Alumni Spotlight | Jim McEntee

If you’ve ever dreamed of changing jobs, Jim McEntee has some advice for you. “A career change is a major decision and can be frightening, but if you are committed and have self-confidence, it can be fun, rewarding, and exciting,” says McEntee, who earned the Diploma in Paralegal Studies from NYU-SCPS after spending 30 years in human resources. He now works as a paralegal for the Law Offices of Clifford A. Meirowitz, a firm in New York City that specializes in elder law.

McEntee made his decision to become a paralegal after careful thought and research. “I’d always had an interest in the law, but didn’t want to take on the expense of law school while in my mid-50s,” he acknowledges. As the bank where he worked went through merger after merger, McEntee networked and spoke with many legal assistants and attorneys, one of whom had hired several paralegals from the NYU-SCPS program. “He was extremely impressed with the curriculum here,” says McEntee. “And, the program was ABA-approved. So, I decided to enroll."

He opted for the intensive program and earned his paralegal diploma in three months. “The program is true to its name—intensive,” says McEntee, who already held an M.B.A. “It demands attention to detail, timely completion of assignments, and the ability to multitask. It was challenging, but also very rewarding.”

The program teaches students the “language of law” by focusing on legal terminology, research, and writing, he explains. Instructors—all attorneys themselves—demonstrate how legal concepts operate in the real world, and every class provides students with practical experience on various software applications that working paralegals use in their jobs every day.

In addition, all the instructors have, or formerly had, a practice that utilizes paralegals, McEntee points out. “In this way you learn the scope of options for a paralegal in particular fields, and you also gain insight into how an attorney values the work performed by a paralegal and what competencies he or she expects,” he asserts.

“Another distinguishing benefit of the program is the open access each student has to the program's administrative team. The program office functions both as a traditional resource center and also offers academic advisement support,” McEntee notes. “Law firms and lawyers throughout New York City know to contact the NYU-SCPS Paralegal Studies Program Office when they are sourcing paralegals. As a result, many students continue to use the program as a resource long after they graduate.”

McEntee is one of those students now, staying in touch with the program by serving as a member of its Advisory Committee, and speaking at open houses and career events about his successful career change.