Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrew Valenza | U.S. Army Soldiers, paralegals with Task Force Spartan, take part in a Formal Board...... read more read more
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Paralegals with Task Force Spartan competed in the United States Army Central 3rd Quarter Paralegal of the Quarter competition in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, June 13, 2020.
The competition tests the best paralegals from the junior enlisted and noncommissioned officer ranks from around USARCENT and consists of a series of events ranging from a written test to a formal board requiring contestants to demonstrate their proficiency in paralegal work.
“They are going to be tested on all of their legal disciplines,” said 42nd Infantry Division Command Paralegal Sgt. 1st Class James Valk. “These include legal assistance and military justice, national security law, Soldier skills, and the Soldier and NCO creeds. It's everything we think a junior Soldier should know in the Judge Advocacy General Corps.”
There are four events in total for the competition. These include a typing test, a written exam, a practical exam and a formal board evaluation.
“The first is a typing test,” said Valk. “In order to be a paralegal, you have to have a minimum of 25 words per minute on your test score.”
The next two events are a written exam and a practical exam. The written portion covers all areas of the JAG Corps, while the practical exam requires the competitors to complete a Department of the Army form 2627.
According to Valk, the practical exam is usually completed on a computer, but these Soldiers are filling them out by hand. He believes this way is more beneficial.
“Now, this normally would be a lot easier. However, they're not using 'Military Justice Online,' so this is a good test to make sure they know how to do the right action without using a computer,” said Valk.
The final test is the formal board, an all-encompassing oral evaluation.
Valk thinks that the evaluations are especially important for Soldiers, demonstrating their proficiency in the paralegal field.
“What is says about the Soldier, number one is how well they prepared,” said Valk. “Especially for lower enlisted, they have very little experience in military disciplines, so obviously they need to have experience in every facet. This board really gives them the opportunity to study every legal discipline. So it shows the experience they have and also how much they studied.”
Staff Sgt. Victoria Goodlet, a paralegal assigned to the 311 Sustainment Command, was eager to compete and felt confident throughout the day.
“I felt very confident, especially for the typing, written and practical exam,” said Goodlet. “I was a little nervous about the in-person board, but otherwise I felt really good for this whole day."
The winners of the event were Spc. Cameron Kerkes, assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, and Goodlet for the NCO section.
Kerkes said he owed his success to the rigorous preparation and the help of his sponsor.
“In preparation for this event, I spent hours reviewing relevant regulations,” said Kerkes. “Each night, I set aside at least an hour to re-read regulations and study flashcards I made. However, the most important thing I did was go over board procedures with my sponsor. He helped me practice reporting to a board, and study questions the board may ask.”
Kerkes said he was honored to be recognized and is motivated by it.
“It is a great honor to be recognized as paralegal of the quarter,” said Kerkes. “It motivates me to do more to bring credit upon the corps.”
Goodlet was grateful to all her past leaders who helped her along with her Army career.
“For me winning this is a celebration to all of my previous and current leaders that have been my mentors and my guides,” said Goodlet. “Without them, I wouldn't have the habits I have for studying and preparing for all of this.”
The Soldiers of Task Force Spartan is currently being led by the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division.
The mission is a unique, multi-component organization, made up of active Army and National Guard units, rounded out by U.S. Army Reserve support units.
Through Operation Spartan Shield (OSS), Task Force Spartan maintains a U.S. military posture in Southwest Asia sufficient to strengthen our defense relationships and build partner capacity.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2020 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 372203 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USARCENT Paralegals Compete for Best Paralegal of the Quarter Title, by SSG Andrew Valenza, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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