Nicole E. Ballenger, Esq., is serving as a volunteer site visitor for the American Bar Association, conducting week-long virtual visits for other schools and universities across the country that are seeking accreditation and re-accreditation for their legal studies and paralegal programs.
“As we report, usually as a team of two members, we are looking for compliance with the guidelines for approving paralegal education programs. Any concerns or violations are reviewed and discussed with the program director for the college or university to ensure that the program can either be approved or re-approved,” says Ballenger, faculty chair for Law, Policy and Political Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She also serves as Wilmington University’s pre-law advisor.
She already has completed one visit and expects to embark on another in February. The ABA has been approving paralegal programs for 45 years to establish standards for paralegal education, and promoting the professional utilization of paralegals by attorneys and law firms. WilmU is among only 260 ABA-approved paralegal education programs nationwide.