Ethics for Paralegals, Second Edition

Linda Wendling

Linda A. Wendling (formerly Spagnola) earned her BA in French with a minor in political science from Rutgers College and her JD from Seton Hall School of Law. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, where she now resides.

Upon graduation, she worked for a boutique law firm specializing in construction law. This area of law is its own peculiar creature whose practice requires attention to detail and perseverance to endure years of complex litigation. After leaving active practice in 2001, Dr. Wendling turned to academia. She joined the faculty of Union County College in Cranford, New Jersey. There, she created the Paralegal Program from the ground up and started registering students in 2003. The spring of 2006 saw her first class of graduates earning their associate degrees in Paralegal Studies.

After moving to North Carolina in 2007, Dr. Wendling (or just ‘‘W’’ as her students call her) could not resist the call of the classroom, except this time it was as a student. She pursued a master’s degree in constitutional history at North Carolina State University. She also served as the Assistant Dean for Career Services at North Carolina Central University School of Law. The pull of hands-on teaching then led her to South University, where Dr. Wendling served not only as the Legal Studies Program Director, but also as the Chair of the Department serving campuses in ten states.

Learning never ends. Concern for the future led Dr. Wendling to Vermont Law School, where she earned an LL.M. in Environmental Law in January 2016. The culmination of her studies was an appointment to the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) as a U.N. delegate to assist Myanmar in preparing their position papers for international negotiation. She currently serves as the cochair for the pro bono committee for the Environmental Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and an appointed member of the board of directors for the Abundance North Carolina Foundation. Dr. Wendling currently serves as the co-chair for the pro bono committee for the Environmental Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and an appointed member of the board of directors for the Abundance North Carolina Foundation while managing the Southeastern States of Western Governors University’s academic compliance. In this role, she works with a team of professionals ensuring conformity with national, state, and local standards in higher education.