Published on Forbes.com, November 9, 2006.

WOLI Is First Online Paralegal Training Institute to Receive Prestigious Middle States Association Accreditation

NANUET, N.Y., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Online Learning Institute (http://www.WOLI.com), the nation's longest established, Internet-based learning school for paralegals, has received accreditation from the Middle States Association (MSA) of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. WOLI is the first exclusively online educational institute to be so accredited for professional training by the MSA.

Founded in 1919, the MSA is one of just six regional accreditation agencies sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education. Among the more than 500 institutions accredited by the MSA include Princeton, NYU, Columbia, Georgetown and the 29 colleges that comprise the State University of New York (SUNY).

After conducting a rigorous onsite evaluation of its curriculum, faculty and facilities, the MSA commission voted affirmatively on WOLI's accreditation at a meeting on October 27. According to the MSA, its accreditation "certifies that the school has met the prescribed qualitative standards of the Middle States Association within the terms of the school's own stated philosophy and objectives."

"This accreditation demonstrates to our faculty, staff and student body that, as an educational institution, we adhere to the highest academic standards and are totally committed to promoting excellence in the paralegal profession," said Michael A. Koplen, co-founder and director of Washington Online.

WOLI has recently trained legal support personnel worldwide including American servicemen and women in Iraq, diplomatic personnel from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security staff, students from organizations including Intel, IBM, Boeing, and Cablevision, as well as individuals seeking to advance their careers by becoming certified paralegal professionals in 10 months or less.

Washington Online is one of the country's fastest-growing distance learning centers with good reason. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for paralegals in the workplace is projected to grow by 33 percent during the decade ending in 2014. Additionally, the popularity of online or distance learning is spreading rapidly, increasing nearly 23 percent last year. A study by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has found that 63 percent of American schools offering undergraduate courses now also offer courses online and that 1.6 million students were taking at least one online course -- one third of these (578,000) took all of their courses online.

Founded in 1999, the Washington Online Learning Institute, in addition to its MSA accreditation, is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. WOLI's American Legal System paralegal certificate program is a 10- month series of paralegal courses designed to prepare future and current paralegal professionals with both a theoretical understanding of the law and the practical skills necessary to succeed. Taught by practicing attorneys, the certificate program is recognized by law firms and corporations throughout the United States who readily recommend it to employees and hire its graduates. For more information about the Washington Online Learning Institute visit http://www.woli.com or call 800-371-5581.

About the MSA Commission on Secondary Schools

The Commission on Secondary Schools is one of three Commissions that function within Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The others are the Commission on Higher Education and the Commission on Elementary Schools. The Commission on Secondary Schools serves both public and non-public schools in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. In addition, it accredits schools in the Caribbean as well as various locations around the world.