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Institute for Paralegal Studies Launches Corporate Practice Certificate Cohort in Cuneo Mansion

The Institute for Paralegal Studies started a new certificate program at Loyola’s Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills in January. The post-baccalaureate curriculum, approved by the American Bar Association, leads to a Corporate Practice Certificate in Paralegal Studies, the first specialized certificate developed by the Institute.

The north and west suburbs of Chicago are home to over 200 corporations. The Corporate Practice Certificate focuses on skills required of paralegals who work in corporate law departments and in law firms serving corporate clients.

Paralegals are helping corporate law departments to control costs—the highest management priority of law department leaders. This was one of the findings in the 2012 Chief Legal Officer Survey by Altman Weil, a leading legal management consulting company. Thirty-six percent of the 204 general counsel respondents reported shifting in-house work from lawyers to paralegals or other paraprofessionals. Twenty-five percent said they planned to increase their paralegal workforce within the next 12 months. Greater use of paralegals and other paraprofessionals was rated second priority, behind greater use of technology tools, as yielding improvements in efficiency over the past year.

The Corporate Practice Certificate courses cover contracts, commercial transactions, due diligence, regulatory compliance, business entities, securities regulation, and intellectual property. Litigation and e-discovery are also included.

Twelve courses must be completed to earn the certificate. These courses are offered in Vernon Hills in a cohort format, two courses during each of six 8-week sessions (about 14 months total). The cohort that started in January 2013 will be finished in March 2014. A second cohort is planned to start in June 2013 and finish in July 2014.

Please visit the Institute website (www.luc.edu/paralegal) for more details. Register here for the information sessions that will be held at the Cuneo Mansion on Tuesday, April 2, and Wednesday, May 8.