Heather Costello, JD

A Professional Review

Education

• Holy Family University- Philadelphia, PA, 1997, graduated with Honors in Major, BA- Criminal Justice

• Rutgers University, School of Law, Camden, NJ 2002, Deans List, participant in Moot Court Team, Civil Practice Clinic Graduate

State of New Jersey Judiciary

• Camden, NJ, 2002- 2003. Law Clerk to the Honorable John T. McNeill, III, JSC

• Assisted with legal research and writing, court calendar, jury instructions

• Mediator in Landlord/Tenant and Small Claims Court• Judicial Opinion Published August 2003 (please see

attached document to Linkedin page)

Civil and Criminal Trial Attorney

• Hanan M. Isaacs, PC, Princeton, NJ, 2003-2005.• Civil and Criminal Trial Attorney• Focus on Family Law, Employment Discrimination, and

Contracts• Assisted with successful litigation against FAA for reverse

employment discrimination

Holy Family University

• Instructor, 2006-2009• Graduate and Undergraduate Programs• Assisted with development and implementation of

Graduate Program in Criminal Justice• Created and implemented Restorative Justice Pilot Course• Assisted with creation and implementation of new courses

within the graduate and undergraduate degree programs

Bucks County Community College

• Instructor, August 2008. • Instructor of Criminal Justice, Political Science and Social

and Behavioral Science within the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department

• Assisted with drafting of new courses and changes to degree requirements and offerings

Bucks County Community College

• Instructor, Tenure Track, January 2010, Paralegal Studies• Instructor of Paralegal Studies and Business Law • Advising Specialist within the Department of Business

Studies and Generalist Advising for campus wide majors (not including Nursing and Arts)

• Created new course- Criminal Procedure for the Paralegal to be offered as an elective with the ABA approved Certificate and Associates Degree programs

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Assisted with visit from the American Bar Association, program renewal granted

• Assisted with Interim Reports for the American Bar Association in relation to Program Re-approval

• Organized a visit to the United States Supreme Court in Washington DC in which students were able to view attorney arguments taking place in front of the Justices

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Assisted with changes to the core requirements of the Paralegal Studies Certificate and Associates Degree programs

• Based upon changes in the field and employer survey response 6 courses became requirements of program: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Civil Litigation and Procedure, Torts and Personal Injury for the Paralegal, Legal Research and Writing I, Legal Research and Writing II, and the Paralegal Internship Program

• Member of the Faculty Center Board

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Fall 2012, promotion to Assistant Professor• Development of Accelerated Paralegal Certificate

Program. This program allows students to follow a specific course schedule and complete the entire 30 credit program in less than one calendar year.• This program was designed to meet the needs of students and

employers while maintaining the integrity of the program.

• Presenter AAfPE Regional Conference in Philadelphia, PA

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Development and implementation of new course: Trial Practices and Procedures for the Paralegal. This course was created directly in response to employer needs and offers students a realistic view of the pace and nature of document creation in a live law office setting.

• Program Director, January 2014• Changes to eligibility requirements for Paralegal Certificate Program

changed to requiring either a Bachelors or Associates degree for entry. This decision was made in accordance with practices of the majority of ABA approved programs.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Assistance with successful program Audit of both Paralegal Certificate and Associates Degree Program.

• Assistance with ongoing changes to Advising within the Business Studies Department and College wide

• Initiated Professor Contact with all incoming students to the Paralegal Certificate Program. All students meet with the Program Director prior to beginning their coursework to ensure that new students are advised properly as to the requirements and expectations of the program.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Maintain constant and continued contact with graduates of both the Paralegal Certificate and Associates Degree Programs. While this is a requirement of ABA approval, this allows us the opportunity to re-assess the current program offerings with the needs of working paralegals

• Introduction of the Paralegal Certificate and Associates Degree Handbook. Tailored specifically to the students in the Paralegal Program, the Handbook details the requirements of the program, required courses, the Paralegal Internship, and much more. A link to this document can be found on my Linked in profile.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Collaboration with the BCCC award winning library. Through the use of the “Embedded Librarian” students are able to have direct contact with a librarian well versed in both LexisNexis and Westlaw legal search engines.

• Collaboration with the Department of Continuing Education and NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants). Having become an approved NALA testing center, BCCC will offer graduates of the program the opportunity to sit for the Certified Paralegal Exam.

• Additionally, graduates preparing for the exam will have the opportunity to attend a review course specifically designed for successful completion of the exam.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Successful reactivation as a chapter of Lambda Epsilon Chi, The Paralegal Honor Society. BCCC is listed as a chapter on the AAfPE. More information can be found at: http://www.aafpe.org/?page=LEXHonorSociety

• Students have been inducted into the LEX Honor Society yearly

• Successful creation and implementation of the Paralegal Club. Beginning Spring 2016, the Paralegal Certificate and Associates Degree Students will have the opportunity to participate or run for a Leadership position within the newly created club.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• Continually offering students access to outside professionals working in the field, including paralegals, attorneys, judges, and government officials. • Development of Legal Professional Day which allowed students

the opportunity to hear from various legal professionals about the reality of the field and their place in it.

• Collaboration with Social and Behavioral Sciences Department to offer students “An Evening with David Zellis”, a local attorney whose case was featured on Snapped and Dateline.

Bucks County Community College, cont.

• October 2015- Assistance with application to the ABA for re-approval of the BCCC Paralegal Certificate and Associates Degree programs. Site visit date to be determined for final re-approval determination.

• Assistance with the creation of the first team-taught and Special Topics Course. This course will offer three sections, Constitutional Law, Animal Rights Law and Evidence. Additionally, this course will be taught as a team, with three instructors. The course syllabus can be found on my Linkedin profile page.

Conclusion

• Thank you for taking the time to view this presentation!• Please feel free to reach out to me at

heather.Costello@bucks.edu or at 215.968.8283 for more information!