The 17th Annual Texas Forum was hosted by the State Bar's Legal Assistants Committee and the Legal Assistants Division of the State Bar of Texas on September 18-19, 1998 at the Texas Law Center in Austin, Texas. The Texas Forum is a joint meeting between the Legal Assistants Division, the State Bar's Standing Committee on Legal Assistants and paralegal educators and is designed to allow for the exchange of ideas regarding the paralegal profession between the various members of these entities.
Fred Romanski of Grayson County Junior College and Carole Olson of El Centro Community College presented to the attendees of the Forum information regarding the 25 Course Base Curricula Policy which was issued by the Texas Coordinating Board for Community Colleges. Mr. Romanski and Ms. Olson discussed the Base Curricula in detail as well as the impact it has upon all Texas community colleges. Within the curricula, all course titles are uniform as are the course numbers. For those colleges that do not have a defined legal assistant program, this base curricula gives those colleges the opportunity to offer legal assistants courses without the necessity of having a formally-defined program set up within that college. The curricula sets forth a course learning outcomes, which are also uniform to the entire program.
A panel discussion was held relating to (1) the five primary skills and areas of knowledge gained through formal paralegal education; (2) typical work assignments on a daily basis; and (3) information and areas of knowledge which paralegal training centers and campuses could offer or enhance in paralegal curriculum. The panelists included Elizabeth Bordenave, a paralegal with the State Board of Dental Examiners; Kevin Photiades, a legal assistant who handles corporate administrative agency work relating to the Department of Insurance Board and administrative agency hearings for the firm of Long, Burner, Parks & Sealy; Renee Gray, who is a manager with the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecution Office of the Attorney General; and Linda Ward, a non-traditional legal assistant who handles state audits relating to cases to ensure regulatory compliance with state laws for the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. Each of these panelists are now performing non-traditional roles and each one discussed how their knowledge, skills and abilities gained from being a legal assistant easily transferred over to their other jobs.