Regulatory Affiliations
Affiliations, licensing, accreditation, control and advisory of Baton Rouge College is private and nondenominational.
The College is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Regents and adheres to the rules and regulations of the Louisiana Proprietary Schools Advisory Commission. The United States Department of Education and the Louisiana State Board of Regents have approved the school and its Paralegal curriculum.
Mailing Addresses
Louisiana State Board of Regents – Division of Planning, Research and Performance, Proprietary Schools
P. O. Box 3677
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
(225) 342-4253
ACCET
1722 N. Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 955-1113
Baton Rouge College
1900 N. Lobdell Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 292-5464 Main
American Bar Association (ABA)
A Statement Concerning Approval Process
The ABA states in its publications that “seeking approval by a legal assistant education program from the American Bar Association is a voluntary effort initiated by the institution offering the program. Therefore, non-approval does not necessarily mean that the program being offered is not of good quality and reputable.”
The ABA requires that a school offers and requires all successful applicants to have what amounts to two academic years toward a degree. BRC accepts high school graduates and College graduates. ABA requires accreditation by a regional accrediting organization, and BRC is nationally accredited and, therefore, can offer paralegal programs in more states. The College accepts applicants for paralegal training who may be hired in the legal environment. The typical student enrolled at BRC has a high school and/or College transcript and/or work experience.
BRC is currently undergoing some changes to its paralegal curriculum in order to be eligible for the ABA approval process. Due to the ever growing importance to our students, BRC has begun the process for ABA approval. We will continue to update our student body and the website with information about the status of approval. This statement is no way guarantees that BRC will receive ABA approval.
The success rate of graduates in the hiring process has proven that attorneys hiring paralegals place more importance on work experience and paralegal courses than general education courses. It has been determined that legal secretaries who achieve completion of the paralegal program are very employable, often more so than a person with the general education courses required by the ABA. Employers in the legal profession seem to place more importance on work experience. Our associate degree graduates have found jobs in leading law firms and rarely has a graduate been denied employment because our program is not ABA approved.
The College does not train Paralegals for law firms or state agencies that require ABA approval. However, several BRC graduates have been hired by both state and federal agencies, as well as law firms, that claim they hire only ABA graduates. Many of our teachers are members of the ABA.
Advisory Board
Jill Gibson, Paralegal; Daryl Glorioso, Attorney; Dale Lee, Attorney, Cinda Terral, Attorney, and Joel Freeman.
BRC has found that its best advice comes from attorneys who teach for the College on an adjunct appointment. These attorneys practice law and many hire our students and recommend them to other attorneys. They are interviewed and encouraged to make suggestions to the college. Because BRC staff visit many law firms that hire our students, these employers serve as informal advisors.
Professional Organization Memberships
The administration, adjunct faculty, or staff holds memberships in the following organizations: American Bar Association (ABA), American Vocational Association (AVA), American Technology Education Association (ATEA), National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE), Louisiana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (LASFAA), Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SWASFAA), and the State Bar Association.
The College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET), a national accrediting organization recognized by the United States Department of Education in Washington, D.C.