Program Research Guide Paralegal Education 2150-1 (formerly Court and Tribunal Agent) About the School Name of school/institution: Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Location (address, telephone number, etc.) 205 Humber College Blvd. Toronto, ON M9W 5L7 P: 416-675-5000 F: 416-675-2427 Name or Program Paralegal Education diploma Training required for career in: Find employment in law firms, legal departments of corporations, administrative tribunals, and government agencies. Become a self-employed court and tribunal agent and offer permitted legal services to the public and to lawyers. Certification required for employment: As of May 1, 2007, all paralegals have to be licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada in order to practice in Ontario. The Business School is in consultation with the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Paralegal Standing Committee to ensure that the program complies with accreditation requirements, and will take an active role in preparing and assisting students with complying with licensing regulations. Name and title of school representative interviewed: Date of interview: Date: Is course content regularly evaluated? Yes. All Humber College Programs are evaluated on a regular basis through the Program
Review Committee. How often are the Instructors evaluated? Instructors are evaluated every semester through a Faculty Evaluation Report. Training Details What is the diploma or certificate earned through this program? Diploma What classes are required? The current curriculum for this program can be found in Humber s Postsecondary Calendar Booklet. (Available outside the Office of the Registrar s). An online version of the curriculum can be found at: http://postsecondary.humber.ca/20521.htm Can the training institution provide you with a taxable receipt? (Form T2202) Yes. Tax receipts are available online at: srs.humber.ca Describe any hand-on experience included in the training (type of work, when, how many hours, where, supervision, etc.) There is an unpaid field placement that runs for four weeks following semester four (133 hours). Working with the field placement advisor, students are actively involved in pursuing placement opportunities. They are expected to market themselves to prospective employers and initiate their own placements. What is the class size? 30-40 What is the student teacher ratio? 30-40:1 Are there assignments other than regular class work, individual, or group work?
Yes. The unpaid field placement runs four weeks following semester four (133 hours). Working with the field placement advisor, students are actively involved in pursuing placement opportunities. They are expected to market themselves to prospective employers and initiate their own placements. What is the instruction method? (e.g. instructor lead, self directed, etc.) Instructor lead. If instructor led, what qualifications or certifications do the teachers have? Bachelor degrees What are the marks required to graduate? 60 % in all courses Are additional exams allowed if necessary? Exam arrangements vary depending on the program and the type of exam to be administered. This is solely up to the discretion of the instructor/program coordinator. If there is a disagreement with a grade or mark is there an appeal process? Yes - It is the intent of the Academic Complaint and Academic Appeal policy to provide a reasonable, efficient and effective process to facilitate the resolution of matters affecting a student s academic performance and, where relevant, his or her standing in a program. An Academic Complaint or Academic Appeal is deemed to be an appeal of an academic decision of Humber, and not a complaint against an individual Professor, Program Co-ordinator or Dean. The academic decisions dealt with through this policy are: a) Decisions on grades b) Decisions based on academic misconduct, including suspension or expulsion. c) Decisions arising from the methods and criteria used by a professor in assigning a final mark. d) Decisions regarding academic probation and withdrawal or special consideration on the basis of medical, psychological or compassionate grounds. e) Decisions regarding denial of a request for re-admission to a program. Note: Where readmission to a program has been denied, the student must be able to present, for consideration, evidence of the ability to perform at an acceptable level in the program in question. Humber is organized into a number of Schools, for example, The Business School or the School of Health Sciences. The intent of this policy is to allow the student and the School the
opportunity to attempt to resolve the issue through the Academic Complaint process before proceeding to a college-level Academic Appeal. How long has the program been offered? Since 1999 Are the equipment and books current? Yes. Are there special accommodations such as wheelchair ramps, large print or interpreters available? Yes - The Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning and the University of Guelph-Humber are governed by provincial and federal Human Rights legislation. This legislation, coupled with ITAL and University policies, stipulates that students with disabilities are entitled to reasonable academic accommodations. Services for Students with Disabilities facilitates the provision of those accommodations. If students utilize computers are they required to share? Students usually have individual access to computers. However, in rare circumstances may be required to share. If extra time is required on computers for class work, are there computers available for use? Yes. Employment Outlook ( For Graduates) Within the last 3 years, what percentage of students completed this course of study? Graduation Rates vary from year to year. Humber s Key Performance Indicators generate this information specifically for each program. This information can be found through the Graduation Rate link at: http://research.humber.ca/grad_rate.htm What percentage of students who completed the program became employed in jobs related to this program?
Employment Rates vary from year to year. Humber s Key Performance Indicators generate this information specifically for each program. This information can be found by selecting the program of interest followed by Employment Rate in the Report Tab at: http://research.humber.ca/grad_emp.php Were the jobs full-time, part-time, or contract? Full-time and part-time employment percentages vary from year to year. Humber s Key Performance Indicators generate this information specifically for each program. This information can be found by selecting the program of interest followed by Graduate Outcomes in the Report Tab at: http://research.humber.ca/grad_emp.php Are other licenses or certifications required to be hired for this occupation? As of May 1, 2007, all paralegals have to be licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada in order to practice in Ontario. The Business School is in consultation with the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Paralegal Standing Committee to ensure that the program complies with accreditation requirements, and will take an active role in preparing and assisting students with complying with licensing regulations. Speak to some current students or graduates of the program. What is their opinion of the course and school? Student Ambassadors are current students of Humber that are available to answer any questions or concerns from a student perspective, regarding the programs Humber offers. Please forward inquiries to: humber.students@humber.ca Who are the employers and who hire your graduates? Find employment in law firms, legal departments of corporations, administrative tribunals, and government agencies. Become a self-employed court and tribunal agent and offer permitted legal services to the public and to lawyers. Industry partners include: Department of Justice Canada, Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, Law Society of Upper Canada, A & A Paralegal, Ontario Court of Justice and the Paralegal Society of Ontario. Time Commitments How many credit hours are required? Semester 1 (20 hours/week)
Semester 2 (21 hours/week) Semester 3 (21 hours/week) Semester 4 (23 hours/week) How many semesters, quarter or other time units (indicate which) are required? 4 Semesters Are there any scheduled breaks in this program? (e.g. summer semester off) Fall intake has a summer break. Winter intake does not have a break a summer break. The program can be completed in 60 weeks. What is the average timeframe for a student to complete this course of training? 60 weeks if student start in January intake. 4 semesters if students start in September. Sem 1 - September to December Sem 2 January to April Sem 3 September to December Sem 4 January to April (plus 4 weeks of Field Placement) How many hours will be spent in class each week? Full time, mornings, afternoon, Evenings, weekends? 20 25 hours per week *See Question #1 (above) for specific hours per week as per each semester. How often does this course run? September and January Is it a fixed program or is it possible to develop an individual timetable? Note: Structure of program timetables are confirmed for the first semester. However, this is subject to change for future semesters. If a student has some prior knowledge of course materials, are there any exemptions from the course outline? Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) course exemptions may be available for students with work and/or life experiences or prior courses taken. More information on PLAR process can be found at:
http://plar.humber.ca/ *Note: candidate must be at least nineteen years old, or have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. If English is his/her second language, he/she may need to complete a test to show that he/she meets college language requirements. An Exemption/Transfer Credit may be granted if you have demonstrated sufficient knowledge to satisfy the requirements of a particular course. To qualify for an exemption/transfer credit you must have completed a credit course at another recognized institution (accredited). An Exemption/Transfer Credit Application form can be downloaded from the website at: http://admissions.humber.ca/transfer_credits.htm Further information about the process, payment and deadlines are available on this site. Entrance Requirements Is a high school diploma or GED required for admissions? Yes. An Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or mature student status is required. Is there an admissions test? Applicants who do not possess the required courses may complete admission testing to determine equivalencies. When can the admissions test be taken? Invitation and booking of admission testing is done using the e-mail address provided on the ontariocolleges.ca application. More information on test scheduling is available by phone (416) 675 5000 or online at: srs.humber.ca Will I be required to take any remedial, pre-requisite or non-credit classes before starting the regular program? Yes. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status Grade 12 English (ENG4C or ENG4U). If English is not your first language refer to the English Language Proficiency Policy in this publication. Three Grade 11 or Grade 12 C, U or M courses in addition to those listed above Will I be required to get a medical exam, criminal, check or driver s abstract before starting the course? Or before placement or receipt of a license or diploma?
No. Required Costs What is the tuition cost? Domestic - Program Fee Semester 1 & 2: Program Fee Semester 3 & 4: *Note: Tuition costs outlined above are the tuition costs for 2009/2010. This can be found in the 2009/2010 Postsecondary Calendar. Is there an application fee or registration fee? If so, how much? $95 OCAS application fee-2009/2010 Application Cycle What are the costs for books, tools, lab fees, materials, and diskettes? Are they included in tuition? Additional cost of Books and Materials: Approximately $1200.00 per 2 semesters. Are there any additional supplies that must be purchased through the training institution? (Attach an itemized list of materials and books) No. When is the deadline to pay for this course? Where payment is quoted for 2 terms, full fees are due by the "Fee Due Date" as shown on the front of the tuition invoice. The Fee Due Date for each term is subject to change. For our current Fee Due Dates, please visit Humber s Academic Calendar online at: http://fulltimestudents.humber.ca/calendar.htm In the event you wish to withdraw and receive a refund, the request must be received in writing, in the Office of the Registrar, and the following Policy will apply: 1. $100.00 ($500.00 for International Students) of the first term payment is automatically withheld once the payment is made. This also applies to those who change from full-time
to part-time status. 2. The remaining tuition fees paid are refundable up until the 10th official day of the first term classes (see Academic Regulations) 3. $100.00 ($500.00 for International Students) of the second term payment is automatically withheld should you withdraw after the Fee Due Date of the respective term. The remaining second term tuition fees paid are refundable up until the 10th official day of the second term classes (see Academic Regulations) Are all certification exams included in cost? If not, outline extra certification fees. No. What are the costs for any required medical exams, criminal checks, or driver s abstract? Not required. Starting the Program What are the registration dates? Application dates can vary depending on which program you are registering for at Humber. We strongly encourage perspective students to allow sufficient time for applications to be processed prior to start of classes for respective school term. When can I begin this program? September and January List any other pertinent course information here: -Great program if you want to work more independently, in a court -Will be able to write the Paralegal exam after this program -Can represent some clients in court Competitive Differences -Humber is now accredited by the Law Society of Upper Canada -The Diploma provides the student with an opportunity to continue or complete his/her studies in Immigration Law with our Immigration Consultant Certificate program tied directly into the diploma program
-The BCTA program provides students with an opportunity to engage in a real life work experience through our field placement program -A Court and Tribunal agent is also called a Paralegal - Graduates that apply for the Immigration Consultant Certificate may be eligible for it as long as the overall GPA for Immigration Consultant (2010) is minimum 70%. - Graduates with a minimum overall GPA of 75% will be eligible to apply for admission to year two of the Paralegal Studies (2201) degree program. * Admissions will be based on availability. Summary Following my research, the training institution of preference to me at this time is: School: Course: Length of course in weeks: Start date: End date: