Ten Blinn students earn certificates of completion in mediation

Paralegals earn a median salary of $52,920 per year

December 17, 2021

The Blinn College District recently recognized 10 students with certificates of completion for the mediation course offered through the Paralegal and Legal Studies Program.

Lacey Beavers (Lampasas), Trevor Dorman (Groesbeck), Melissa Gallegos (Waxahachie), Lucas Gutz (New Braunfels), Amber Hibler (Marble Falls), Kristin Holden (Bryan), Karen Holligan (College Station), Jenna McElroy (Madisonville), Sandra Mendoza (Bryan), and Russell Montalvo (San Benito) successfully completed the coursework to earn this skills award.

“These students have gained a valuable credential that can help set them up for success as they pursue careers inside and outside the legal field,” said Robert Stanberry, Paralegal and Legal Studies Program Coordinator. “Mediators take their conflict resolution skills to the job market to become better leaders, managers, and employees.”

Mediation is a dispute resolution procedure in which a third party leads the disputants to their own solution without a judge making a decision. Blinn’s mediation course provides students with entry-level skills as mediators. This credential is useful for students interested in mediating employment, landlord-tenant, neighborhood, and other interpersonal disputes.

Blinn’s Paralegal and Legal Studies Program equips students with skills and training to embark on a variety of roles in the legal field. Courses are taught by a faculty comprised entirely of lawyers and judges with classes structured to promote quality student-faculty interaction. The program includes a Legal Assistant Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree, a Level 2 Legal Office Certificate, and an Occupational Skills Award in Mediation. Students who complete the AAS degree are eligible to sit for the National Association of Legal Assistants certification exam.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, paralegals earn a median salary of $52,920 per year and employment is expected to grow 12% between 2020 and 2030, creating 41,400 new jobs.

For more information regarding Blinn’s Paralegal and Legal Studies Program, visit www.blinn.edu/paralegal.

Registration for Blinn’s winter minimester is available through Dec. 19, and registration for the spring 2022 semester is open through Jan. 17. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/admissions.