NEWS & NOTES
GREATER APPALACHIA PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION (GAPA)
Submitted by: Barbie Mullins
GAPA is still in the beginning stages of its development and we are continuing to solicit membership!! We currently have 14 members. If you know of anyone in the GAPA area, please give them the great news about having a local association and what great benefits that it will be in their professional lives.
GREATER LEXINGTON PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION (GLPA)
Submitted by: Vicki B. Howard
The GLPA currently has 93 members total, with hopes of increasing the number by the end of the year. The Board has set several goals this year that we are working steadily to accomplish, and some have already been met!
The Spring Seminar at Sullivan was a great success and had such wonderful feedback that a seminar at EKU is planned for the fall. There is also a tentative Summation seminar planned, but details still need to be worked out – this will likely be held at Sullivan.
The GLPA hosted a logo contest and the new logo was unveiled at the Anniversary Luncheon held at Sal’s July 12th. Items with the new logo will be available in the near future. An Anne Klein suit was raffled and Terri Marksbury of Fowler, Measle and Bell was the winner. Congrats to Terri!!
Andrea Shindlebower was appointed as the NFPA Representative, along with Glenna Fuggazi. Andrea assumed the position after Mackinnon Butler resigned. Both NFPA Representatives and the President, Helen Kelly and Vice President, Nichole Talbert, will be attending NFPA’s National Conference in Tampa later this year.
A Clothing Bank was discussed earlier in the year, to be held in the fall. We currently have 15 very nice suits that have been donated and hope that membership will continue to promote this worthy endeavor. The goal is to assist women who are entering or returning to work with a few wardrobe pieces for interviews. Members will also be on-hand to assist with interview tips and resume advice.
Lee Williams, the GLPA’s Student Relations Chair and a mother of a son who is currently deployed with the Navy, reported that Legal Assistant Today will be doing an article on the Legalman Project and the Greater Lexington Paralegal Association. You can see an article Lee has already published in the Richmond Register in this issue of the newsletter.
The GLPA held a membership social and 21 people attended. Everyone was in good spirits and another event is being considered for the fall. Details will follow once the event is planned.
The Policies & Procedures sub-committee has been meeting throughout the year and will soon be presenting the revisions to the By-Laws and Chair positions to Board members. This includes the criteria for membership, which is being reassessed. This will be presented to membership to vote on later in the year, but before out last membership luncheon.
Mary McKay, NFPA Region 3 Director will be speaking at the GLPA’s monthly CLE meeting in August and a fashion show is planned for September.
It’s a great time to be involved in the GLPA and there are several walks and upcoming events, so please join us!
LOUISVILLE ASSOCIATION OF PARALEGALS (LAP)
Submitted by: Sandi Preston
The LAP has been busy during the spring and summer months. Many opportunities have been offered and taken advantage of by the membership.
Program Committee:
The February 22nd program held at the Jefferson Club was very interesting. Paul Freibert of the Metro Health Department discussed disaster preparedness in case of a Bird Flu Pandemic. There were many questions from the audience and Mr. Freibert was helpful in stopping possible misconceptions.
The Program Luncheon meeting held on April 19th, was attended by approximately 60 members. The speaker was Kim Greene, of Counsel with Dinsmore & Schol, LLP, and a Dream Tender. The topic was: “Understanding Your Dreams to Lead a Balanced Life.”
Civil Interest and Promotion Committee (CIPS):
On March 18th, members volunteered at the annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation event held at 4th Street Live in downtown Louisville. St. Baldrick’s began as a casual conversation between friends and has exploded into the world’s biggest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer! Events have taken place in 10 countries and 2 U.S. States, raising over $20 million, and shaving more than 26,000 heads!
Several members volunteered on behalf of the LAP with the Kentucky Derby Festival. They assisted in preparing for the “They’re Off Luncheon,” held on Thursday, April 19th. This event is the first of the official Derby festivities.
Dinner was prepared and served at the Ronald McDonald House on Monday, May 14th. This is always a very rewarding experience.
The LAP continues to assist in preparing lunch for the homeless at the Cathedral of the Assumption every second Wednesday of the month.
Michelle Clark, Chair of this Committee, encouraged everyone to participate in at least one activity next year.
Education Committee:
An Education session was held on Tuesday, May 8th. Lisa Lang, Esq. of Woodward Hobson & Fulton and Andy Bocc, PhD of AC Forensics, a computer forensics firm, gave a presentation on “E-Discovery and Computer Forensics.” Approximately 63 members attended.
Newsletter and Technology Committee:
We would like to give a big “Thank You” to Janet Fiandaca and Denise Cunningham for their hard work on our Newsletter. Janet has accomplished getting the newsletter on our website for members to view and print. That section of the website is password-protected, so only members are able to access it. An email will be sent notifying everyone of the change and allowing the option of still receiving an original if they wish.
Scholarship Committee:
A Resolution was adopted, changing the name of the LAP Scholarship to “THE LINDA K. HILLERICH SCHOLARSHIP.” Linda, who died suddenly on January 4, 2007, was a highly respected paralegal throughout the legal community for 18 years. Linda was a LAP member for many years, having served on numerous committees, and was past President for the 2005-2006 Term. She worked hard and truly cared for the paralegal profession. We thought it fitting to change the name of the scholarship for future paralegals as an honor to her.
The scholarship winners for this year were recognized and presented their checks at the July 12th membership luncheon. The winners were Elissa Miller, Sullivan University, Carrie Davis, Sullivan University and Joyce Tench from the University of Louisville. All three winners had a 4.0 grade average.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF PARALEGALS (NKAP)
Submitted by: Dianne Kuhnell
News from the North – The focus of the Northern Kentucky Association of Paralegals for the past many months has been on coordinating and organizing everything for the KPA Annual Conference in November. We are small in membership, but all our members are contributing to the conference committee. We are getting ready for everyone to “COME ON UP” to Northern Kentucky in the fall!!!
Several of our members are students and/or graduates of the Beckfield College paralegal program and several other members serve on their advisory board. Our members have recently been excited about presenting such topics as extern preparation techniques and legal software usage to the students.
DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NOVEMBER 9TH, AND JOIN US FOR THE 2007 KPA CONFERENCE IN BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN KENTUCKY!!!
WESTERN KENTUCKY PARALEGALS (WKP)
Submitted by: Kathy Grentzer
The topic of WKP's February meeting was Insurance Subrogation with attorney Craig Housman speaking. Nursing home items were collected for the community service project. The March meeting focused on children, with the Graves County Child Advocacy Program director speaking, along with the sharing by one of our members of information regarding the choking game, which is currently affecting so many young people. We collected teddy bears and other stuffed animals for a local hospital. WKP's April meeting speaker was Marshall County Attorney Jeff Edwards who gave us a criminal update, along with information on the state VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) program.
Our annual meeting was May 4th in Paducah. Shirley Burgess, as education chair, was in charge of the meeting and put together a special program for our 15th anniversary. We had a really full day of seminar speakers, luncheon and honoring of our co-founders. Seminar topics included: Discovery A to Z by Paducah Attorney Rick Straub; Contracts – Do You Know What You're Signing by Murray Attorney Warren Hopkins; a legislative update by State Representative J. R. Gray from Benton; Spring Cleaning your Computer and also Wired vs. Wireless by KeeForce owner Terry McKee; and Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Update by Russ Claborn of the Bank of Benton.
Shirley gave a history of WKP and presented plaques to WKP's co-founders, Sonya Rambo, Julie Hunt and me (Allison Gregory was also a co-founder, but moved out of state several years ago). Shirley expressed our appreciation to our first supporters – the law firms of Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Russell (now Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub) and Charles A. Saladino. The Whitlow firm is the firm Sonya and I were with for many years and Charlie Saladino was Julie's employer (most of you know Charlie died in a car accident). Shirley invited my old boss, Tom Russell (now US District Court Judge) to have lunch with us and speak during the annual meeting portion. We had gift certificates for members with 15 or more hours of CLE during the year, and as usual, lots of door prizes. We had really good comments on our evaluation forms. Shirley did a great job and we appreciate all her hard work. A special thanks goes to her boss, Warren Hopkins, as well. He has been our biggest supporter this year.
Our new officers are: President Angie Dixon (Benton), Vice President Jimmelyn West (Benton), President-Elect Lori Roberts (Murray), Secretary Joan Hobgood (Madisonville), Treasurer Shirley Burgess (Murray), NALA Liaison Julie Franklin (Madisonville). I will remain as KPA Liaison for the remainder of the KPA year and also serve as Past President and community service chair.
Our June meeting speaker was Attorney Bob Prince from Benton on bad faith claims. Our July meeting speaker was Attorney Rodger Lofton on workers' compensation. In July, we collected school supplies for local schools. We will also continue throughout the year our collection of cell phones for domestic violence victims.