Student Profile: Olga Kobzar
A paralegal job leads to law school

Olga Kobzar, who graduated recently from Texas State's Master of Arts Program in Legal Studies, had always been interested in studying law, but until recently she was unsure that she could balance a law practice with raising a family.  Originally from Astrakhan, Russia, Olga obtained an MBA degree from Texas Tech and worked in marketing for several years before entering Texas State's Graduate Program in Legal Studies, a program that trains non-lawyers to help in the delivery of legal services. While still a student in the Legal Studies program, Olga found a job with the Austin law office of Akin Gump, assisting with case management as well as research and marketing of the firm's services to potential clients. Soon, she was transferred to a position as a Securities Litigation paralegal, a position she continued to hold as she started a family.  Olga's experiences in the Legal Studies program and at Akin Gump convinced her that she could manage both a family and a law career. She entered Baylor University Law School recently, to become an attorney in corporate litigation.


Law Office Internship—POSI 5389
for students in the MA in Legal Studies Program
and the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program

The Law Office Internship includes lecture and seminar discussion of topics relating to problems, procedures, and ethics in the legal-working environment. The faculty member who teaches the course ensures that each student finds an appropriate internship position.  Students are most often placed in private law firms, state and federal agencies, and private corporations. The student completes 130 hours in a voluntary on-the-job internship to gain actual experience in the legal-working environment.  The 3-credit-hour course is required for students in the Master of Arts in Legal Studies Program and the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program unless the student has prior law-related experience and has, with the permission of the program director, elected to take a practicum in lieu of the internship. The course is graded on a credit/no credit basis.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Terry Hull
th10@txstate.edu
Director of the MA Program in Legal Studies
ELA 266
(512) 245-3286