Prestigious Law Society of Ontario, Canada & Linkedin Member, Paralegal Shelina Lalji, asked me: What's the Story Behind The Name “Teachblade”?

Thanks Paralegal Shelina Lalji for touching bases. For sake of brevity and no truncation issues, I’ll share my answer with you and our brethren Paralegals via this blog post because You make us proud!

The prestigious Law Society of Ontario, Canada’s - 2019 “Bencher” Elections Candidate and LinkedIn Member - Paralegal Shelina Lalji - is running for Election. Elections are open until 5:00 pm, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. See her impressive Bio and Candidate's bid - linkedin.com/in/shelina-lalji-436069182

“Benchers” are Lawyers and Paralegals elected to the prestigious Law Society of Ontario - who play a critical role in policy decisions and governance of Lawyers and Paralegals in the Law Society of Ontario.

Kudos to the Leadership of Benchers Election Candidate - Paralegal Shelina Lalji - and Canada for a keen eye in gleaning (from the Paralegal Profession’s evolution over 30 years) - that it’s traditional course instruction (book law Theory devoid of real world law office Practice skills functionality) has not netted measurable-success - it can no longer sustain the profession’s relevance and the conundrum has reached critical mass.

“Teachblade” implies strictly-structured teaching with measurable success that has attained a professional zenith. Adult Learners with busy schedules, want to see the light at the end of the tunnel to remain focused.

“Benchers Candidate” Paralegal’s a-priori assumption - that no one adopts such a name as Teachblade without some history bottoming its origin - is correct. Here’s the rest of the story.

 Shelina, you likely assumed from the root word of “Teachblade” that I’m a teacher. I taught Law for 30 years and retired from institutional teaching in 2012. However, “once a teacher - always a teacher” because it’s part of my DNA by now. Indicia of the fact that I’ve never stopped teaching since retiring - is having authored over 600 posts on my blog, “Paralegal Brain The Blog”. (You can "Google" it.)  

We need more Industry Paralegals as Teachers teaching Paralegals - But with the right curriculum that shows Adult Learners, the light at the end of the tunnel. Job-Ready, Day-One Paralegal Graduates make the difference and it's the benefit of the bargain for Adult Learners.

The origin of “Teachblade” is instructive from a "Historical" Point (of why my teaching methods resulted in placement of former students in some of the Top-Ten law firms in the nation). You’ll glean that procedural result from a discussion below.

About 30 years ago, an astute student said to me: "You're a Street Teacher" who cuts through to what we need to know (like a knife). The Student was right in that I knew precisely what students needed to know to place in the "Top-Tier" law firms in the Nation, and that was, and remained my focus. Moreover, I needed to create a “handler name” for some tutoring I was doing in tandem - and the name was coined and stuck.

I was more than qualified to teach Job-Ready-Day-One Paralegals - as an English/Business teacher and Law Instructor (1974 UCLA Grad and UWLA Law School Juris Doctorate Program 3 years) - And as an Industry Paralegal for over 10 years by then - (because I had worked with two (2) U.S. Presidential Law Firms — Manatt-Phelps and Adams-Duque). Hence, I knew “The Standard of Excellence” in Law at the beginning of my teaching career.

The origin of “Teachblade” is equally instructive from a "Future" perspective (that could quite literally save the Paralegal Profession from the quandary I’ve gleaned we’re in, here in America. 

Every Adult Student wants to learn how to earn Livable wages. It's the only reason Adults sit in a classroom, while their kids, family and chores are waiting for them at home. Why has Paralegal Education found itself in a conundrum? Here’s Why.

 The Light At The End of the Tunnel.

 I’ve witnessed for thirty (30) years, that Liberal Paralegal Education has taught to the exclusion of the very two (2) additional disciplines it needed most! They are:

(1) A working knowledge of Vertical Critical Thinking Skills (before a Student Paralegal ever left my classroom), and

(2) A working knowledge of real world Law Office Procedural Practice Skills (before a Student Paralegal ever left my classroom. )

On the issue of Critical Thinking Skills (a 3-Step Critical Thinking Skills Metric I developed 30 years ago) — many of my students had not graduated the University - where Critical Thinking Skills are first taught.

I knew from my own university training, as well as Paralegal work experience — that critical thinking skills were absolute to students’ measurable success — they’re critical to earning Livable Wages versus minimum wages — and they’re critical to the long-term sustainability of the profession itself. Hence I intentionally brought critical thinking skills from the University to my classroom.

I taught Law in the American Bar Association Approved Paralegal Studies Program at West Los Angeles College for 30 years and was one of the Founders of the Program. Every Student wanted to learn how to earn Livable Wages in a law office and my enrollment numbers proved it.

Upon the ABA Approval Team visiting the College for ABA-Approval Review — I was the Evidence Class Instructor (Teaching Paralegals) that the ABA-Team of Lawyers audited for about a half hour. Three months later - West LA College was ABA -Approved — out of nine (9) colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District — the Largest college district in the Nation.

By the way, Janet Bryant Howroyd was a Member of my Textbook Committee at American Bar Association-Approved West Los Angeles, during the early stages of the program’s inception. She is Founder/Owner/CEO of “Act I” Personnel Agency that’s world-wide. Her husband owns “Apple One” Personnel Agency, that’s equally world-wide.

Moreover, while teaching at Orange County’s flagship (InterCoast Colleges), I was awarded “Paralegal Teacher of the Year”. I taught at InterCoast Colleges for 10 of those 30 teaching years, in tandem with teaching at West L A College and in tandem as an industry paralegal. Every Student wanted to learn how to earn Livable Wages in a law office and my enrollment numbers proved it.

Your Ability to Measure the Success of your Teaching Results is the only Certainty that keeps you going for 30 years. Otherwise, it's just a paycheck that's short-lived. It's why Paralegal Education needs "quantums certain" -- Industry Teachers who can teach on the weekends if not during the evenings. Industry Teachers are generating profits for law offices during the day.

Unbeknownst to me, while teaching at InterCoast Colleges, I was “being tracked” by The South Bay Workforce Investment Board whose students were referred to my program. The Paralegal Teacher of the Year Award award was based on three (3) criteria:

(1) The number of student referrals who timely completed the program within the time prescribed. (They all did.)

(2) The number of graduates who found positions as Paralegals immediately upon graduating and interning. (They all did).

(3) The number of graduates who remained in their positions as Paralegals for one year or more. (They all did).

I retired from Lancaster, CA’s Charter College after 5 years as Program Chair and sole Paralegal Instructor. Upon taking the helm, the program grew from one fledgling class to an enrollment so large, it required a daily morning, afternoon and evening class. Every Student wanted to learn how to make Livable Wages in a law office and my enrollment numbers proved it. 

While teaching 30 years, I worked in tandem with major law firms — now going on 47 years - am currently an Independent Contract Family Law QDRO Paralegal and a weekly talk show guest on Conservative radio.

Knowing what to teach Paralegals for a “Job-Ready-Day-One Paralegal — with real world functionality — capable of earning Livable Wages - is why my classrooms were filled to capacity. Word traveled fast among students. 

 Of course I had to teach The Standards (Book Law) that were mandated by the State. 

 Directly after teaching The Standards in each module - students began to learn how to make money in a law office — where book learning met real world Law Office practice skills - where English and Grammar lessons sufficiently improved the deficits thereof that college instructors inherit from many of the public schools.

 America’s Liberal Paralegal Education the past 30 years - (with a Curriculum Mandate of “one-size-that’s-all”) - is now in a conundrum because Theory did not meet Practice - in the classroom.

 Here we are 30 years later - and Teachblade’s program with measurable success to produce Job-Ready, Day-One Paralegals with the capacity to produce produce profits for Lawyers and Livable Wages for their families - was generally waylaid by Liberal Education.

It appears America and Canada may well be in similar conundrums. It also appears America’s Liberal Educators “missed the memo” for 30 years - that a Conservative Teacher had embraced Paralegal Education to preserve the formidability of American Jurisprudence for future-student-careers in a Legal profession that is recession-Proof and AI Intelligence-Proof.

 Shelina Lalji is The Best Candidate to be elected a Bencher of the Law Society of Canada. She uniquely understands the conundrum the Paralegal Profession currently faces and has tapped into the Solution. 

 It appears that you Shelina are taking the helm to steer your Paralegal Profession’s Ship of State to safe harbor.

 America’s Paralegal Profession has the same conundrum with traditional Courseware, because it too didn’t focus enough on the Expectancy Interests of Lawyers and their “Greatest Need” - (for Paralegals with Practice Skills - Job-Ready-Day-One!). After all Lawyers are the End Users of Paralegal Education. Moreover, Students unwittingly believed what they were learning “was enough”. If the mandated “one-size-that’s-all” Courseware was enough, then success would have shown up in 30 years.

 With all due respect, I was “ahead of my time” 30 years ago (as a Law Instructor and in tandem, as a Practicing Paralegal including within two U.S. Presidential Law Firms) in deducing the conundrum that has arrived at our doorstep.

 Moreover, in conferring years ago with Alabama Capital Murders Defense Trial Lawyer, Richard Jaffe, about my alternative-teaching-methodology (that has incorporated Theory AND Practice for 30 years), he too gleaned that it would revolutionize Paralegal Education and bring a “Job-Ready-Day-One” Paralegal - From the classroom To the law office.

 He also concluded Paralegal Education was too entrenched in their “one-size-that’s-all” model — so long as it kept unwitting students’ warm bodies in seats and student financial aid was captured.

 Theory and Practice Never Merged in the Classroom And Lawyers did not want to, and should not have had to, pay the additional cost of Academia laid at Lawyers’ office doorsteps by College Officials. Colleges needed to finish their job of Instruction and create a productive workforce, or be so close to that objective that the rest could be adjusted. Paralegals are expected to know Law Office Practice Skills. Law Offices are about the business of Law. They are Not about the business of Teaching.

 Moreover, Paralegal Education assumed the real world Law Office Skills functionality (Practice) of Paralegals was better left to Lawyers. Hence, Liberal Education saved on teacher salaries because Industry Teachers such as I weren’t distinguishable - and why Most Teachers didn’t learn Paralegal practice skills. 

 Hence, Theory and Practice Never merged in the classroom - where it should have. Au contraire, Lawyers had an expectancy interest that it would. Lawyers figured that their tax dollars were footing the bill for Paralegal Education and they didn’t desire to foot an additional bill - (of having to pay their existing staff to take time away from production to train newcomers.)

 Newport Beach, California Estate Planning Attorney, Kevin Perkins confirmed to me and made infinite sense to me as a teacher and industry paralegal in tandem because I of all teachers knew exactly what Lawyers wanted in a Job-Ready-Day-One Paralegal.

 Hence, I continued incorporating real world law office skills “Practice” with Book Law “Theory” into my courseware in the classroom — and the rest is history. Success for 30 years was a foregone conclusion.

 Most book publishers, most curriculum writers and most administrators have never set foot in a law office; and hence were bottoming the Paralegal Education Courseware on “Abstract Theory” and Not the Relevant Missing Link (of Real world law office practice skills proficiency learned in the classroom.)

 If one continues to do the Same Thing over and over again, expecting a different result, then that is a form of insanity. 

 Yes Shelina — Sometimes you have to do what you’ve never done before — to achieve the result you’ve never had before — and that is an ongoing efficacy of the Paralegal Profession.

 I taught outside the Paralegal Education Matrix for 30 years — by combining the mandated “Standards” (book law) with law office procedural practice skills — and it has made the difference in Paralegals remaining relevant to this day. 

With the right-structured curriculum correctly framed for Industry Teachers - the profession has a good chance of completely reversing itself - so long as it makes Lawyers and their law firm businesses - their priority. That scenario is one Lawyers could embrace. Lawyers are the End Users of Paralegals. Paralegal Education should act like it if they intend long-term sustainability in a profession that's recession-proof and AI-proof. 

 In the words of Paul Harvey — “and that’s the rest of the story” of how Teachblade got her name.

Shelina - I’d welcome the opportunity to Consult with you after you've won the Election. You are the one person (a Visionary) who has tapped into the solution to a three decades' old conundrum. Suffice it to say It’s a discussion whose time has come.

Sincere regards,

Barb Teachblade Reynolds about.me/Teachblade.Reynolds