Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants

PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE
Remember the Nalamo!
Surrounded by Success
Being surrounded at NALA’s 28th Annual Convention
and Membership Meeting in San Antonio was a completely
different situation than what the Texians who fought at
the Alamo 167 years ago faced, but there was passion
in both cases.
Ours was a celebration of the progress and evolution of
NALA in meeting its mission to remain the leader of the
paralegal profession by enhancing the competency of individual
legal assistants and advancing our careers. That mission
was never more apparent than while watching attendees
in the educational sessions and membership meetings.
A team spirit could be felt in the dialog and discussions
between affiliates, members, and NALA officers. I was
particularly pleased to see greater attendance than at any
time in my memory in the various membership and
business meetings, including at the Board of Directors
meeting on the final day.
Many NALA successes were announced and discussed at
the convention that are worth reviewing here.
CLA Specialty Program—A special report at the
Membership Forum covered the new expanded specialty
program to be released in the upcoming year. Support for
the more specialized certification and on-line program was
overwhelming. More information on the upcoming enhancements
can be found in this issue’s “Breaking News” section.
CLA Program—This program is almost 28 years
old and continues to be the number one certification for
paralegals in the nation. There were almost 12,000 CLAs
as of May 2003.
New CLA Certificates—As part of NALA’s commitment
to meeting the needs of members, new CLA certificates
were recently redesigned to include the certification
mark “CP” as well as “CLA.” This acknowledges the reality
reflected by much of the legal community today that many
would prefer to have a choice of which term they use—legal
assistant or paralegal. Both marks are indicators of the NALA
certification program.
It’s a Fact—“Legal Assistant” and “Paralegal” are
synonymous terms. This is not a choice or position of
NALA, but a fact based on numerous state court rules,
statutes, Supreme Court opinions, and bar association
definitions and guidelines. We would not want to muddy
the waters fussing over definitions and divert our attention
from far more important issues paralegals have worked so
hard for over the past 30 years. The kinds of issues we need
to stay focused upon are fee recovery for legal assistant
services, expanded services provided by
the profession, and defining tasks performed
by legal assistants as substantive
in nature, rather than clerical.
Improved Communications—We
continue to stay current with the latest in
technology, and have recently subscribed Vicki J. Kunz, CLAS
to two new services to provide advanced
communication for more timely distribution of information.
Broadcast e-mail messaging to members, (with strong security
features to protect privacy) was introduced in early June,
and Web-based presentations (called See My Screen) can
now be used for continuing education, conducting NALA
business, and making presentations to board members, committees,
affiliates, and other groups requesting visitations
with the new program.
Live On-Line Educational Seminars—The See My
Screen program will be able to host one-hour continuing
education sessions. Students can participate and learn from
the convenience of their own office or home computer.
Programs are currently under development, and a schedule
will be announced by 2004.
Our Association continues its influential role in stimulating
the positive growth and development of the paralegal
profession. Legal assistants look to NALA for ways to
acquire greater expertise and achieve recognition. This may
be through the certification and specialty programs, continuing
education, participation on the board or committees, or
the important role of active membership. The association
and its board of directors, with the vital help of members,
can heighten the public’s recognition of our profession and
its contributions to society with continual communication
about who we are and what we can do to assist lawyers in
providing legal services.
Is there much for NALA and our members to celebrate?
You Bet!
Which takes me right to my next message—start
making plans for next year’s convention July 14-17, 2004
in Reno, Nevada. With the Nalamo celebration still fresh in
our memories, it will be a hard act to follow, but plans have
been underway for some time to make the Reno convention
the best ever. Put it on your calendar as a “must do.”
F&
F
FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003 5