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Harrell,Susan_211

Susan W. Harrell

Biography

Susan W. Harrell, who has a Juris Doctorate degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, is an emeritus professor in the Legal Studies Program.

Harrell’s research has covered numerous areas, drawing on her experiences as a private attorney, a public defender and a lawyer for a government agency involved in child and elderly abuse cases.

She has examined legal issues for children placed for adoption, ethical matters for attorneys and paralegals, the use of disbarred lawyers as paralegals, and divorce education programs. Recently she has worked with community leaders in creating a financial literacy education program and is currently working to provide an online education program for Florida Guardians.

Refereed publications carrying her work include Child and Youth Services Journal, Journal of College and Character, North American Journal of Psychology, The Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, Journal of Legal Studies Education, Law Library Journal, Nova Law Review, Mediation Quarterly and American Journal of Family Law. 

Harrell, a Florida Supreme Court certified family law mediator and licensed attorney, helped lead the successful effort to establish a “Helping Children Cope With Divorce” program for parents in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. 

Degrees & Institutions

Harrell received her bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from Samford University-Cumberland School of Law.

Research

  • Family Law Mediation
  • Paralegal Education
  • Court-Based Education (including Transparenting, Guardianship and Financial Literacy)

Special Interests

  • Travel is a priority for Harrell. She is trying to go to every continent...only two more to go!
  • Faculty Advisor to UWF Pre-Law Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International

Publications

Manuscript Reviews (Textbooks)

  • The Florida Paralegal, Cengage Learning
  • Criminal Law Today, Criminal Law, Law and Film, Pearson Education
  • Law Office Management for Paralegals, Introduction to Law, McGraw-Hill
  • Tort Law, Practical Law Office Management, West Publishing Co.
  • Legal Research and Writing, Probate and Estate Planning, Probate Administration, Family Law, West Publishing Co./ Delmar Publishing Co.
  • Advanced Legal Research Exercise Manual, West/Thompson Learning

Research/Creative Activities - REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

  • Scott, D. L., Lee, C. B., Harrell, S. W., & Smith-West, M., “Permanency for Children in Foster Care: Issues and Barriers for Adoption.” Child & Youth Services Journal, 34(3), 290-307, Fall 2013.
  • Harrell, Susan, Posey-Goodwin, Patricia, Ellis-Wiggins, Barbara, “Bridging the Justice Gap: Using the Medical Profession’s Stratification Model to Improve Access to Civil Legal Services.”  The Empowered Paralegal Professionalism Anthology, Carolina Academic Press, 2011 
  • Tatum, Kimberly and Harrell, Susan W., “Ethical Issues Faced by the Dual Professional: Lawyers as Faculty in Higher Education.”  Journal of College and Character, Volume VIII, No. 2, pp. 1-13. February 2007.  http://collegevalues.org/articles.cfm
  • Bridges, F. Stephen and Harrell, Susan W., “State Laws on Suicide and Rates of Suicide in 2001”, North American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 43-50, March/April 2005. 
  • Bast, Carol M. and Harrell, Susan W., “Legal Citations at a Crossroads,” The Journal of Legal Studies Education, Vol. 21, Issue 2, pp. 281-298, Winter/Spring 2004.
  • Bast, Carol M. and Harrell, Susan W., “Ethical Obligations: Performing Adequate Legal Research and Legal Writing”, Nova Law Review, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 40-73, Fall 2004.
  • Harrell, Susan and Karen McGuffee, “Common Ground? The Definition of ‘The Practice of Law’ in the United States.”  The Professional Lawyer, The American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility Standing Committee on Professionalism, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 18-24, Spring 2004. 
  • Bast, Carol and Susan W. Harrell, “Legal Citation for the 21st Century.”  The Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, Vol. 19, No. 1, Fall 2003.
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Karen McGuffee, “A “Fallback Career”?: Can a Disbarred or Suspended Attorney Be Employed as a Paralegal?  A Survey of Current Laws.”  The Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 33-44, Fall 2002.
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Karen McGuffee, “The Utilization of Disbarred or Suspended Attorneys as Paralegal Instructors.”  The Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 45-55, Fall 2002.
  • Bast, Carol and Susan W. Harrell, “The Renewed Controversy Over Nonpublication and Noncitation Rules.”  The Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 1-20, Fall 2002.
  • Bast, Carol and Susan W. Harrell, “Has the Bluebook Met Its Match: The ALWD Citation Manual”.  American Association of Law Libraries’ Law Library Journal, Vol. 92, No. 3, pp. 337-352, Summer 2000. 
  • Stopp, Margaret T. and Susan W. Harrell, “Tenure and Promotion Standards for Paralegal Faculty.”  Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice.  Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 1-20, Fall 1997.
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Beissinger, Tina P., "A Divorce Education Program Case Study - Implementation through the First Year."  American Journal of Family Law, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 161-169, Fall 1995.
  • Harrell, Susan W., "Mediation Experience of Family Law Attorneys."  Nova Law Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 479-494, Fall 1995.
  • Teasley, C.E. III and Harrell, Susan W., "A Real Garbage Can Decision Model:  Measuring the Costs of Politics with a Computer Assisted Decision-Making (CAD) Program".  Public Administration Quarterly  pp. 479-492, Winter 1995.
  • Harrell, Susan W.  "Why Attorneys Attend Mediation Sessions".  Mediation Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 369-377, Summer 1995.
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Doelker, Richard Jr., "Mentorships in Family Mediation".  Mediation Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 151-163, Winter 1994. 

Other Publications 

  • Harrell, Susan W., “Top Ten Myths About Transparenting Program”, The Summation, Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association, pp. 1, 5, July 2006.
  • Editor-in-Chief, AAfPE Technology Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, September 2004 (Inaugural Issue).
  • Harrell, Susan W., Module 18: “Do You Have What it Takes? Ethics for Legal Studies Students”, pp. 56-60. Integrating Computer Ethics Across the Curriculum, Edited by Marion G. Ben-Jacob, National Science Foundation (NSF), Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, Fall 2004.
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Shackelford, Hon. Jan, “First Circuit FLAG-Pro Se Family Law Videos” - Scripts for two videos for use in First Judicial Circuit of Florida. Videos were produced and distributed throughout the Circuit to assist pro separties in family law litigation. Fall 2004.
  • Harrell, Susan W., “Florida Supplement to Accompany Family Law 5th Edition” state-specific text supplement to Family Law by William Statsky, West Legal Studies/Delmar, Fifth Edition, 2002.
  • Harrell, Susan W., “What is AAFPE?”  , Vol. XXIX, Issue 11, p. 17, The Summation, Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association, July/August, 2001.
  • Harrell, Susan W., “The Plain English Movement”, Vol. 2, p. 4, The Write Advice, UWF Writing Lab, Fall 2001.
  • Phelps, Marcia K. and Harrell, Susan W. “UWF Legal Studies Program Partners with Career Center.”  The Summation, Vol. XXIX, Issue 7, p. 17.  March, 2001.
  • Harrell, Susan W. “Changes at UWF Legal Studies Program.”  The Summation, Vol. XXIX, Issue 6, p. 12, February, 2001.
  • Harrell, Susan W. “There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Idea - Teaching with Exam Questions” The Paralegal Educator, Vol. 13, No. 3, p. 12, October 1999.
  • Harrell, Susan W. “Don’t Miss a Great Opportunity...Take a Sabbatical” The Paralegal Educator, Vol. 13, No. 1, p. 11, December 1998.
  • Harrell, Susan W. “Helping Children Cope with Divorce Annual Report.”  The Summation, p. 20, May 1997.
  • Harrell, Susan W. "Why Attorneys Attend Mediation Sessions", Fairshare, Vol. 16, no. 7, July 1996.
  • Harrell, Susan W.  "Helping Children Cope with Divorce."  The Summation, Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association, Vol. XXII, issue 6, February 1996. 
  • Harrell, Susan W. and Robert R. Wills.  "Florida Family Law" and "Florida Family Law Essentials" supplements to West's "Family Law" and "Family Law Essentials" texts by William P. Statsky.  West Publishing Co., Third Edition, 1994; Fourth Edition, 1996.
  • Harrell, Susan W., Tina P. Beissinger, Jean Norman,   "First Annual Report on the Helping Children Cope with Divorce Program in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, Florida".  Project report sponsored by the Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association and Pensacola Junior College.  1994-1997.
  • Harrell, Susan W.  "Bar Association Helps Parents and Children Cope with Divorce/Spotlight on Voluntary Bar Associations."  The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. LXVIII, no. 3, p. 87, March 1994.
  • Harrell, Susan W.  "Coming Full Circle."  The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. LXVII, no. 10, pp. 94-95, November 1993.
  • Harrell, Susan W.  "Helping Children Cope with Divorce."  The Summation, Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association, Vol. XIX, issue 12, pp. 3-5, August 1993.  

Keywords: family law, legal issues for children placed for adoption, disbarred attorneys as paralegals, ethics for paralegals, mediation, legal citations