October 14, 2005                                                                       

Paralegal Day is October 28

Gov. Sanford Makes Proclamation Recognizing Legal Professionals

SPARTANBURG, S.C. –  Gov. Mark Sanford signed a proclamation designating October 28 as Paralegal Day.

The proclamation recognizes the positive contributions made by paralegals to make quality legal services accessible and available. Paralegals work for attorneys, judges, corporations and other organizations to assist in the delivery of legal services. The proclamation states that paralegals help keep legal costs down by improving the management of cases to the benefit of legal clients while upholding the highest standards of professionalism and strictly adhering to a code of ethics.

Spartanburg Methodist College added a Paralegal Certificate Program in August of 2004. The SMC program will mark the occasion with a “mini-celebration” for students and teaching staff Thursday evening, Oct. 27.

Yvonne Harper, Director of the SMC Paralegal Certificate Program, previously worked as a litigationand bankruptcy paralegal in Virginia for over 13 years. Harper is  pleased with the Governor’s proclamation and recognition of paralegals.

“The American Bar Association and a number of court decisions have endorsed the use of paralegals for years and now Gov. Sanford has validated the many contributions paralegals in South Carolina make to the legal profession. I echo his words and encourage all legal offices, departments, government agencies and fellow South Carolinians to honor the paralegals they know and work with on Friday,” Harper said.  

The paralegal profession continues its rapid growth, with the Department of Labor perdicting that the profession is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012.  Eleven students graduated in August of 2005 from the SMC paralegal program. They are now working in local law offices, corporate legal departments, and in the judicial court systems. 

For additional information, contact Yvonne Harper, Director of the Paralegal Certificate Program, at 587-4278, or e-mail harpery@smcsc.edu. You can also go online to http://www.smcsc.edu for more information on the Paralegal Certificate Program.