january 2012 pipeline

Brevard Paralegal Association Chapter

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc.

Let’s start the new year with a good sense of humor: “Diet to Start the New Year. This is a specially formulated diet designed to help WOMEN cope with the stress that builds during the day. I have found that this really works!!

BREAKFAST 1 Grapefruit 1 slice whole wheat toast 1 cup skim milk LUNCH 1 small portion lean, steamed chicken with a cup of spinach 1 cup herbal tea 1 Penguin Biscuit AFTERNOON TEA The rest of the Penguins from the packet 1 tub of Gino Ginelli ice cream with chocolate topping

January 2012

President’s Message I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

The Paralegal Pipeline

Technology Seminar Update 2

FRP Corner 2

Scholarship News 2

TAC Seminar 2

Speaker’s Bio 3

BCC Paralegal Program 3

2011-12 Board Listing 4

News/Mugshots 5

Sponsors 4, 6, 8

Community Service 7

Correspondence 9-10

New Year’s Day

January 1st

Inspiring professional growth…one paralegal at a time

DINNER 4 bottles of wine (red or white) 2 loaves garlic bread 1 family size Supreme pizza 3 snickers bars LATE NIGHT SNACK 1 whole cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer) FINALLY REMEMBER: “Stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”. Send this to four women and you will lose 2 kilograms. Send this to all the women you know (or ever knew) and you will lose 10 kilograms. If you delete this message you will gain 10 kilograms.” http://www.guy-sports.com.

I would like to wish you a heartfelt and prosperous Happy New Year.

The Technical Advisory Committee for the Paralegal Program (BCC) will host its annual seminar on Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Brevard Community College, Melbourne Campus. Topic: “Social Media: The Collision of My Space, Your Space and The Work

Space”. BPA will be donating to an Active Member and a Student Member Scholarship for the seminar. Please see details on page 2.

Also, PAF will be having its Spring Seminar in June 2012 at the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza, Tampa, FL. This seminar is hosted by the PAF Hillsborough Chapter. BPA will be donating a scholarship to an Active Member at the meeting in March.

I look forward to seeing you at this month’s meeting on Thursday, January 12th at 6:00 pm where our guest speaker, attorney Charlie A. Thurston will speak on Practical Professionalism.

All the best,

Silvia

Brevard Community College – Paralegal Program – Seminar/CLE – “Social Media: The Collision of My Space, Your Space and The Work Space” The Technical Advisory Committee for the Paralegal Program will host its annual seminar on Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Brevard Community College, Melbourne Campus. Please mark your calendar now to join us for next year’s seminar. We are pleased to announce Louis Wilson, Esq., Ford & Harrison, LLP and Lanny Morris, ACEDS Executive Director, Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists as our speakers for these topics.

Registration forms will be available in future newsletters and at BPA meetings. Online registration will soon be available through Banner which can be accessed through the BCC website at www.bcctraining.com. The cost for the seminar is $25 for BCC students and $35 for all others. The course is pending approval from NALA for three or four hours of CLE.

For further information, watch this monthly column or contact Roma Molinaro at [email protected]. Technical Advisory Committee members are: Roma Molinaro, CP, FCP, FRP, Chair, Kim Dexter, ACP, FRP, Linda Ghirardelli, ACP, FRP, Roberta Reaume, CP, FCP, FRP, Jenny Lawton Seal, CP, FRP and Suzanne Mair, FRP.


Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 16th

BCS Championship Game January 9th

Florida Registered Paralegal

As a Florida Registered Paralegal, you may be eligible for affiliate membership in some sections of The Florida Bar. Check out the Bar’s website, www.floridabar.org to find specific information.

You could win! BPA will raffle the registration fee for the February TAC Seminar at this month’s meeting. Only those in attendance (Active or Student Members) will be eligible to win, so join us for our January meeting and get your raffle ticket at the door!

Kudos! BPA is pleased to announce the award of its 2011 Scholarship. Donna Johnson, who is currently enrolled in the paralegal program at BCC and is employed at Watson, Soileau, DeLeo, Burgett, Pickles & Baughan, PA, was awarded a $500 cash scholarship to continue her studies at BCC.

Brevard Community College – Paralegal Program Classes The 2012 Spring Semester on Brevard Community College’s Melbourne Campus class offerings are as follows: Introduction to the Legal System and Legal Research will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays. Law Office Procedures, Torts, Legal Writing, and Evidence will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. Real Estate Transactions, Introduction to the Legal System, and Civil Procedure will be offered in the evening. The on-line classes being offered in the Spring are: Introduction to the Legal System, Legal Research, Property Law, Civil Procedures, Torts, Criminal Law, Law Office Procedures, Legal Terminology, Bankruptcy, Evidence, Wills and Trusts, and Probate, Trusts and Guardianships. Class offerings, times and instructors are subject to change. For information regarding these course offerings and/or the Paralegal Program at BCC, contact Louis Jiannine at 321-433-5656 or [email protected].


Meeting Policy Reminder Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(6) if you RSVP for a dinner and do not cancel within 10 days of the meeting date or do not attend the meeting, you will be sent an invoice for the cost of the dinner.

Welcome New Members

Jan Lambert-Straits, CP

Debbie Gapsch

Speaker’s Bio Charlie A. Thurston

Attorney, Charlie Thurston, has been with Brevard County Legal Aid (BCLA) in one capacity or another since interning during his third year of law school in 2004. For the past two years, Mr. Thurston has worked to establish and head up BCLA’s Children’s Program funded by a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation to provide representation to Brevard County children making the transition from foster care to independent living and adulthood. Prior to joining Legal Aid as a paid employee, Mr. Thurston contributed over 200 hours of pro bono work and in 2006 was recognized by the Florida Supreme Court with an award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service. Mr. Thurston has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Rollins College and a Juris Doctor degree from Barry University School of Law. Mr. Thurston is an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Studies Program at Brevard Community College and has given presentations including on WSCF TV discussing such diverse topics as; “Brevard County Legal Aid – Past, Present, and Future”,

“Domestic Violence in Florida”, “The Role of Legal Aid in Brevard County”, and “Children Aging Out of Foster Care and the Florida Independent Living Program”. Before entering the practice of law, Mr. Thurston spent twenty years as a computer specialist with the United States Department of Labor where he received numerous awards for outstanding performance and was recognized for his work in establishing the Department’s first automated Management Information Systems Program. Mr. Thurston and his wife, Kathleen, have one child, Jeff, who followed in his father’s footsteps and is now the Chief Information Officer of a mid-sized computer consulting and development firm headquartered in Sacramento, California.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Silvia Cowan [email protected] Vice President Nandra Ramnarine, CP, FRP [email protected] Treasurer Renee Roche, FRP [email protected] Secretary Ashley King [email protected] Immediate Past President Kim Nowakowski, RP,FRP [email protected] Parliamentarian Toni-Marie D’Alessandro, CP, FCP, FRP [email protected] Director-at-Large Anne Cope [email protected] COMMITTEE CHAIRS Budget Jenny Lawton-Seal, CP, FRP [email protected] Bylaws and Standing Rules Maureen “Mo” Martens, CP, FRP [email protected] Community Service Toni-Marie D’Alessandro, CP, FCP, FRP [email protected] Education/Scholarship Roma Molinaro, CP, FCP, FRP, MLA [email protected] Student Liaisons Elizabeth A. Morrone [email protected] Debbie Gapsch [email protected]

Job Bank Coordinator Kim M. Dexter, ACP, FCP [email protected] Local Bar Liaison Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP [email protected] Meetings Sabine Martel for dinner reservations e-mail [email protected] Membership Nandra Ramnarine, CP, FRP [email protected] Newsletter Editor Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP kimberly.nowakowski@ health-first.org Publicity Jessica Pauley, CP [email protected] Ways and Means Linda Goettsche [email protected] OTHER POSITIONS Historian/Photographer Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP kimberly.nowakowski@ health-first.org PAF Website Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP [email protected]

BPA is on Facebook! Search “Brevard Paralegal Association” and join! We list useful links, information regarding upcoming meetings and events, and it’s an opportunity to network with fellow members!

We’re also on Twitter & Linked In!

2011-12 BPA Board of Directors & Committee ChairsNewsletter Advertising Half Page $100/Year Or $55/6 months Business Card $50/Year Or $30/6 months Special rates available for one-time ads Submit business card or ad artwork, preferably in .jpg or .bmp format to Kimberly. Nowakowski@ Health-First.Org or send it to: Kim Nowakowski c/o Health First, Inc. 6540 US Hwy 1 Rockledge FL 32955 The Paralegal Pipeline advertising reaches people throughout Florida. The publication’s revenue supports scholarships and various community service projects, which enables your costs associated to advertising here to be tax deductible. Please make your check payable to Brevard Paralegal Association. Thank you.


Membership 60 Active Members

19 Student Members

2 Honorary Members


PAF Quick Reference

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc. 466 94th Avenue North

St. Petersburg, FL 33702 www.pafinc.org

Treasurer’s Report Renee C. Roche, FRP, Treasurer Savings $3,844.24 Checking $4,608.23

The Pipeline is always seeking new sponsors. See pricing information on page 4. Contact Kim Nowakowski for more information at [email protected].

Mugshots

Above, Below and Below Left – BPA’s Holiday Social @ The Pizza Gallery & Grill in December.

Belly Laugh Day January 24th

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Women's Center

1425 Aurora Road Melbourne, FL 32935 Ph: 321-242-3110 Fax: 321-242-7464 www.WomensCenterInBrevard.org

Who We Are: The Women's Center strives to address the needs of women by giving them a step up towards safe, healthy, self-sufficient lives. Every day, women come to us without the ability to provide for themselves and their families. These women often are abused and battered, and looking for advocacy, guidance, and support. Thanks to our volunteers and loyal supporters who give so much of their time and resources, and the benefits of grant awards, the Women's Center is able to provide counseling services, financial assistance, career guidance, job training, transitional housing, and victim advocacy. The Center is proud to be able to help annually over 10,000 women and their children who seek out our assistance.

Career Guidance: The Women's Center Career Guidance program is a personalized program that explores career options and individual growth. Those who participate are able to have a clearer understanding of who they are, what motivates them, the skills they want to use in their work, and the education or specialized training that may be required. Services Include:

• Working one-on-one with a Career Guide • Creating an Individual Employment Plan • Career Counseling • Assertive Communication Workshops • Self- Esteem Workshops • Job Readiness Workshops • Job Referral and Placement • Working with a Job Trainer

Under a grant from the Agency for Workforce Innovation we will also assist homemakers 35 years of age or older, who need training and support to transition to either their first job or back into the workforce. These are individuals who have been supported by a spouse or family member, but are no longer due to divorce, separation, death, or disability or, who have been on government assistance (such as Unemployment Compensation, Food Stamps, or TANF) and want to become self- sufficient. How You Can Help: Clean Your Closet and Donate Clothes!

• Your suits, jackets, skirts, pants, blouses, and accessories can give another woman the confidence to go out into the working world and land a job that could change her life.

Toni-Mari D’Alessandro Community Service Chair



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Office: (321) 242-2564 482 North Harbor City BoulevardFax: (321) 254-2127 Melbourne, Florida 32935Email: [email protected]

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january 2012 pipeline

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