A few years ago, prior to becoming a member of this illustrious group, I neither had pen friends nor was I particularly interested in the law other than to bemoan an outright injustice and to feel that the innocent were so often left to fend for themselves. Somehow I knew that it was feasible to wind up in prison, unjustly accused, provided with unsound legal advice, and prosecuted by an overzealous, high-achieving, power-bar fueled prosecutor. Still not over highly dismayed, I merely muttered undignified comments upon reading yet another sorry tale of woes usually involving another death sentence.
Then - and here I must pause to admit that I it would have been with gusto and delight that I would have liked to pen words such as, The loudest roll of thunder that ever shook the earth shattered the silence just as I was struck with the brilliant thought of righting the injustices of the world by befriending someone in prison and embarking upon a legal career - one fine day, I purchased a book entitled May God Have Mercy written by John C. Tucker.
The title itself did not appeal to me, not having any faith in a traditional higher power, though the byline did, a true story of crime and punishment documenting the life of Roger Coleman, executed by the state of Virginia on May 20th 1992. Tucker chronicled Coleman lengthy battle with the legal system and the ongoing efforts of his lawyers, as well as the media and numerous private citizens, to prove his innocence. For 10 years, Roger Coleman lived on death row, where he became the focus and center of an increasingly large circle of people who believed in his innocence and were determined to get his conviction overturned. Among them a team of high-powered lawyers, an inmate aid organization, and supportive friends a few of whom had responded to ads placed by Roger in various newsletters.
Curious, and with a small amount of apprehension, I picked up pen and paper, to sign my name that is, the rest of my short missive having been typed, corrected and edited, after perusing a few pen pal wanted ads, and mailed off three letters. My criteria were quickly narrowed down to 3 men one of whom resided – and still does – in Florida’s Union Correctional Institution. I looked for someone close to my own age - feeling that I would have more in common with a 35 to 45 year old than if I were to begin exchanging letters with a dashing 22 year old? who appeared to write well and possessing a sense of humor.
Nearly five years later, with a few ups and downs, a few tiffs and spats, Raiford, Florida’s zip code is now firmly etched into my memory as well as the numbers for those other original two prison in addition to some more, actually quite a few others - what can I say, pen pals multiply.
Here I pause, wishing to return to my original idea: the law - yes indeed, acquiring correspondents awoke my curiosity and soon I found myself reading old articles, perusing what ever I could find about the cases in question, joining groups geared towards either improving prisons and abolishing the death penalty or simply towards enhancing conditions in one particular
state.
Then, to close the circle so to speak and to have free access to that wonderful search engine Westlaw, I became a student once again and eighteen months later (I dare not state when I graduated from college before) I completed the required courses as well as the electives, aced my examinations and became a paralegal.
Of course, I still have to find paying work in the legal field and thought - that in the meantime - I might contact FDRAG (one the groups I discovered shortly after beginning my correspondence with my pen friend at UCI) and suggest a new column , which was well received, especially as the rude kitty had decided to rest for a bit.
So here goes: Legal Questions by Ms Legal Kitty ?just kidding - about the “Ms” part - though legal questions nevertheless, however not legal advice. Legal advice may only be relied upon if given by an attorney, though as through formal education, training and experience, legal assistants have knowledge and expertise regarding the legal system and substantive and procedural law, this column will attempt to answer general legal questions, or at a minimum, suggest a road to follow and avenues to pursue. An example of such a query could be, “How does one change the ownership listing on a title?”, “How does one file for a divorce?”, or “How does one obtain information about my given up for adoption child and/or my birth relatives.”
A mere sampling of course, though I trust that the flood gates won’t break open, especially now that the summer has nearly arrived but do want to state that I await ? with as much curiosity as way back when I spotted the first letter bearing a prison stamp ? your inquiries, your question, etc. and with sharp pen at hand will attempt to satisfy your legal curiosity in the next issue of this illustrious newsletter.
Should you be so inclined, have a few disposable dollars (isn’t that always the added caveat) and a bit of time, I have come upon two programs which offer correspondence based paralegal training courses. Thompson Education Direct, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, offers a dizzying array of programs, from carpentry to free lance writer; however, in this computer-driven age, they still offer courses which do not require a class room setting or a computer. The program consists of 15 instruction modules written to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll use. Instruction module 1 covers learning strategies and the paralegal profession and instruction module 2 discusses the US Court System and written communication. The total price of the degree in paralegal studies is $1008.00
The Professional Career Development Institute based in Norcross Georgia, also offers a paralegal correspondence option and it is less costly, amounting to a full tuition of $889.00. The program is divided into 20 lessons which cover the important aspects of being a paralegal: how to investigate facts, draft documents, and do legal research. Lesson 4, constitutional law, covers the legal powers of government; the Constitution; the Bill of Rights; landmark Supreme Court decisions; the importance of a court’s opinion; briefs explained; First Amendment rights. Lesson 6, tort law, covers types of torts; understanding tort law in contrast to other kinds of laws; torts and money; intentional torts; negligence; liability; how torts are proven.
Thompson Education Direct can be reached at PO Box 1900, Scranton, PA 18501 {1-800-275-4410, info@educationdirect.com, www.educationdirect.com} and Professional Career Development Institute can be contacted at 430 Technology Parkway, Norcross, GA 30092-3406, 1-800-223-4542, info@pcdi.com, www.pcdi-homestudy.com
Karin Elsea
Legal Questions
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