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Paralegal Institute told to correct website claims before full-term license
Summary
Commissioners pressed Paralegal Institute to remove or qualify language like 'proven curriculum' and 'nationally recognized' from its website and to add source citations before granting full-term licensure under NAC 394.590. The school agreed to revise its advertising.
Commissioners at the Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education scrutinized advertising language used by Paralegal Institute and required the school to revise its website as a condition of full-term licensure.
During the Feb. 4 meeting, Commissioner Peter Mikhail questioned claims on the Paralegal Institute website that compared the school's 15-week, 90-hour program to two-year associate programs and that described the curriculum as 'proven' and instructors as 'expert.' Applicant Matt Pfau, owner of Paralegal Institute, said the curriculum was the same material he developed for UNLV's continuing-education program and that law firms who once hired from UNLV now hire his graduates.
"The curriculum is proven because it has been used for years," Pfau said, framing the website language as a reflection of that history.
Commissioner Mikhail countered that the use of graduation-rate comparisons and unqualified superlatives can mislead prospective students and suggested that job placement rates be used instead. Administrator Kelly Wuest cited NAC 394.590(1)(g),(h),(i), which bars unqualified quantitative superlatives and misrepresentations of program effectiveness and staff qualifications.
The Commission voted to grant Paralegal Institute a full-term license, contingent on correcting website verbiage and providing source citations to support any statistical or comparative claims. The motion carried with Commissioner Kirner recorded as abstaining.
Why it matters Prospective students rely on program descriptions and outcome metrics when choosing postsecondary training. The Commission’s condition aims to ensure advertising is clear, verifiable and not misleading, aligning promotional language with the evidence institutions can produce.
What happens next Paralegal Institute must submit evidence of website revisions and source citations to CPE staff before the full-term license is finalized.
