Law, by William P. Statsky (5th Edition, 621 pages). The book breaks the subject down into easy-to-follow parts, relevant case law and expounds on how federal law has shaped family law through the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, along with the legal rights of women and children.

Following the study guide and reading assignments, there are four exams corresponding to each assignment. Family law is a complex field and I found the course informative, because of the concise manner in which it was presented.

The next course module is “Real Estate Law” and is based on the text book: Practical Real Estate Law, by Daniel F. Hinkel (5th Edition, 672 pages). The material is well presented and covers the history of American real property law, as well as modern day estates in real property. There is a focus on land descriptions and importance of surveys, so that the student will understand property boundaries and easements in preparing a legal description of real property.

It also expounds on the types of deeds used in real estate law, along with many excellent contract samples found throughout the book. In addition, it covers financing sources for real estate transactions, including the role of title insurance, along with sample insurance and mortgage forms. It also offers valuable insight on real estate closing and disclosures, which will help the paralegal better understand what transpires during a closing.

I found this course was the most difficult in the program and some of the questions were not easily answered, thus requiring several re-readings, including online research to answer those questions. I had to really apply myself to do well on the exams, and through persistence, passed. The course consisted of four exams.

The next course module is “Wills and Estates” and is based on the text book: Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration for the Paralegal, by Dennis R. Hower (5th Edition, 832 pages). Much of the material presented is practical and can be utilized by paralegals. This is the last course in the Advanced Paralegal Applications program and entails four exams.
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All of the exams (34 in total) for the program can be taken online or otherwise mailed in with the enclosed envelopes that accompany each course. Grading for the online exams is immediate, whereas grading for the written projects requires uploading your student file, along with your student ID and exam number. All of my submitted projects were promptly returned within several days, with the instructors’ corrections and feedback.

I think this program is best suited for someone that is either working as a paralegal or otherwise has an existing credential in paralegal foundations.

I feel that I have benefited enormously from this program and that it has superseded all of my expectations. I also feel that it represents an incredible value, insofar as the under $500 price tag goes, not to mention the legal text books, which are also included!

Distance learning requires enormous self-discipline and is not for everyone. I believe you will get out of it what you put into it.

Conclusion, I think this is an excellent program and that Penn Foster has taken distance learning to a high level. I would definitely recommend this program to other paralegals.

Paralegal
Member, American Alliance of Paralegals