NALA News and Seminars
NEW NALA Member Benefit
Building a resumé of education increases individual value to employers and helping members in their career advancement efforts is a key goal of NALA. NALA's spectrum of offerings provides substantive CLE that is convenient and cost efficient. The online courses are particularly economical by saving travel, lodging, and time away from the office.
As announced during the 2011 NALA Membership Meeting, all active NALA members, new members, charter members, and honorary active members will receive a gift certificate to apply toward any NALA educational program or Facts & Findings subscriptions. The $80 value of the certificates is equal to the member cost for a NALA Campus LIVE! course.
The gift certificates will be sent to new active members and those who have renewed since May 1. Certificates expire annually on the date of membership expiration and new certificates will be issued upon renewal. The certificates list the programs for which the coupon may be used. Educational programs and publications that are not directly produced by NALA are not eligible for the discount. The certificates may not be redeemed for cash, and have no cash value. NALA Active members only are eligible for this offering.
To redeem the certificate, simply submit it to NALA Headquarters with your payment for an event. Your payment should include the discount. The certificate cannot be redeemed through online orders or registrations for any event. If you have questions or wish to register for an online event, contact NALA Headquarters, 918-587-6828. If you are an active member and have not received the certificate, you are still eligible for the discount. NALA Headquarters will send another to you or you may call to register for an event and use the discount. Headquarters will keep track of redeemed certificates and eligible members.
During this difficult economic time, your membership in NALA is becoming even MORE valuable!
2012 CONVENTION ~ OMAHA, NE
NEW ACP COURSE - BANKRUPTCY!
Please click here for information relating to the new Bankruptcy ACP Course and Exam!
AFFILIATES BRIEF
Click here for the latest Affiliates Brief!
NALA 2010-2011 Annual Report
Please click here for NALA's Annual Report.
NALA Elects New Board Members
During the 2011 meeting, NALA members elected two new members to the NALA Board of Directors. Kristine M. Hill, ACP, of Pensacola, FL, will serve a two year term on the Board from Region 3; and Ruth S. Conley, ACP, of Houston, Texas, will serve a two year term on the Board from Region 4.
In addition to these newly elected directors, the following newly appointed board and council chairs will also be new to the NALA Board of Directors: Janie M. Boswell, ACP, Omaha, Nebraska, Chair, NALA APC Certification Board; Jaye L. Koch, ACP, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Chair, NALA Certifying Board; and Jeanie C. Johnson, ACP, Birmingham, Alabama, Chair, NALA Continuing Education Council.
Congratulations to these new members of the NALA Board of Directors! The September/October issue of Facts & Findings will have more information about the 2011 NALA Annual Meeting events.
January Certified Paralegal Exam
Applications for the January 2012 Certified Paralegal Exam are due December 1, 2011. Application forms may be found on the NALA web site, Certification/Examinee Information.
Help NALASpread the Word!
The NALA Certifying Board utilizes the network of ACT to administer the examination. This can be costly to the examinees. As a solution, we will also open testing sites outside of the ACT network in schools or employer locations for students and employees. Details and an application form to qualify as a testing center are on the web at Certification/Qualifying as a Testing Center. And -- in case you are wondering, to date, NALA has administered over 1500 sections of the Certified Paralegal Exam via the new computer based testing process. And ... it went very well!
LEAP Class of 2013 - Now is a Good Time To Sign Up!
NALA's Professional Development Committee is now accepting applications for the LEAP class of 2013. The class members will be announced this summer at the 2012 NALA Annual Meeting of Members, in Omaha. Established in 2007, the LEAP curricula has gone through some modifications in response to member needs and suggestions. Beginning with the 2010-11 class, the curricula was restructured to be more supportive of NALA members who are also serving as leaders of their state and local affiliated organizations. With this new direction, the program better serves to support leadership development for NALA affiliated associations. The current focus is on serving state and local affiliated associations, and developing skills that support their goals and growth. Participation in LEAP will also enhance the leadership skills of NALA members regardless of affiliate membership.
Read more about the LEAP classes on the web at www.nala.org/leap.aspx Remember, LEAP is open to members of NALA who are also Certified Paralegals. There is no cost for participating in this year-long, web-based training, however LEAP class members are expected to attend the NALA Annual Meeting of Members at the end of their year. Details are on the web site. LEAP is one of the best bargains around - and a perfect example of your NALA membership dues at work! The application deadline is May 15, 2012.
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
During the NALA Annual Meeting membership forums, we received several questions and suggestions to improve our programs. Some of these suggestions are already available to members in some form. We'll try to address a few here and in subsequent newsletters ...
NALA App - We offer a NALA app of sorts. This is available if you login to the NALA web site OR the new CLE look up page to check your continuing education units from your iPhone or iPad. iPhone: Load the CLE screen on your Safari, touch the arrow icon at the bottom of the iPhone screen and then touch "Add to Home Screen." You may add more to the name of the site if you wish. Then touch "add." For the iPad, load the CLE screen on your Safari, touch the + icon at the top of the screen. Then follow the same instructions as iPhone. For both of these, either a NALA or CLE icon will appear on your screen. Devices using Android operating systems and other browsers also permit users to designate favorites for quick access. From this ICON you will have one-touch access to the NALA website or CLE lookup!
CP Directory - Many members don't even know ... on the NALA website, there is a directory of Certified Paralegals. This is found on every page under the "Certification" section of the web site. It is in the left sidebar. Visitors may look up Certified Paralegals by last name, first name and state. This is a great tool to keep in mind!
SPECIAL FACTS & FINDINGS SUBSCRIPTION DEAL FROM NALA TO AFFILIATE MEMBERS
A special $25 rate for a one-year subscription to Facts & Findings is being offered to members of NALA affiliated associations to encourage sustained membership in the affiliated associations and to introduce the advantages of individual membership in NALA. Individual members of NALA already enjoy subscriptions to Facts & Findings included in their annual dues as well as discounts on many CLE programs and other benefits. This special promotional rate for affiliate members is a significant savings over the regular $35 for non-members. The discounted rate will be continued as long as recipients remain members of their affiliates. If subscription rates increase in the future, members of the affiliated associations still
will receive a 30 percent discount off published rates. Should recipients of this special promotion decide to become individual members of NALA, they will be extended a $25 credit toward their first year of dues. Procedural details for this special promotion will be provided to the affiliated associations and NALA will take care of sending renewal notices to the subscribers and managing the mailing list. Facts & Findings is widely regarded as the premier national publication for paralegals. The full-color bimonthly magazine features articles on a variety of topics of interest to all legal professionals and to many business people as well. Authors include paralegals, attorneys, judges, and educators.
Click here for more information.
NALA UTILIZATION SURVEY
2010 Utilization and Compensation
Survey Report Just Released!
Approximately every 2 years since 1986, NALA has conducted a national survey of paralegals. Paralegals invited to participate include members of NALA, non-members, and members of NALA affiliated associations. With over 20 years of reports, this regular "look" at the paralegal profession has produced some interesting and valuable data. The findings are divided into 4 sections: participant background; employers and paralegal duties and responsibilities; billing rates; and compensation levels. This report summarizes data collected fro mid May 2010-mid September 2010. Over 1400 paralegals partcipated from through the nation. The report is available at no cost at www.nala.org/survey.aspx.
NEW NALA REVIEW MANUAL
NALA Campus LIVE! Registration Details …………….
See what NALA Campus LIVE! can do for you! Click here for more information.
During the next few months 45 NALA Campus LIVE! presentations will be offered. These courses offer real-time instruction by acknowledged educators on various topics ranging from CLA/CP review courses to advanced courses in substantive law areas. Don’t forget the phone call is TOLL FREE.
Discount for Group Registrations – A minimum of two people from the same site is required to qualify as a group. Group members must use the same telephone line and same computer. The first registrant is full price ($80 for NALA members and $105 for non-NALA members) and each additional registrant is $45. To register your group or if you have questions concerning group registration contact Mariah Williams (mwilliams@nala.org) at NALA Headquarters.
CLE Credit – Many of these courses are approved by the NALA Certifying Board toward maintaining the CLA/CP credential. Most courses have also been approved by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Montana State Bar, State Bar of California, the North Carolina State Bar, and for Florida Registered Paralegals. For more information please visit www.nala.org or contact NALA at 918-587-6828 or nalanet@nala.org.
NALA SELF-STUDY COURSES
For information on NALA's Self-Study Courses, please visit: http://www.nala.org/NALACampusSelfStudy.aspx