july 2011 edition of the paralegal pipeline

8/6/2019 July 2011 Edition of the Paralegal Pipeline

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Brevard Paralegal Association

Summer is here. I hope

youre having a great

one.

Even though BPAs

Membership didnt meet

in June and we will not be

meeting in July, things

have been happening inour Profession and your

Board has been busy.

Board of Directors

The Board and

Committee Chairs held

their first organizational

meeting for the upcoming

year. We want to make

this a successful and

productive year and willbe providing you with

more details as we flesh

them out.

PAF held an orientation

meeting for Presidents

and Treasurers on June

25, 2011 in Orlando.

Ashley King and I

attended this meeting on

behalf of BPA and found

the meeting to be both

interesting and informative.

Lastly, PAF and BPA will be

busy this month, since this

is the time when the new

and renewal memberships

will get processed. Forthose of you who have not

already done it, I urge you to

submit your renewal

applications as soon as

possible. If you have any

questions, please contact

any of us and we will be

more than glad to help you.

Paralegal Profession

We are living in days wherehistory is being made in our

profession.

Back in 2008 we saw the

implementation of Rule 20,

creating the Florida

Registered Paralegals.

Three years later, the

Florida Bar has 5519 FRP

Members.

Just recently, Governor Rick

Scott signed a proclamation

declaring the week of May

8-14, 2011 as Paralegal

Week.

And even though the

Legislative Bill (HB 1149:

Regulation of the Paralegal

Profession) introduced in

the Florida House and

Senate died in Committee,

the Bar Board of

Governors has endorsed

an enhancement of the

Bars current Registered

Paralegal program on

May 27, 2011.

To think that ourprofession is still young

it began only about four

decades ago and to

see it already in the early

stages of becoming a

legally regulated and

recognized profession is

very exciting. Who

knows where we will be

four decades from now.

See you next month,

Silvia

July 2011

Presidents MessageI N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

The Paralegal Pipeline

Technology Seminar Update 2

FRP Corner 2

BPA Yard Sale 2

PAF Quick Reference 3

Birthdays 3

2011-12 Board Listing 4

News 5

Sponsor 6

IndependenceDay

July 4th


2/6

Technology Seminar Update

The Florida Alliance of Paralegal Association's upcoming TechnologySeminar being held on July 16, 2011 at Edison College in Fort Myers, FL is

fast approaching. In this digital age, we need to constantly stay on top ofthe emerging technology that can assist us in performing our jobs. Whileyou are educating yourself, your family can enjoy all the local attractionsthat Fort Myers and the surrounding beaches have to offer!

The rate for FAPA members is $95, non-FAPA members is $125, andstudents is $75. Continental breakfast and lunch are included.

The registration form and the speaker schedule and other details can befound at FAPAs websiteat: http://www.fapainc.org/TechnologySeminar2011.html

The Parale al Pi elinePage 2

Canada Day

uly 1st

Florida RegisteredParalegal

You are now able topost continuing legaleducation credits on-line. Go towww.floridabar.org/frpfor instructions onhow to post yourcredits. The

instructions will takeyou to the pagewhere you can postyour credits. Afteryour credits havebeen posted, youcan review your CLEhistory.

Dont forget!

Dont forget to renew your

Paralegal Association of

Florida membership

(which includes your BPA

membership pay

everything directly to PAF

in the all in one

membership application)

and pay your Florida

Registered Paralegal

dues!

BPA Yard SaleBrining back a successful fundraising effort from years past, BPA will

host a yard sale this October to raise funds for our scholarships. Please

contact Kim Nowakowski at [email protected] if

you are interested in donating or volunteering on the day. Mark your

calendars for Saturday, October 15, 2011. The location is yet to be

determined but will be in the Viera/Suntree area from 8am to noon.


3/6

JulyBirthdays

Laura Peery

Jennifer Farrington

Ann Landers

Karenina Milad

John Quincy Adams

The Paralegal Pipeline Page 3

Parents Dayuly 24th

Meeting Policy

ReminderPursuant to Internal

Revenue Code Section

501(c)(6) if you RSVP fo

a dinner and do not canc

within 10 days of the

meeting date or do not

attend the meeting, you

will be sent an invoice fo

the cost of the dinner.

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc.

P.O. Box 301West Palm Beach, FL 33402

(561) 833-1408

(561) 659-1824 fax

www.pafinc.org

[email protected]

Bastille Day

July 14th

PAF Quick Reference

Treasurers

Report

Savings $3,841.35

Checking $3,088.90

Welcome New Member

Linda Goettsche


4/6

Page 4

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentSilvia [email protected]

Vice PresidentVacant

TreasurerPatricia [email protected]

SecretaryAshley King

[email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentKim Nowakowski, RP,[email protected]

ParliamentarianToni-Marie DAlessandro,CP, FCP, [email protected]

Director-at-LargeAnne [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

BudgetJenny Lawton-Seal, CP, FRP

[email protected]

Bylaws and Standing RulesMaureen Mo Martens, CP,FRP

[email protected]

Community ServiceToni-Marie DAlessandro,CP, FCP, FRP

[email protected]

Education/ScholarshipRoma Molinaro, CP, FCP,FRP, [email protected]

Student LiaisonsElizabeth A. [email protected]

Debbie [email protected]

Job Bank CoordinatorKim M. Dexter, ACP, [email protected]

Local Bar LiaisonKim Nowakowski, RP, [email protected]

MeetingsSabine Martelfor dinner reservations [email protected]

MembershipVacant

Newsletter EditorKim Nowakowski, RP, [email protected]

PublicityJessica Pauley, CLA, [email protected]

Ways and MeansCathleen Cummings, [email protected]

OTHER POSITIONS

Historian/PhotographerKim Nowakowski, RP, [email protected]

PAF WebsiteKim Nowakowski, RP,[email protected]

BPA is onFacebook!

Search BrevardParalegal Association

and join! We list usefullinks, informationregarding upcomingmeetings and events,and its an opportunityto network with fellowmembers!

Were also onTwitter & LinkedIn!

2011-12 BPA Board of Directors & Committee Chairs

NewsletterAdvertising

Half Page $100/YearOr $55/6 months

Business Card $50/YearOr $30/6 months

Special rates availablefor one-time ads

Submit business card or adartwork, preferably in .jpgor .bmp format to [email protected] or send itto:

Kim Nowakowski

c/o Health First, Inc.6540 US Hwy 1Rockledge FL 32955

The Paralegal Pipelineadvertising reaches peoplethroughout Florida. Thepublications revenuesupports scholarships andvarious community serviceprojects, which enablesyour costs associated toadvertising here to be taxdeductible.

Please make your checkpayable to BrevardParalegal Association.Thank you.

The Paralegal Pipeline

Membership

61 Active Members

16 Student Members

2 Honorary Members


5/6

Page 5 The Paralegal Pipelin

Florida Bar Board of Governors

on May 27, 2011

Voted to Endorse the Special

Committee Minority Opinion

Of the Special Committee toStudy Mandatory Regulation

By way of background, a special

committee to study mandatory paralegal

regulation (Special Committee) was

appointed in 2010 and consisted of nine

members Scott Rubin, Esq.,

Chairperson, along with four attorneys, an

attorney educator and three paralegals.

The committee submitted its report to The

Florida Bar Board of Governors

concluding that the Supreme Court had

the authority to regulate paralegals and

recommending that the Rules RegulatingThe Florida Bar (the Rules) be amended

to state that an attorney be ethically

prohibited from holding a nonlawyer

employee out to the public as a paralegal

unless the individual was a Florida

Registered Paralegal (Majority Report).

Included with the report was a Minority

Opinion issued by two attorney members

and supported by two other attorney

members. The Special Committee report

was referred to the Program Evaluation

Committee (PEC) for consideration. At

the same time the Special Committee was

studying mandatory regulation, the PEC

was studying the effectiveness of the FRPProgram.

At its May 26, 2011 meeting, the PEC

discussed the Evaluation of the Florida

Registered Paralegal Program and found

that the Florida Registered Paralegal

Program is functioning effectively and that

the majority of FRPs find value with the

program and are happy with the progress

made. There were eleven (11) proposed

recommendations to enhance the FRP

program and make it even more efficient.

1) Develop specific plan to increase

lawyer and paralegal awareness of theFlorida Registered Paralegal program.

2) Increase communication to FRPsregarding membership benefits (new andexisting) currently offered by the FloridaBar.

3) Expand monthly publication of theParalegal Corner article in The FloridaBar Newsabout information relative to theparalegal Profession.

4) Promote The Florida Bars Career

Center resource to learn about Availabilityof paralegal job opportunities.

5) Increase aware of how all approvedCLE courses by The Florida Bar areapplicable towards fulfillment of 30 hoursof continuing Education.

6) Encourage the use of The Florida BarsAnnual Convention as a major vehicle tobe able to obtain a significant amount ofCLE credit hours for one low cost.

7) Establish and maintain communicationsabout various CLE opportunities that areprovided at no cost.

8) Request that the Florida Registered

Paralegal Committee review the current

rule that requires 30 CLE hours for FRPs

over a three year period.

9) Facilitate an easier way to access the

Florida Registered Paralegal webpage

now located on the homepage of The

Florida Bars website (top center of page).

10) Improve the paralegal search

capability to locate a paralegal name.

11) Post links to various paralegal

associations (e.g. NALA, NFPA) on the

FRP webpage.

This discussion then led to the Special

Committees Majority Report along with

the Minority Opinion. Both the Majority

Report and Minority Opinion can be found

at:

https://www.floridabar.org/cmdocs/fp007.n

sf/c5aca7f8c251a58d85257236004a107f/

198d20d25677e3e98525785000690976/$

FILE/Special%20Committee%20Report.p

df

The Minority Opinion contained a number

of unsubstantiated findings. Members of

the Special Committee were given an

opportunity to speak at the PEC Meeting.

Patricia DeRamus, FRP, ACP, as a

member of the Special Committee and

having placed a favorable vote for the

Majority Report, discussed each specific

unsubstantiated point of the Minority

Opinion. It was also brought to the PECs

attention that the Minority Opinion

addressed items that the Special

Committee had not been charged to

review and/or discuss.

Speaking directly to the Special

Committees charges, the Supreme

Court was confirmed to have the

designated authority to regulate the

paralegal profession. The only item left

that the Special Committee was charged

to discuss and vote on was should there

be mandatory regulation which was

voted in the affirmative by a 4 -2 vote with

2 members not being present. The form

of mandatory regulation recommended

was an amendment to the Rules stating

an attorney be ethically prohibited fromholding a nonlawyer out to the public as a

paralegal unless the individual was an

FRP.

The PEC Committee was also reminded

that according to the Supreme Court

transcript of April 2007, The Florida Bar

stated the FRP program was truly the

first step toward mandatory paralegal

regulation. The PEC Committee was

also reminded that with 5,501 FRPs

(currently 5,513) The Florida Bar FRP

Program revenues far exceed the

programs expenditures.

Ms. DeRamus closing statement, was

that since the Majority Report voted in the

affirmative that the process should

continue with further studies

regarding mandatory regulation.

A discussion was then opened up to the

PEC Committee members which

included:

A discussion was then opened up to the

PEC Committee members which

included:

1) Paralegal titles (letterheadand job descriptions);

2) Salary and hiringpractices;

3) Comments about recentseminars and those inattendance not being infavor of mandatoryregulation;

4) Florida Bar staffing;5) Do we know the numbers

of those in favor vs. who isagainst (paralegals vs.attorneys)?

A motion was made to accept theMinority Opinion. It was seconded and

accepted to be presented to the Board of

Governors. Thus, The Florida Bar has

declined to support mandatory paralegal

regulation at this time.


6/6

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july 2011 edition of the paralegal pipeline

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