by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Good legal help is hard to find.
So says Elaine Puri, the program director for the Legal Studies Institute at Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s Kent Campus. Starting next semester, FCCJ will try to ease that dilemma, offering the first courses of its new legal secretary program, designed to give students a broad foundation of knowledge and skills to fill the void for area law firms seeking assistance.
“There is a shortage of competent legal help in this town, mostly of legal secretaries,” said Puri, who worked for three years in a legal placement firm and experienced the shortage first-hand when she recently helped a friend find a job.
“I sent eight resumes out for my friend who works as a legal secretary,” she said. “Within 10 minutes she had one interview and by the next day she had four.”
According to Puri, the only way to fill the legal secretary void was through a program that would produce individuals well-trained in office technology and legal matters.
“I knew the legal community needed a long term supply and the only way to get that is through education,” she said.
FCCJ’s Legal Studies Program already has an esteemed paralegal program.
“Ours is the only paralegal program in the area that is American Bar Association approved,” said Puri. “This year we had close to 300 enrolled.”
Previously, only the office systems technology program at the school came close to a legal program, but it only included a small component of legal issues and not the comprehensive study the new program will provide.
The first courses in the program are technology related. Students will receive training in word processing, database use, desktop publishing and other skills needed in a legal office.The legal aspects of the program will familiarize students with terminology, law office procedures and an in-depth knowledge of legal issues.
“This is a total legal secretary package,” said Puri. “When students graduate we can absolutely guarantee they will have the skills they need for the law office.”
Puri said the program offers excellent job potential and good starting salaries.
“Someone can go from making $8 an hour to making $12 an hour, just at entry level,” said Puri. “Experienced legal secretaries in this area can earn $40,000, maybe more. And it is a stable job. Many legal secretaries will stay with one attorney for years and years.”
Another reason Puri is so excited about the course is because it will give a person looking for a career change the training he or she needs to make the switch fairly quickly.
“The course work totals 1,050 hours,” she said. “It’s the perfect opportunity for someone to get into a new career within a short term.”
Day and night classes are available, so students will be able to retain full-time jobs while enhancing their education. Enrollment will begin in the next few weeks.
“We do have some scholarships available and I don’t think it will be hard to get support from the legal community,” said Puri.
She believes the program has the potential to be about the same size as the Miami/Dade program it was modeled after.
“They have around 600 enrolled,” she said. “Jacksonville has the same potential.”
Some of the professors from existing programs will teach the legal secretary courses. One is Diana Farhat, a family law attorney who worked as a paralegal before deciding to become a lawyer. Puri says she’s a perfect educator because “she has trained all of her own legal secretaries. She knows this field from the ground up.”
Puri will continue to work at what she calls a passion.
“It’s like a mission for me,” she said. “People can get really good jobs and get paid for what they’re worth. If you’ve ever found a friend a job you know what a great feeling you get. That’s what has me hooked. Knowing someone needs help and being able to provide it.”