NWFPA STUDENT AND REMOTE MEMBERSHP

Transcription

Volume 5, Issue 2
Spring 2014
NWFPA STUDENT AND REMOTE MEMBERSHP
What’s in it for you?
By Taxie Lambert, FRP and Sylvia Jarrett, CLA
Meetings:
Member Meetings:
April 22, 2014
May 27 , 2014
June 24, 2014
Board Meetings:
April 8, 2014
May 13, 2014
June 10, 2014
Inside this issue:
NWFPA—Student &
Remote Membership—What’s in it
for you?
1
President’s
Message
2
Editor’s Message
3
NWFPA—What’s in
it for me?
8
Grammar Gurus
10
Did You Know
12
NWFPA Member &
Team Spotlight
14
In Summary
16
Member Activities
18
Hear Ye, Hear He!
21
Who says being a student is all
work and no fun? Student membership within the NWFPA is a great start
to adding fun into your life as a student. Whether it is your first semester
or last semester at school, NWFPA
Student Membership offers plenty of
fun time while providing a great return from your annual membership
investment. If you are considering
membership
with
NWPFA or you are
currently a student
member, let’s examine how you can reap
the
benefits
to
NWF P A
Stud en t
Membership.
B Become acquainted with NWFPA
E Establish a network amongst seasoned paralegals
N No commitment with attendance
to meetings
E
Easy access to Q & A Forum
F
Fun and relaxing atmosphere
I
Investing in your career
T
Talk to Mentors in your profession
S
Scholarship program
Student membership is open to any
student who is actively enrolled in good
standing in a paralegal program at any college, junior college, university, or other
school, which school and program is:
(a) ABA approved, or
(b) Institutionally accredited and
requires not less than the equivalent of 60 semester hours of
classroom study, and who
submits an attestation
signed by a professor or administrator of such program
attesting to such enrollment
See §5.4, Qualifications for
Student- Members, of the
NWFPA By-Laws.
Because NWFPA can empathize
with students being on a strict schedule
and budget, NWPFA has taken steps to
ensure student membership provides a
great return on its annual membership
dues of $25.00. By providing an atmosphere more open to having fun rather
than an undertaking of an extra commitment, the Association provides many benefits for your low cost annual dues.
Fun begins with becoming acquainted with NWFPA and all it has to offer students. NWFPA provides monthly meetings to all its members, including student
members. By providing a fun and exciting atmosphere, student members sit
Continued on Page 4
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Spring 2014
President’s Message . . . Caroline Peterson, RN, FRP
It’s hard to believe that it is already April 2014. This is typically a
very busy time personally and professionally as we wind down the school
year and start up the summer. NWFPA has been very busy too! I would
like to thank those of you who donated to LeapPlay as we were able to provide necessary supplies to help stock the Children’s Room at Sacred Heart
Hospital. The Charity Team is working with Manna on a summer food drive
to begin in May and end with our June meeting. They are also working with
United Way to help “Cram the Van” to assist local school children in starting
their school year out with the supplies they need to be successful. Speaking of success, the Team is also working on a Fall Professional Clothing
Drive. So as you do your spring cleaning please put aside some items to
help local organizations help other women (and men) make a professional
start.
We have made some changes to the NWFPA website, some have
been favorable and others have not. We appreciate everyone who voiced
an opinion at the business meeting. It was great to get that feedback and
just what we need to continue to meet the needs of our association and
community.
“ I would like to
thank those of
you who donated
to LeapPlay…”
I hope everyone has a lovely spring!
UPCOMING COURT HOLIDAYS
Friday, April 18, 2014—Good Friday Holiday
Monday, May 26, 2014—Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, July 4, 2014—Independence Day Holiday
Farewell Dana!
Northwest Florida Paralegal Association
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Spring 2014
Message from the Editor . . . Jenice C. Jones, CP, FRP
Welcome spring! I am certainly enjoying this milder weather and
sunshine! In this issue of the newsletter our main focus is on
NWPA membership. You may note a common theme of “What’s
in it for you” and “What’s in it for me?” I want to thank Newsletter
Team members, Taxie Lambert and Sylvia Jarrett, for preparing
our lead article focusing on student and remote membership.
Great job Ladies! I also want to thank NWFPA members, Debra
Bass and April Swift, for their submissions regarding NWFPA
membership and E-Filing, respectively. We truly appreciate each
of you for taking the time to prepare these wonderful articles for
our newsletter. We are also continuing with our spotlight on an
active member, student member, remote member and NWFPA
Team. We hope everyone is enjoying this new feature, and we
may be contacting you to feature your profile in the next edition!
Have a safe and happy spring everyone!
Spring has
sprung!
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NWFPA Student & Remote Membership—What’s in it for you? - Continued
amongst seasoned paralegals while collaborating over lunch and listening to various guest speakers
throughout the year. The best thing about these meetings is there isn’t any pressure from the Association in regard to attendance and even better, the student member receives a discounted lunch rate. The
student picks and chooses which meeting to attend by simply responding to the monthly invitation.
While the monthly meetings are a great return on your membership investment, through networking amongst seasoned paralegals, this type of formal setting and structured meeting times might conflict with your strict schedule or limited funds. If that is the case, students should consider joining any
of the several committees sponsored by NWFPA. Since most of these committees have been established for years, all the work in creating them has been provided from members in years past, thus, creating a fun yet informal setting to collaborate with future colleagues-including local attorneys (i.e., potential employers). The Association wants to ensure this extracurricular activity has a lasting impression, filled with fun and memorable events, therefore, students aren’t allowed to chair any committee.
The Association sees this as a time for students to develop skills and relationships within the law community, things not offered in the classroom.
In the upcoming weeks, NWFPA will launch a new question and answer forum for student members which will tie into the Mentor Program currently offered by NWFPA. This forum will provide a
means to communicate with seasoned paralegals for those questions you might be afraid of asking inside the classroom. Better yet, maybe you clearly want to understand how everything connects in the
real world. In addition to the forum, the Association offers students an opportunity to apply for the
NWFPA Student Liaison Committee Scholarship. Unlike the monthly meetings, committees or mentor
program, students don’t have to be a member of the association in order to apply for the scholarship.
However, since the scholarship is merit based driven, extra points are given to those student members
who are actively on the membership roster, providing another great investment return from student
membership.
Because there isn’t any pressure to attend monthly meetings or to serve as a committee leader,
students are encouraged to come and mingle with future colleagues. Whether it’s by electronic or inperson communication, NWFPA has you covered when reaping the most from your student membership. Never during a student’s college experience will a student have the opportunity to have as many
seasoned paralegals at their disposal. Your membership investment of $25.00 annually has the potential to provide you with a huge investment return, both professionally and financially.
NOW
Let’s CHEER for our “Remote Members!”
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NWFPA Student & Remote Membership—What’s in it for you? - Continued
What are some of the benefits of R E M O T E Membership?
R
E
M
O
T
E
Real time attendance at seminars
Educational opportunities
Membership in a great association
Opportunity to Network
Time saving
Engage with others!
In 2011, NWFPA began experimenting with providing remote access to their luncheon meetings to allow paralegals that lived too far to travel to the meetings and/or were located or working in
an area that did not have an active paralegal association. Working through technical problems with
the assistance of some “computer savvy” paralegals and others who assisted the association,
NWFPA developed and maintains a real-time webcast of their monthly meetings. These webcasts
even allow remote viewers to ask questions and participate at the end of the speaker’s presentation.
“Remote members” have ALL of the benefits of active members except for the following:
They
They
They
may not vote as can active members;
may not be committee chair persons (but can serve on committees); and
may not be elected as an Officer of the Executive Committee.
See §5.6, Qualifications for Remote Members, of the NWFPA By-Laws.
One of our remote members, Dena Powell, who has worked for many years at a law firm in
Panama City, shared that remote membership has provided her access to CLE credits in order to fulfill her CLE requirements to maintain the Florida Registered Paralegal designation. Dena has not only participated as a remote member, by has become involved in NWFPA by volunteering and serving
on the NWFPA FRP Committee and attended the Florida Bar FRP committee meeting in Orlando two
years ago. She is also pleased with the networking with other legal assistants in the Panhandle and
through her work with the NWFPA FRP Committee in Orlando. Dena is a great example of our
“remote membership” in action. She stated, “With a little effort, a remote member can make a big
difference in their community.”
Another former active member and President of NWFPA, Dana Martinez-Jones, moved even
further away from the Pensacola area, but remains a remote member. When Dana was here, she
was always busy in the association and championed our association to others. Despite her distance
from our area, she maintains her membership and is pleased that it allows her to keep up with
NWFPA’s progress, the friends and colleagues she met and worked with while in Pensacola, and allows her to “get CLE credits from the convenience of my desk at work.” She further stated that technically, the remote broadcasts of the monthly meetings have improved with less problems and glitches in the quality. Dana said, “Just because we are attending remotely does not mean that we cannot
contribute and/or participate in some fashion. I will continue to remain a remote member and am
appreciative of the opportunity and advances of doing so.”
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NWFPA Student & Remote Membership—What’s in it for you? —Continued
Several other remote members were contacted to discuss the pros and cons of remote membership and following are some of their comments:
Merry Beth Andrews works in the Santa Rosa County Attorneys’ office in Milton. She is very happy to be a remote member as it allows her to attend seminars and obtain CLE credit from her desk.
Because of the approximate one hour round trip from Milton to the meetings, she couldn’t be away
from her work for two hours or more. She enjoys most of the speakers, but would like to see topics
that include administrative law, real estate, and some other topics. She is also participating as a remote member on the FRP Committee.
Dolores Coleman of the Pittman Firm in Panama City, Florida, is also very happy to be able to
obtain CLE credits for FRP designation. She is happy with the quality of the webcast and the speakers.
Because there are few opportunities for seminars in her immediate area, it is a great benefit to be able
to obtain CLE credits without spending money and time to travel to Pensacola, Tallahassee or central
Florida.
We also received comments from Donna Bryant who works at a law firm in Navarre. Although
she has signed up as a remote member, she has not yet attended a meeting remotely. I reminded her
that not only could she attend remotely, she can participate and join committees as a remote member.
She is now a new contact for me as I am for her. You never know when you may need to network with
others in our field!
In closing, let’s give a shout out and a cheer to our remote members and make them feel welcome!
Why don’t you share NWFPA with others that you come in contact with that might fit in the category as a remote user, i.e., those who meet requirements of active membership and work outside the
fifteen (15) mile radius of the monthly meetings!
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LAW WEEK 2014
The theme for Law Day 2014 is:
American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters
Our local Law Day Luncheon will be held Thursday, May 1, 2014
at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom
Guest Speaker: David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections for Escambia County
Admission: $20.00
Contact the Bar office at 434-8135 or [email protected] for reservations
NWFPA is again partnering with the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association to sponsor an
essay contest for local 11th and 12th grade students. Look for the winner’s picture and
essay to be featured in our next newsletter!
Other local Law Week activities:
Church Service, Sunday, April 27, 2014. Location: East Brent Baptist Church.
Judicial Reception, Thursday, May 1, 2014. Location: Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel
Annual Free Legal Clinic. Saturday, May 3, 2014. Location: St. Sylvester’s Church, Navarre, FL
The NWFPA Law Week Team will be seeking volunteers from our association to assist with the Free Legal Clinic so if you can help out please let
them know!
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What’s in it for me?
By Debra H. Bass, FRP
What's in it for me? That seems to be the prevailing attitude these days. The current generation has been raised on a total sense of fair play, taken to the extreme. There are no winners and
losers, only winners. Everyone gets a trophy. The "what's in it for me" attitude is also prevalent in
church and civic groups. This becomes more and more evident by observing the dynamics of these
groups.
For members of the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association ("NWFPA"), here is “what’s in it
for you”. NWFPA is a not for profit association specifically for paralegals and students studying to become paralegals in the northwest Florida area, although the membership does have a few members
outside of the state. There are currently 119 members and student members in NWFPA. NWFPA is
run by its Board, consisting of a President, First and Second Vice Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer,
a Parliamentarian and a National Association of Legal Assistants ("NALA") Liaison. The Board meets
once a month and follows the fundamental core principles set out in the Bylaws and Policy Manual of
NWFPA. They also address member concerns and work with Team Leaders on several philanthropic
events that NWFPA holds throughout the year to benefit local charities. Each officer has a specific
role that they work on accomplishing throughout the year for the benefit of its members and the Association as a whole. Officers are elected in September of every year.
NWFPA also has several "Teams" that consist of a Team Leader and Team Members, who
work to affect the goals of NWPFA, most of which specifically benefit the membership.
Four of the seven Board members have been on the Board in some capacity at least four
years. The nominations team struggles every year to have enough members agree to be on the ballot to serve on the Board. Team leaders (most of which are also Board members) struggle to sign up
members to serve as Team Members. Yet, those Board members and Team Leaders serve in their
capacity because they want to give back to NWFPA the way that past leaders gave to them before
they got involved.
The NWFPA membership meets once a month for a luncheon meeting. Most of the meetings
have a speaker, (arranged for by the First Vice President) that speak on a topic related to the legal
field. This allows each member to obtain certified legal education ("CLE") credits that can be used to
satisfy either NALA requirements for Certified Paralegals and/or The Florida Bar requirements for
Florida Registered Paralegals. Three months out of the year the NWFPA Bylaws require a memberNorthwest Florida Paralegal Association
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What’s in it for me? - Continued
ship meeting that is used to discuss and sometimes vote on business that has come before the Board.
In December each year, NWFPA, through the efforts of the Christmas Team, holds an auction, and the
monies raised by the auction benefit the Children's Services Center.
All of the Board members, Team Leaders and Team Members have full time jobs and families,
and are dedicated individuals that have the desire and drive to make NWFPA grow and become better
for its members. They are doing an incredible job for the membership of NWFPA.
It is time for our members to be proud of being a member of such a wonderful, diverse and
unique group of individuals that share a common goal of becoming the best paralegals they can be. It
is time to stand up and be heard, to set goals and work toward those goals with other like-minded paralegals and volunteer to be a Team Member, or better yet, gain experience by serving at least one year
as an Officer on the Board. This allows you to get to know your fellow Board members and learn the
inner workings of NWFPA. It is time to recognize that by only reaping the benefits of membership and
not giving back, we will lose our drive and ambition to want to make NWFPA the best paralegal association in the State of Florida, better yet, in the nation. All it takes is a little time and effort to start and I
guarantee you will most certainly feel like you are investing in your future as a paralegal by making
NWFPA a better association for everyone. And that’s the bottom line.
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GRAMMAR GURUS
Modern Grammar & Punctuation
By Elizabeth Crane, ACP, FRP
Grammar and punctuation—those annoying, miniscule
technicalities that we thought would no longer apply after
grade school are unfortunately a daily part of a paralegal’s
life. Proper grammar and punctuation are essential elements
of an effective and efficient writing style.
Apathetic grammar and punctuation make documents
difficult to read and can lead to misunderstandings. In the
document-intensive legal profession, many of us rely on skimreading (speed reading) to make it through the large volume
of documents going in and out of our offices on a daily basis. A well-written and well-organized
document is much easier to skim-read than one full of errors and careless linguistic mistakes.
In this fast-paced, tech-savvy world with a variety of instant resources at your fingertips, modern business writings are evolving. Here are a few changes taking place, and how to stay current:
1. Your document must be visually engaging. Before a single word is read, the document must look well-organized, clean, and smart. Everyone is busy and overscheduled, and if your document looks like a mess—it will get pushed aside. The modern
business writing trend is minimalism—the reader should have to do minimal work to
determine the layout and content of your document.
2. Bullet lists. The outdated way of writing bulleted lists was to use semi-colons after each
point. The second-to-last point had a semi-colon plus ‘and,’ and the final point ended with a
period. Modern business writers are mostly using two layouts: (1) full sentence lists, using
normal sentence punctuation; or (2) sentence fragments relating to a main statement without any requisite punctuation.
3. Spaces between sentences. The current trend is to have one space between sentences, not
two. The use of two spaces dates back to typewriter days.
4. Sentence case for headings. In the past, all important words in titles and headings began
with capital letters. While we still use this style for book titles (such as “Paralegal Today”),
for headings and subheadings in business writings, the modern approach is sentence form
(i.e., an initial capital at the beginning and for proper nouns). This style has the advantage
that you no longer have to worry about what is an “important” word.
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GRAMMAR GURUS—Continued
5. The Oxford comma. Also called the “serial comma,” is probably one of the most debated
punctuation rules. There have been rumors circulating for the past few years that Oxford
had dumped its Oxford comma. For now, the Oxford comma is still technically a valid rule,
although now it is “optional” according to www.oxforddictionaries.com.
6. Instant Grammar Check. Yes, you read that correctly. There is now a website where you can
copy and paste your document, and have it instantly proofread! Check out Grammarly, The
World’s Best Grammar Checker, at www.grammarly.com. While it’s a bit on the pricey side
for a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription, for those who are grammatically deficient,
this is a great option.
As writing styles continue to evolve, whichever grammatical and punctuation rules you
choose to follow, be sure to stay consistent within your individual writings. And, always proofread your work.
__________________________________
References:
Sterbenz, Christina (Sept. 12, 2013). The 11 Most Common Grammatical Mistakes and How to Avoid
Them. http://www.businessinsider.com/11-common-grammatical-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them2013-9
Styles in Modern Business Writing. http://www.onlinegrammar.com.au/styles-in-modern-businesswriting/
Why Modern Grammar is Important to Business. http://www.illumine.co.uk/blog/2012/02/whymodern-grammar-is-important-to-businesses/
How many of our eagle-eyed readers caught the typo on page 10?
We included this to stress the importance of proofreading.
Even a simple typographical error can be missed!
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DID YOU KNOW?
E-Filing – The Ever Evolving System
By April L. Swift
The e-Portal system is evolving as developers of the e-filing system have been listening to the
input received from within the legal community. The file size of a document remains a very important issue and it can now be seen once you have uploaded the file to the portal. E-service is now
available through the portal as those rules evolve. Judges and the courtrooms are evolving to meet
the demand of a technology savvy legal system as well. E-filing for Criminal Division is now mandatory as the final divisions of the Court are coming on board with the e-filing system. While many become frustrated with the changes and updates to the system, most of these changes are for the better such as the addition of a memo line for the filer’s reference.
The file size requirement for all documents filed through the e-portal system is 25MB or
smaller. A new feature was added to the portal that allows the viewer to see the file size once the
document is uploaded to the portal. It is important to check this file size to ensure it is 25MB or
smaller before submitting the document through the portal. The Clerk explained the rejection process for the size does not happen automatically but rather is processed by the clerk. The portal is
like a funnel, if it is clogged up with an oversized file it will stop all other filings from going through
until someone manually kicks that oversized file out of the portal thus holding up everyone else’s
filing. The Court has asked that you please pay special attention to your file sizes to avoid this bottleneck in the E-Portal System.
Pursuant to Florida Supreme Court’s amendment to the Rules of Judicial Administration on
November 14, 2013, after verifying that the Portal uses the names and e-mail addresses provided by
the parties, a filer can serve the document through the Portal – Rule 2.516(b)(1). However, Rule
2.516(f) which is often overlooked requires that the certificate of service include the name, addresses used for service, and mailing addresses of the recipients even though it is being served via email.
While Rule 2.516(b)(1)(D)(i) states that “service is complete on the date the served document is
electronically filed” if the e-mail is sent by the Portal, it is important to remember that pursuant to
Rule 2.516(b)(1)(iii) the e-mail service is still “treated as service by mail for the computation of
time.” Service by Other Means may be required if the attorney desires to provide a shorter response
time as Rule 2.516(b)(2) sets forth “the computation of time for any response to the served document shall be based on the method of service that provides the shortest response time.”
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DID YOU KNOW? (continued)
The Courts are making internal changes to help the Judges view the pleadings electronically,
sign orders electronically and make edits to documents submitted through the portal. This “Judicial
View” is completed and in place in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. Court administration is
currently working on Escambia County with a target completion date of April 2014. Once Escambia
County is completed, the focus will be to get Walton County’s Judicial View up and running. Remember
to leave enough room for the Judge’s electronic signature block on any orders submitted to the Court.
In the past, Santa Rosa County’s signature block for the Judge’s signature including date and time
stamp was very small and hard to read but has since been made larger. The Courtrooms are also becoming more technology savvy. The target date for 2 of the 3 Escambia County courtrooms to have full
technology hook up where you will be able to bring in your tablet or laptop and plug right into the Courtroom is December 2014.
E-filing became mandatory for Criminal Division as of February 3, 2014. It is important to keep
in mind that this system is only as fast as the individuals accepting the pleadings on the Courts end of
the files. Just as in the past the filings are worked by the Clerk’s office in the order they are received.
Depending on the division and how busy they are, it takes up to a week for an e-portal filing to be processed. Thus, especially in Criminal, if you file a notice of appearance the night before arraignment,
the Judge will not have it at arraignment AND the attorney will need to appear in Court at arraignment.
Clerk’s offices are advising filing documents at least three (3) days in advance of the arraignment or
hearing OR showing up in Court. Also, make sure your email address and any secondary address is in
the signature block of EVERY pleading. This not only helps the public defender’s office but is required
under Fla. R. Jud. Proc. 2.515(a).
As the portal evolves and moves to a system where even pro-se litigants can e-file documents, it
will be a system that requires its users to change and adapt. Filers must be aware of the changes in
judicial rules and the requirements of the system. The Judges and court administration will be learning
new systems as technology comes to the courtrooms. Criminal attorneys are now on board with required e-filing and the state attorney’s office and public defender’s office are making the changes to
have that system work to their benefit. So while the technological changes to the legal field can be
frustrating for some, the plan is that ultimately these changes will improve the legal system in Florida.
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NWFPA MEMBER & TEAM SPOTLIGHT— By Caroline Peterson, RN, FRP & Jenice C. Jones, CP, FRP
NAME: Jodi McArthur
FIRM: Beggs & Lane, attorney Russell Van Sickle
ACTIVE MEMBER
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A PARALEGAL: Probably learning something new every day. I
love my job. I do a lot of fact finding. Interviewing client, witnesses, etc. and looking at their docs to
find what we need to prove our case is something I really enjoy.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION: Being a part of an organization that really helps
the community.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR PERSONALLY & PROFESSIONALLY: Personally –
plan a wedding, paint my house, grow great grass, plant a veggie garden, teach my kids to drive and
drum roll please…Win the lottery!! - Professionally – Bill more hours and take the CP test.
PERSONAL: I’m engaged to the most wonderful man ever. We’re planning a wedding. We just don’t
have a date yet. I do have children. My daughter, Tori (18) is in college. My son, Trenton (17) is still
in high school. I have two Shih Tzus, Max and Sebastian. I enjoy working in the yard, scrapbooking,
interior decorating, gardening, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends.
NWFPA LAW WEEK TEAM
CHAIR: Jodi McArthur
MEMBERS: Krisi Porter, Julie Riseau
OVERVIEW: . Law Day was first celebrated in 1958 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Proclamation establishing Law Day. The Law Week Team tries to keep the original goal of Law Day in mind
when they are planning the events which is “a day of national dedication to the principles of governmental law.” This year’s theme is “Why every vote matters.” The luncheon will be held on May 1 st
and our keynote speaker is David Stafford, the supervisor of Elections for Escambia County. The annual Free Clinic will be held on May 3rd from 9 am to 12 pm at St. Sylvester’s Church in Navarre. The
charity for this year is “Back Pack Buddies” which helps local children who suffer from hunger have
meals when they are away from school.
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NWFPA MEMBER & TEAM SPOTLIGHT—(continued)
NAME: Sarah L. Olive-Smith
STUDENT MEMBER
SCHOOL: University of West
Florida majoring in Legal Studies. I will be graduating this August 2014.
AREA OF LAW: I am interested in Real Estate Law, Construction Law &
Commercial Law
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE PARALEGAL FIELD: I always knew I wanted to
do something associated with the law since it runs in my family. I want to
work as a paralegal to get some real world law firm experience before going
to law school. I want to go to either FSU or Georgetown. However, if I find
a Paralegal job that I love, working with people I love, I would stay in the
area and not go to law school.
PERSONAL: I am married and have one 10 year old son. My husband medically retired from the USAF
after receiving injuries while serving. We also have two Dachsunds, Sizzles & Sophie.
HOBBIES: I love reading, especially Stephen King. I am a closet gamer. I play more Minecraft than I
should and spend too much time on Steam playing indie games. I am an antique hunter, and I have
a passion for Victorian furniture.
NAME: April Williams, CP
REMOTE MEMBER
FIRM: I am a corporate paralegal
for Yates Construction, Jackson, MS, one of the Top 10 largest construction
companies in the United States. Which is to be interpreted, I am a busy girl.
AREA OF LAW: Corporate and construction law.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A PARALEGAL: I love the variety
this career offers. For the most part, every day is different with new challenges and means of resolving those challenges. It allows you to be as creative and technical as you
choose to be, working toward the common goal of resolving a situation for your clients. The best part
of this job is that you get the see the end of a situation and/or case and move on from it.
PROFESSIONAL GOALS: Professional goals include getting my ACP certification. It’s on my “to-do”
list for now. Long, long term goals include law school…a bridge I may cross when my daughter has
gotten a bit older.
PERSONAL: I’m married to a wonderful, brilliant man, Johnathon, and we will be celebrating a nineyear anniversary next month. I have a soon-to-be-six-year-old daughter, Emily. My hobbies include
ballroom dancing, ballet, and snow skiing.
Page 15
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
IN SUMMARY—Highlights from NALA’S Facts & Findings
By: Dana Martinez-Jones, ACP
Almost everyone of one of us is, has in our family, or knows a veteran. Operation Enduring Freedom is in its 13th year and our society is seeing more and more veterans with every anniversary
of this “war”. This means there is an increasing need to understand the areas of law that affect
our veterans and how we, as paralegals, can make a difference in their world. The March/April
edition of Facts & Findings1 has devoted several sections to Military/Veteran’s Law. All of these
sections are educational and can be beneficial to know in our Northwest Florida area in which
several military bases are located. These “tidbits” allow paralegals an impetus to make a
change in a career or can even encourage volunteering and/or pro bono work.
Having been married to a soldier, now a veteran, for over 10 years, I learned some very interesting things from all the articles, but will focus on the one entitled “Complying with SCRA…
Defaulting a Servicemember”. I had always heard that if a service member was deployed, that
person could not be sued at all. Not quite so. Interestingly, the law to protect service members
from litigation while in service goes back to the Civil War Era and has evolved over the years.
The necessity for this law came about when it was noticed that some plaintiffs would use the
litigation process to their advantage when they believed the defendant could not defend himself. A complaint was filed and a default taken. This affected the service member detrimentally
and often served to negatively affect their performance in the defense of the Country. Thus,
during the Civil War a “total moratorium on civil actions” was put in place for Union soldiers, but
ended with the War. During World War I the moratorium was enacted as The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act, and eventually evolved into what we have today: The Servicemembers Civil
Relief Act (SCRA).
Although the SCRA is in place, there are varying circumstances in which a service member can
be sued. That being said, the plaintiff must exercise due diligence to prove to the court that the
defendant is not currently serving in the military. There is a database that can be used to ascertain a defendant’s status in that regard. If the service member is indeed in active status, whether or not the civil action can go forward will depend upon a number of criterions for a judge to
consider when ruling: Where is the defendant serving? Can he get leave? Does he have the
ability to appear through technological means? Does the service member’s Commanding Officer feel the participation in the civil matter would impede the service member’s ability to perform his duties while on active duty? If the service member is on active duty, a default judgment “may not” be entered against him without the court first appointing counsel for that service member – if a judge decides to allow the matter to go forward at all.
________________________________
1Waters, D., ACP. (2014). Complying with SCRA…Defaulting a Servicemember. Facts & Findings/The Magazine for Paralegals, Volume XL Issue 5,
pages 6-8.
Page 16
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
IN SUMMARY—(continued)
If the Court does enter a Default Judgment against a service member while he is on Active Duty, there are remedies. If the service member is unable to appear and the Court allows a default to be granted, under the SCRA, the service member can petition the Court to reopen the
default and give him the opportunity to fight it, but the service member must appeal to the
issuing court while he is on active duty or within 90 days after the duty ends. When making
this appeal the service member must show prejudice due to active duty service in the military.
The defaults are usually set aside when the service member is able to prove his circumstances.
Our military folks have already given, and do still give, so much to our Country, as do their
families. They should all find comfort in knowing that thanks to the SCRA there are limits on
how and when an active duty service member can have civil actions brought against them.
And, thanks to articles such as this in NALA’s Facts & Findings, we, as paralegals, can use this
information to help us to serve those veterans we know and/or love.
There was so much more to be learned from this edition of Facts & Findings so as to be helpful to our veterans or active military. In fact, these bi-monthly journals for paralegals are
chock–full of tips and information to help us to improve our paralegal careers and be helpful
to others. One of the perks of being an NWFPA member is that since the NWFPA is an Affiliated Association of NALA, any NWFPA member who is not a NALA member has the opportunity
to subscribe to this great magazine for a discounted rate. The Facts & Findings, coupled with
our NWFPA’s exceptional newsletter, puts us on this road to improvement.
From the March/April 2014 Issue of
Page 17
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
MEMBER ACTIVITIES—PRESENTATION OF CHECK TO CHILDREN’S SERVICES CENTER
At the February membership meeting a check for $4,119.50 was
presented to the Pensacola Children’s Services Center.
CHARITY TEAM UPDATE
As a result of the NWFPA’s one-time drive to benefit LeapPlay, on March 25, 2014, NWFPA members donated a box of toys, coloring books, art supplies, etc. for the new Children’s Room at Sacred
Heart, along with a $500 donation from James Wilson and Joseph Wilson, attorneys at Wilson, Harrell, Farington, Ford, Wilson, Spain and Parsons.
KUDOS TO THE CHARITY TEAM!
Page 18
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
Click on the course name for a course description, registration, and speaker bio information.
Day and Time
LIVE! Course
Category
Central Time
April 2014
Patent Prosecution
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Noon – 2 pm
J. Nevin Shaffer, Jr., P.A.
General CLE
Intermediate
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Advanced Ethics
Vicki Voisin, ACP
General CLE
Advanced; Ethics
Friday, April 11, 2014
11 am – 1 pm
Judgment and Legal Analysis
Virginia Koerselman Newman, Attorney
Certified Paralegal Exam
Review
Monday, April 14, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Advances in Courtroom Technology
Rebecca E. Patty, JD
General CLE
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
3 – 5 pm
Civil Litigation: Part II
Karen Sanders-West, ACP, JD
Review
Noon – 1:30 pm
Commercial Real Estate Closings
Eva M. Merrell, ACP
General CLE
Intermediate
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Noon – 2 pm
Trademark Prosecution
Deborah A. Hampton
General CLE
3 – 5 pm
Civil Litigation: Part III
Review
Monday, April 28, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Legal Writing: You are Only as Good as
Your Mistakes
General CLE
11 am – 12:30 pm
Basic Business Organizations
Kelly A. LaGrave, ACP
Review
3 – 5 pm
American Legal System: Part 1
Review
Noon – 1:30 pm
Social Media Outlets: How to Access Information, Prepare Subpoenas and What
To Ask For
Joseph Caruso
General CLE
Page 19
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
Click on the course name for a course description, registration, and speaker bio information.
Day and Time
LIVE! Course
Category
Central Time
May 2014
Tuesday, May 1, 2014
3 – 5 pm
Friday, May 2, 2014
11 am – 1 pm
Monday, May 5, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
American Legal System: Part 2
Legal Research
Virginia Koerselman Newman, Attorney
General CLE
Whose Cloud is it Anyway
Joseph Caruso
Ethics and Technology
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Vicki Voisin, ACP
Friday, May 9, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Friday, May 16, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Review
State and Federal Administrative Law
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Noon – 1:30 pm
Review
iPad for Paralegals
Christina L. Koch, ACP
General CLE
General CLE
Ethics
General CLE
Essential Spanish for Paralegals
General CLE
Carla M. Valenzuela, CP
Using Paralegals as Jury Consultants
General CLE
Mary Kubichek, JD
Page 20
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
Hear ye, hear ye….
*NWFPA MANNA FOOD DRIVE*
*2014 NALA CONVENTION*
July 23-25, 2014
Charleston, South Carolina
Make your plans to attend now as
our own Kris Hill & Lydia Brackett
will be presenting “Power Up! How
to Boost Your Brain Power” at the
NALA Member Exchange at the
convention.
Go to www.nala.org for registration
information.
NWFPA will be kicking off the Manna Food Drive at
the April 22, 2014 meeting to ensure the Manna
pantry is well stocked for the summer. The drive
will conclude at the May 27, 2014 meeting. Manna will be delivering the food drive barrels to firms
the week of April 21. If you would like to arrange
delivery of a food drive barrel, please email Regina
Vino at [email protected]. Manna will
pick up the barrels from your firm the week of May
18.
For those members who would like to participate
in the food drive but do not want a barrel, please
bring all donations to the meeting on May 19,
2014. The Manna food truck will be there at the
May meeting to accept donations.
LAW WEEK—CHARITY
Each year the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association picks a charity to assist during Law Week. The charity
chosen this year is “Back Pack Buddies”. NWFPA will be assisting the First Baptist Church, “Back Pack Buddies” with C.A. Weis Elementary School. First Baptist Church has identified 350 children who suffer from hunger. These children are in the free and reduced breakfast and lunch program and for the most part, this is
their only meal. Back Pack Buddies is a program that sends these kids home with a back pack full of food
and snacks for the weekend. Back Packs are collected on Mondays and filled again for delivery the following
Friday. On Friday, May 2, 2014 NWFPA and ESRBA volunteers will assist filling and delivering the back packs.
If you are interested in volunteering for this worthy cause please contact Jodi McArthur ([email protected]),
Law Week Team Chair for more information.
Inspiration
“Always bear in mind that your resolution to success is more important than any other thing.”
Page 21
Volume 4, Issue 4
ParaLegal News
Fall 2013
NWFPA Executive Committee 2013-2014
President:
Caroline Peterson, RN, FRP
[email protected]
1st Vice-President:
Michael Hadley, CP
[email protected]
2nd Vice-President:
Jenice C. Jones, CP, FRP
[email protected]
Secretary:
Deborah Kay Johnson, CLA
[email protected]
Treasurer:
April Swift, FRP
[email protected]
Parliamentarian:
Sharon McCaul, CP
[email protected]
NALA Liaison:
Kristine M. Hill, ACP, FRP
[email protected]
NWFPA Mission Statement
The Northwest Florida Paralegal Association is dedicated to
encouraging the ethical and professional growth of paralegals in the northwest Florida area by providing continuing
education to members of the paralegal profession; by
providing a venue for members to interact with other members of the legal community; and by supporting and carrying
out the programs, purposes, aims and goals of the National
Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.
Northwest Florida
Paralegal Association
P.O. Box 1333
Pensacola, FL 32591-1333
www.nwfpa.com
Follow us on:
Newsletter Committee:
Jenice C. Jones, Chair/Editor
[email protected]
Elizabeth Crane
Sylvia Jarrett
Caroline Peterson
Dana Martinez-Jones
Taxie Lambert
Tracey Parker
Regina Vino, Proofreader
Page 22

NWFPA STUDENT AND REMOTE MEMBERSHP

Transcription

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