Independent Component 1

Log of hours

Literal:
I, Ariel Diaz, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. I sat in on two of my mom's paralegal classes, Legal Analysis and Writing and Civil Procedures Pretrial.

Interpretive:
I spent a little over 30 hours sitting through legal classes. I learned about the documents and procedures that paralegals have to go through on a daily basis. A lot of what I learned backed up some of what I've found out through research, but ultimately I found the class more helpful because everything could be backed up with more explanations and examples immediately.

Applied:
My EQ is all about becoming a paralegal. A great way to get started is to take classes to get a degree or certification. Now that I have sat in on some classes, I understand both some aspects of the law better, and the process to getting a degree/certification for paralegals.

Service Learning

Where are you working for your service learning?
I am working at El Monte City Hall.

What is your contact?
 The El Monte City Attorney, Richard Padilla.

Summarize the services you have performed to complete the 10 hour requirement
 So far I have just been going through boxes of old files, looking for extra copies that can be thrown away.

Answer 1

Answer: If a person gets their paralegal certification, they will have more success in being hired.

Evidence/Sources:
1. NALA
NALA is one of the top US paralegal associations, and its main concern is providing a certification program for paralegals. They believe that certification shows that a paralegal is credible.

2. MT SAC Paralegal Courses
I spoke with my mom, who is working towards her degree in paralegal studies, and she told me that many of her class books say that a paralegal cannot be billed without certification. This means that instead of the fee coming from clients, as with an attorney, an uncertified paralegal would be payed out of pocket.

3. Paralegal.edu
James Scheffer is the Admissions Director for the Center for Advanced Legal Studies. He has written an article on the terms certified vs certification, and in it he says that "Attorneys are encouraged by their State Bar Associations to promote continuing education and excellence among their paralegals." This means that proof of training and education, such as certification, would help ensure that paralegals can meet the expectations.

ESLR Blog

1. Effective User of Technology
While doing my senior project, I learned how to navigate college databases and use excel in order to make a working bibliography.

2. Effective Learner 
I had never really used excel before, so I have learned how to work with it. I have also learned a lot about paralegals and am able to explain what they do to others.

Third Interview Questions

1) How long have you been a paralegal?
2) Did you have any education or training before you were hired?
3) Do you have any advice for people who want to become a paralegal?0
4) What type of work do you find yourself doing?
5) A lot of my research shows that paralegals do a lot of the leg work for lawyers. If this is true for you, does it ever make you feel like you should just go to law school and become a lawyer yourself?
6) Do you think certification or training is important if you want to be a paralegal?
7) Do you think a paralegal is a good long-term profession?
8) What is the professional environment like as a paralegal? Do you feel lawyers give you respect?
9) Is there anything about the job that bothers you?
10) Do you expect to continue with this career for the foreseeable future?

Self Reflection

How do you think you are doing so far in your senior project and why?  AE, P, AP, CR, or NC
I think so far I'm somewhere between an AP or a high CR. I still have to find my service learning and turn in my second interview.

What one thing do you think you have done well on and why?
I think I've done pretty good research. I'm caught up on my research and it is all organized in my binder.

What is one thing you would like to improve on and why? 
Finding research for science fair. I've been having trouble lately, and until I find some good research I'm kind of stuck.

Science Fair Proposal

1. What is your hypothesis?
If a paralegal has an education or certification, then employers will be willing to pay them more than a paralegal who has no education or certification.

2. Identify the dependent (produced), independent (manipulated) and control variables in your hypothesis.
Dependent: paralegal starting salary
Independent: level of education/certification
Control: employers

3. What is the connection between your science fair project and your senior project EQ?
My EQ is about being hired as a paralegal, and my science fair project is about starting salaries.

4. How will you perform the experiment?  Include the equipment you plan on using.
I will use data that professionals have made available and organize it in a chart/graph.

5. Which category will your project be listed under?  
Behavioral Science