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The Verdict Page 1
Welcome Members and visitors to our newslet-ter! I love the Fall season with football, fall col-ors and cooler weather. I know Moms (and Dads) are glad children are back to school and kids are back with old school friends and mak-ing new friends. It is a good reason to join NALS, make new friends! Our August Lunch & Learn with be presented
by Jeff Hammock of Freedom Court Reporting. He will be speaking on “Hide and Seek: Service of Process/Rules of Civil Procedure.” Please plan to attend! Our chapter is hosting the Fall state meeting on November 3. Please make every effort to attend as it will be nearby in Brent-wood. We have some interesting speakers lined up for "Music City." For those who have never attended a state meeting, we always have a good day with great speakers, fun lunch together and prizes for all after the TALS meeting. We also have baskets from each chapter to win through a raffle at the end of the meet-ing. NALS is a wonderful way to network and travel to state meetings and meet others from across Tennessee. Please join us if possible. We will be hosting a Past Presidents event where everyone is in-vited to attend and meet and visit with former members, Presi-dents and meet new people. More news about this will follow. ROARR for NALS, Linda Hulsey, President
Message from the President ROARR with NALS
Inside this issue:
Code of Ethics 2
Lunch & Learn 6
Toiletry Drive 11
Court Fee Changes 12
NALS Docket Article 14
Personality Test 17
THE VERDICT September 2012 Volume 1, Issue 5
NALS...Association of Legal Professionals, Nashville Chapter
c/o Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP
511 Union Street; Suite 2700, Nashville, Tennessee 37219
http://www.nalsnashville.com • [email protected]
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NALS Code of Ethics and Mission Statement
Members of NALS, Associa-tion of Legal Professionals are bound by the objectives of this Association and the standards of conduct required in the le-gal profession.
Every member shall:
Encourage respect for the law and the administration of justice;
Observe rules governing privileged communications and confidential infor-mation;
Promote and exemplify
high standards of loyalty, cooperation, and courtesy;
Perform all duties of the profession with integrity and competence; and
Pursue a high order of pro-fessional attainment.
Mission Statement
We are committed to deliver quality legal service through continued legal education and increased professionalism, promote and recognize a high standard for members through the certification program, and
provide networking and per-sonal growth opportunities for our members.
2012—2013 Committee Chairpersons
Audit TBD Award of Excellence Tiffany Burford Taylor [email protected] Bosses’ Luncheon Vickie Hellmer, PLS [email protected] Court Observance Donice Alford, PP, PLS [email protected] Employment Tammy Morris [email protected] History Book Betsy DeShano [email protected]
Journalist Tiffany Burford Taylor [email protected] Nominating Committee Tara Wilson [email protected] Past Presidents Donice Alford, PP, PLS [email protected] Reservations Brenda Wolfgang [email protected]
Scholarship Amelia Workman, PLS [email protected]
Technology Tiffany Burford Taylor [email protected]
Donice Alford, PP, PLS [email protected]
We’re on the Web!
nalsnashville.com
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2012-2013 Officers
President Linda Hulsey Burr & Forman LLP 700 Two American Center 3102 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: (615) 724-3224 Fax: (615) 724-3324 [email protected] President-Elect Tiffany Burford Taylor Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP 511 Union Street, Suite 2700 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 850-8883 Fax: (615) 244-6804 [email protected] Secretary Sharon L. Wilcox Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC 511 Union Street, Suite 1600 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 248-3726 Fax: (615) 687-5601 [email protected] Treasurer Brenda Wolfgang Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP 511 Union Street, Suite 2700 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 850-8768 Fax: (615) 244-6804 [email protected]
Sharon L. Wilcox Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC 511 Union Street, Suite 1600 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 248-3726 Fax: (615) 687-5601 [email protected] Education Director The 2012—2013 Board Marketing Director Sharon L. Wilcox Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC 511 Union Street, Suite 1600 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 248-3726 Fax: (615) 687-5601 [email protected] Interim Membership Director Linda Hulsey Burr & Forman LLP 700 Two American Center 3102 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: (615) 724-3224 Fax: (615) 724-3324 [email protected] Past President Donice Alford, PP, PLS Howard Tate Sowell Wilson Leathers & Johnson 150 2nd Avenue North, Suite 201 Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: (615) 256-1125 [email protected]
Meet the Board!
Parliamentarian Delone Anderson, PLS Robinson & Robinson 2nd Floor, Court Square Building 300 James Robinson Parkway Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: (615) 259-2802 Fax: (615) 259-2804 [email protected] Governor Donice Alford, PP, PLS Howard Tate Sowell Wilson Leathers & Johnson 150 2nd Avenue North, Suite 201 Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: (615) 256-1125 [email protected] Certification Directors Tiffany Burford Taylor Waller Lansden Dortch & Da-vis, LLP 511 Union Street, Suite 2700 Nashville, TN 37219 Phone: (615) 850-8883 Fax: (615) 244-6804 [email protected]
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Sunshine Committee
The NALS Sunshine Committee is responsible for sending cards, flow-ers, etc., to any member in a time of need or celebration. If you know of a member within the Nashville Chapter that is ill, gave birth, or has ex-perienced a loss, please contact any board member, so that the chapter can send a card.
Please remember to ask your office administrator to contact Tammy Morris ([email protected]) at Gullet, Sanford, Robinson & Martin if there is an employment opening at your firm. When opportunities are available, Tammy will send out an email notifying the membership of possible openings.
Employment Committee
Certification
If you are interested in studying and testing for the ALS, PLS, or PP ex-ams, please contact Sharon Wilcox ([email protected]) or Tiffany Burford Taylor ([email protected]) to get more information.
Lunch & Learn
Our monthly lunch and learn takes place on every second Wednesday of the month. This month’s topic is “Hide and Seek: Service of Process/Rules of Civil Procedure,” with Jeff Hammock of Freedom Court Re-porting, Inc. being our guest speaker. This CLE is certified by the TN Commission on CLE. Attorneys can attend and receive an hour of CLE credit. Please see the flyer for more information.
Lunch & Learn
Contact Information
Elections are coming and ballots will be emailed out soon! Does the na-tional office have your correct email address? If not, you could be miss-ing your opportunity to vote. Please email Saundra Bates ([email protected]) with your new information!
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TALS—Legal Professionals of Tennessee 2012—2013
Date Purpose Location
10/18-21/2012 61st Annual Education Conference Portland, OR & National Forum
11/3/2012 TALS Fall Meeting Nashville
2/9/2013 TALS Winter Meeting Chattanooga
TBA Professional Development Tulsa, OK & Education Conference TBA TALS Seminar/Annual Meeting Memphis
TBA 62nd Annual Education Conference Atlanta, GA & National Forum
Interested in going to a national meeting? The 61st Annual Education Conference & National Forum is scheduled for October 18—21, 2012, in Portland, Oregon! For more information, please visit the website at http://www.nals.org/?page_id=97.
NALS National Conference
The Fall meeting is right around the corner! Nashville Chapter will host this event at the Hyatt Place, located at the corner of I-65 and Old Hick-ory Boulevard on Saturday, November 3, 2012. Please look to The Ver-dict and The Junction for more information.
TALS Fall Meeting
NALS offers this service to anyone who has items to sell or trade, look-ing to buy, and/or have any other services to offer. The Bulletin Board email is sent out on a request ONLY basis. If you wish to be included in the NALS Bulletin Board periodic listings and/or have anything you would like to list, please contact Vickie Hellmer, PLS, at [email protected]
Bulletin Board
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The next NALS Lunch & Learn will take place on Wednesday, September 12 from 12—1 pm
at the offices of the Tennessee Bar Association, located 221 4th Avenue N. on the 2nd floor.
This month’s topic is “Hide & Seek: Service of Process / Rules of Civil Procedure,” with
Jeff Hammock of Freedom Court Reporting, Inc., being our guest speaker. Please come out
and support NALS Nashville. Again, you do not have to be a member of NALS to attend.
ATTORNEYS! THIS PRESENTATION IS CERTIFIED BY THE TN COMMISSION
ON LEGAL EDUCATION. FOR $25 YOU CAN GET 1-HOUR OF CLE AND A
LUNCH!
If you would like to attend, please select a lunch option from the next page, and RSVP to
Brenda Wolfgang ([email protected]), by Monday, September 10 at noon.
The orders will be placed soon thereafter.
Lu
nch
& L
ear
n
Lunch Provided By
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Jeff Hammock retired from the US Marines in 1993 and en-
tered the investigative field. In 1995 he opened his compa-
ny with two clients and a focus in Family Law and Insur-
ance Defense. Since that time, he has logged countless elec-
tronic and physical surveillance hours, testified in a variety
of cases and provided numerous services to local, national
and international clients. He is a continued supporter of the Family Law Section and an advo-
cate for legislation to institute and regulate minimum standards and licensing requirements for
the Private Investigative industry.
Renee Brunett September 8
Alecia Weaver September 24
Chris Galyon, PLS September 28
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Please join me in welcoming our new members!
Stacie Beishuizen March 2012
Kristie Putman April 2012
Geri Simmons-Curry April 2012
Charity Baker May 2012
Dana Meadows July 2012
Heather Rock July 2012
Alecia Weaver August 2012
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Remember to let your Office Administrator or Firm (member/nonmember) know about our employment e-mail. Also keep in mind that in order to publish a position through NALS, we must receive it from the office administrator or someone of equal authority.
Employment Opportunities
Assistant/Secretary/Paralegal McKellar Hyde, PLC
We are a small civil litigation firm looking for an assistant/secretary/paralegal to replace our current assistant who is moving out of town. The job duties encompass everything from typi-cal secretarial duties of typing, mail, copying, etc. to more paralegal-type duties of drafting let-ters, discovery, handling filings, etc. Preferably, we would like someone with 1-5 years experi-ence. Our practice consists of primarily civil litigation; however, one of the attorneys also han-dles a small amount of transactional work and is beginning to focus more on real estate and ti-tle work. So, a candidate with title experience would be a plus. We have a business casual environment and typical work hours for the candidate will be 9:00 am-4:30 pm. However, like any litigation setting, when we are in trial or fighting a filing deadline, the hours will be much longer. We are looking to pay $12-$15/hour. Lauren Houser McKellar|Hyde, PLC 411 Broadway, Suite 302 Nashville, TN 37203
Administrative Assistant Nathan & Nathan, P.C. Immediate opening for litigation law firm in Franklin. Must be self motivated, detail minded and be proficient in MS Office. Email resume and salary requirements to [email protected].
Paralegal Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti & Blair, PLLC
Experienced paralegal for small, well established general practice firm near Centennial Park. Practice areas include insurance defense, products liability, commercial litigation, credi-tor’s rights, bankruptcy and condemnations. Requires a self-starter, able to prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines. Must be familiar with state and federal court filing proce-dures. Skills should include drafting of complaints, motions, orders, discovery and general correspondence. Daily use of Word, Excel Acrobat, and frequent use of WestLaw. Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include free parking and health insurance. E-mail re-sume to [email protected].
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REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE JULY 2012 NALS DOCKET, A PUBLICATION OF NALS...ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
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REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE JULY 2012 NALS DOCKET, A PUBLICATION OF NALS...ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
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REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE JULY 2012 NALS DOCKET, A PUBLICATION OF NALS...ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
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Member Contact Information
In an effort to have up-to-date contact membership contact information, please complete the
following information and either email, mail, or fax to President Linda Hulsey:
Full Name:___________________________________________________________________
Firm/Company Name:__________________________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________________________________
Preferable Contact Number:_____________________________________________________
Fax Number:_________________________________________________________________
Area of Practice:______________________________________________________________
Birth Date (Month/Day):________________________________________________________
Year joined NALS:____________________________________________________________
Preferred Email Address:________________________________________________________
Send this form to:
Linda Hulsey Burr & Forman LLP
700 Two American Center 3102 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (615) 724-3224 Fax: (615) 724-3324 [email protected]
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President Linda Hulsey with the Honorable Joe Binkley
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WHAT IS NALS, ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS,
NASHVILLE CHAPTER?
NALS, Association of Legal Professionals, Nashville Chapter (“Nashville Chapter”) is a multi-level organization. Membership in the local chapter brings membership in TALS–Legal Profes-sionals of Tennessee (“TALS”), NALS Region 4, and NALS…the association for legal profes-sionals (“NALS”). The Nashville Chapter was first organized in 1949 and was chartered with TALS and NALS in 1972. WHAT IS TALS? TALS holds an annual convention and quarterly meetings throughout the state. In addition to the business meetings, legal education seminars are offered at these meetings. Each local chap-ter sends a Governor to report all business transacted to the chapter; however, members are en-couraged to attend. State meetings and seminars afford a wonderful opportunity for networking with other legal professionals from across the state that have the same goals and objectives. WHAT IS REGION 4? Region 4 is led by an elected regional director that plans yearly for our region. The states within our region are Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennes-see. This meeting is not as large as the NALS national educational or professional development meetings; but, they are generally larger than the state meetings. It is a wonderful way to meet other legal professionals that have the same goals and objectives as you do; but, closer to home. WHAT IS NALS? NALS is a non-partisan, non-profit, nonsectarian corporation based upon principles of service to all areas of the legal field. Membership is open to all persons engaged in service in the legal forum, including, but not limited to, attorneys, legal assistants, paralegals, secretaries, typists, word processors, court clerks, clerks employed in law offices, persons employed by the courts, trust departments of banks or trust companies, and those persons employed in public or private institutions directly engaged in work of a legal nature. WHEN ARE MEETINGS HELD? Nashville Chapter Membership meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the law offices of Burr & Foreman, LLP. A monthly Lunch & Learn is offered at a nominal cost by reservation on the second Wednesday at the Tennessee Bar Association.
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WHEN IS NASHVILLE CHAPTER’S LUNCH & LEARN HELD? The Nashville Chapter Lunch & Learn is held on the second Wednesday of each month at noon at the Tennessee Bar Association. Because of the venue, a box lunch is offered, which may change over the course of the year. The cost is $12 for members, $14 for non-members, and is a reservation only meeting. The lunch hour is devoted almost in its entirety to a speaker advising on a legal or community topic. You do not have to be a member to attend. Attend-ance at the Lunch & Learn is a good way to find out more about the Nashville Chapter and meet its members. HOW MUCH DOES MEMBERSHIP COST? The annual fee for new members is $128. Thereafter, the annual renewal is $118. A portion of this amount pays your dues to TALS and NALS. WHAT DOES MEMBERSHIP OFFER ME? You will be a member of a professional organization dedicated to the furtherance of legal
education and having as its main objective the encouragement of its members to attain a high degree of professional excellence in their chosen career.
You will receive publications written for the legal professional, including The Verdict, our local monthly publication; The Junction, the TALS state quarterly publication; Region 4 Newsletter; and @Law, the NALS national quarterly publication.
You will have the opportunity to attend seminars, study groups, workshops, and other activi-ties which will enhance your legal education in a local and national network. You will have access to employment placement at no charge through the Employment
Committee.
You will be given the opportunity to serve on committees which function to promote the goals and objectives of the association and, in the process, allow a greater opportunity for new and lasting friendships among members.
You will be eligible for discounted travel and rental car rates, group insurance programs, a retirement program, loan programs, and credit card applications.
WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL PARALEGAL EXAM? The Professional Paralegal (PP) certification was developed by NALS to promote legal profes-sionals who wish to be identified as exceptional in all areas of the law. Certain eligibility re-quirements must be met to take this exam and are available for viewing at www.nals.org.
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WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL LEGAL SECRETARY CERTIFICATIONS?
The Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) Certification is received after passing a one-day, four-part examination which demonstrates not only dedication to professionalism but acceptance of the challenge to be exceptional. Any person who has had three years’ experience in the legal field may take the examination. Membership in NALS is not a requirement. A partial waiver of the three-year legal experience requirement may be granted for post-secondary degrees, suc-cessful completion of the ALS exam, or other certifications. The maximum waiver is one year.
The Accredited Legal Secretary (ALS) designation is achieved by passing a half-day examina-tion and is available to persons who have completed one of the following: a secretarial course, the NALS Legal Training Course, or one year of secretarial experience. The ALS Examina-tion:
demonstrates ability to perform business communication tasks;
gauges ability to maintain office records and calendars, and prioritize multiple tasks when given real-life scenarios;
measures understanding of office equipment and related procedures;
denotes aptitude for understanding legal terminology, legal complexities, and supporting documents;
assesses recognition of accounting terms in order to solve accounting problems, and
appraises knowledge of law office protocol as prescribed by ethical codes.
Those interested in sitting for these examinations can attend group study sessions held in ad-vance of the examination. These sessions are provided without charge to members. The exami-nations are given at testing centers throughout the United States with one center being located in Nashville.
NASHVILLE CHAPTER ANNUAL EVENTS Bosses Appreciation Luncheon is held each October. This event affords the legal secretary
the opportunity to invite the attorney for whom she works to a special lunch.
The “Chris Galyon Scholarship Award” is presented annually to a worthy individual who is enrolled in school, furthering his or her education in the legal field.
Legal Professionals Night Out is held each year for the legal community to come together on a social basis for the purpose of promoting NALS and encouraging membership in our Association.
In 1972, the President of the United States proclaimed Court Observance Week an annual event in October. Each year our members sponsor a program to recognize our judicial sys-tem.
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NASHVILLE CHAPTER NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Nashville Chapter hosted the Annual Meeting and Educational Conference of the Na-tional Association of Legal Secretaries International in July 1985 with approximately 1,000 members, delegates, and their families in attendance.
The Nashville Chapter has the proud distinction of having members Chris Galyon, PLS elected National President for 1984-85 and Tina L. Boone, PLS elected as Region 4 Direc-tor from 2005-2007, and is currently finishing her second year as Chairman on the National Membership Committee. Other members have been or currently serve as officers, commit-tee members, and chairmen at both state and national levels.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP? Individual members consist of those persons engaged in work of a legal nature and who agree to comply with the NALS Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER? You can use the secure online application, or you may choose to print out the application right from the web site or in Adobe PDF format and mail or fax it. Simply choose the method you want to apply, fill out the NALS Membership Application, select a method of payment, and submit your application. You then just sit back and will receive your new member package from the NALS Resource Center within four weeks. Categories of membership:
Regular Member
International Member
Retired Member
National Associate Member (educators, judges and attorneys)
National Student Member (must be a full-time student)
WHY SHOULD I JOIN NALS? Opportunities for professional and personal development are plenty when you join NALS. NALS is a tri-level organization composed of NALS, your state association, and your local chapter. Each offers top-notch professional growth through seminars, quality publications, and local, state, regional, and national networking. NALS offers several regional and national con-ferences each year, packed with outstanding education and featuring excellent speakers from around the country. State and local chapters offer more frequent meetings to give in-depth local educational coverage.
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Additionally, NALS supports its members by providing the following benefits: Affinity Programs - members enjoy discounts on a variety of goods and services.
Certification - accreditation for everyone, whether beginning a new career or enhanc-ing your current one.
ALS--the basic certification for legal professionals, PLS--the advanced certification for legal professionals, and PP--Professional Paralegal certification.
@Law Magazine - members receive this award winning publication quarterly.
E-Learn - a monthly update on current topics of interest to legal support staff, deliv-ered via email.
E-News - a bi-weekly electronic newsletter sent to all NALS members who provide an email address, which includes timely information and details of NALS activities, with links to educational information and topics of interest to legal support staff.
NALS Online Learning Center - Education and personal development offered on a variety of subjects with the added bonus of networking across the United States.
NALS also presents a host of other professional development programs including the Legal Training Course, NALS Educational Institute, and college credits. WHAT IS E-LEARN AND HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? E-learn is a monthly educational subscription received by NALS members via e-mail or fax featuring articles, technology tips, legal community news, etc. If you are currently a member and not receiving e-learn and would like to be on the distribution list, please contact Saundra Bates, NALS Member Services Manager, at [email protected] or 918-582-5188. Saundra will be happy to add you to our list. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE NALS ONLINE LEARNING CENTER? Education, updated information on NALS and various legal topics, networking across the country are just a few of the benefits afforded our members who make it a point to participate in our weekly Tuesday and Wednesday night NALS Online Learning Center sessions. Each week a different topic is chosen as an educational subject or for discussion over online. Come check us out! WHO DO I CONTACT WITH REGARD TO MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS? Saundra Bates, NALS Membership Services Manager, or Linda Hulsey, NALS, Nashville Chapter President.
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WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING ACRONYMS MEAN?
ALS . . . the basic certification for legal professionals: The ALS designation is an attainable goal for someone entering the legal support field. Demonstrate your acceptance of the chal-lenge while improving your on-the-job skills in the areas of communication, accounting, office administration, ethics and legal procedures.
PLS . . . the advanced certification for legal professionals: The certified PLS designation is the best way to show off your expertise in areas including legal terminology and proce-dures, ethics, office procedures, and communication skills. That could mean more money and more opportunities for you, or it could mean doing a better job for your present em-ployer! The PLS certification is recommended by the American Council on Education (“ACE”) as valuable college credit for as much as 27 semester hours.
PP: Professional Paralegal, this is the newest of the NALS Certifications
SMC: State Membership Chairman
LMC: Local Membership Chairman
CLE: Continuing Legal Education
CLA: Certified Legal Assistant
@Law: The Official NALS Magazine. As a member of NALS . . . the association for legal professionals, you will receive @LAW four times a year. Each issue features informative articles and time-saving resources. @LAW is so informative it won the coveted Gold Circle Award for Most Improved Magazine from the ASAE. The @LAW subscription rate for nonmembers of NALS is $40.00 per year.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NASHVILLE CHAPTER?
Contact any member or:
Linda Hulsey Burr & Forman LLP 700 Two American Center 3102 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: (615) 724-3224 [email protected]
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Become an advertiser with The Verdict. Please contact Tiffany Burford
Taylor ([email protected]) for more information.
