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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
COMMITTEE REPORTS 2
2009 NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
3
2008 NFPA CONVEN-TION
4
OUTSOURCING LEGAL SERVICES
4
UPCOMING EVENTS 5
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
7
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 8
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: 2009 GAP-A-WAY
PACE STUDY GROUP
11th ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY PCITORIAL
2008 PACE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
2008 REGISTERED PARALEGALS
QUARTERLY
DECEMBER 2008
As we enter the holiday season and come to the end of the 2008 we tend to reflect on the year gone by. For the year end edition of The ParaGraph our theme will be a reflection on the "year in review" and a glance of what’s ahead in 2009 for GAP. As the end of year approaches, I would like to thank you for the thoughtful feedback that you have provided throughout the year via: responding to online surveys, Dinner Meeting participation, group dis-cussions, phone calls, and e-mails to the 2008 Board Members. There is still lots of work to be done I encourage you to be-come a more active participant by joining a committee or volunteering for special as-signments and opportunities in the coming year. Let’s make The ParaGraph great together!
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
GAP Memberships expire on December 31st, so we want to remind you to renew your membership now so your benefits can continue for 2009. If you joined be-tween October 1st and December 31st of 2008 your membership will not expire until December 31, 2009.
Charter Member of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations
THE PARAGRAPH
Kevin Fogel, President Elect
December 9, 2008
YEAR IN REVIEW
GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF PARALEGALS
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The Communications Committee has worked hard in 2008 to keep our members informed about ac-tivities, news and opportunities affecting our members through the “GAPpenings” & the “ParaGraph”. Our Web Coordinator, Amadi Leaks, unveiled the newly de-signed GAP website during the 35th Anniversary party. Our new website features a new logo, a dis-cussion blog, bright bold and beau-tiful color contrasts, secure access
to our job board and location of important paralegal resources and information. We’ve standardized contact emails address of all board members and welcomed a new Pub-lic Relations Coordinator, Beth Young. In 2009, we’ll continue to keep our website updated with current infor-mation and would like your sugges-tions on how we can make the Para-Graph and the GAPpenings better for you.
Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk 2008, Genesis Shelter Do-nation Drive, The Atlanta Com-munity Food Bank and Hands on Atlanta 9th Annual ServisJuris.
The 2009 Community Service Coordinator ‘s position is also vacant. these positions, details are available at http://w w w . g a p a r a l e g a l . o r g /boardvolunteer.html and you submit your statement of interest to Kevin Fogle, President at [email protected].
We offered some great opportuni-ties to give back to our communi-ties in 2008 such as our Toy For Tots Toy Drive held during the 11th Annual Holiday Party, American Cancer Society Making
COMMUNITY SERVICE
PRO BONO COMMITTEE
GAP strongly supports the pro bono precepts espoused by the National Federation of Paralegals and encourages all paralegals to aspire to NFPA's goal of twenty-four hours of pro bono service annually per You can report your hours by completing the Hours Reporting form found on the GAP website.
“Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS & UPDATES
Interested in making a dif-ference ? If so, please con-sider joining the 2009 Pro Bono Committee. Please contact Michael Misenheimer, GAP Director of Pro Bono, at [email protected] or 404-589-1832.
Michael Misenheimer has been appointed as NFPA's Pro Bono Coordinator and will be work-ing to promoting pro bono on the state level as well as the national level. In the coming months, we will be preparing for the 2009 NFPA Pro Bono Conference .
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
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President Kevin Fogle Voting Positions Vice President Karen Prouty Secretary Julia Lanford Treasurer Ann Jackson Director of Pro Bono Michael Misenheimer Director of Membership Tenitra Adams Director of Communications Koren Saddler-Conrad Director of CLE Edwina Robinson NFPA Primary Representative LaShonda Dillard
Non-voting Board Positions Board Advisors Barbara Pylant Chrissy Weeks NFPA Secondary Representative K. Paezle Harris, RP
Student Members Coordinator Nola Sayne PACE Ambassador Paezle Harris State and Local Bar Liaison Edwina Robinson PR & E-News Coordinator
Beth Young
Web Design Coordinator Amadi Leaks New Members Coordinator Shanda Hickey Community Service Coordinator POSITION AVAILABLE Speakers’ Coordinator POSITION AVAILABLE
2009 Officers
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Could your job be going out the
window?
This October, GAP’s Secondary, LaShonda Dillard, and I repre-sented you at the Annual Con-vention of the National Federa-tion of Paralegal Associations (“NFPA”). The Convention was held October 9-12 at the John Q. Simmons Convention Center in Rogers, Arkansas. Rogers is about 20 minutes from Fa-yetteville, Arkansas where the University of Arkansas is. The Arkansas Paralegal Asso-ciation (“ArPA”) hosted the convention. ArPA bid for the
job of hosting the convention in 2005, the year it was formed, when it had only 15 members. It is very humbling to me that an association with so little re-sources could take on such a huge job. ArPA did a fantastic job and the Convention center was the most impressive facility of any NFPA event I have ever attended. In addition to GAP’s Primary and Secondary Delegates, GAP also sent K. Paezlé Harris, your PACE Ambassador. Paezlé and
GAP received the PACE Am-bassador Award for 2008. It was an honor for GAP and Paezlé was completely sur-prised when the award was presented. (Continued on page 14)
ing and how it will affect paralegals. According to Daphne Eviatar’s Howrey Opened offices in India, to give its clients lower-cost option. "It's not outsourcing," insists Robert Ruyak, managing partner and CEO of Howrey, describ-
Outsourcing of Legal Services to India a hot topic which is fast be-coming a trend. Will this trend be hitting Georgia soon? One U.S firm, Howrey has hit the ground run-ning which has sparked renewed interest in le-gal services outsourc-
ing his firm's new of-fice in India. Of course, it's not lawyer-ing, either, since an American firm practic-ing in India would vio-late Indian law. In-stead, it's a new at-tempt by an American (Continued on page 8)
OUTSOURCING LEGAL SERVICES TO INDIA
renewing your membership has never been easier. Simply follow the links at the bottom of this page to our online membership form. Fill it out and your informa-tion is sent to the GAP electroni-cally. You also have the option to pay your membership dues via credit card; simply select Credit Card as your payment method and you will be taken to a credit card payment page.
Interested in making a differ-ence in GAP? If so, please contact Tenitra Adams, GAP Director of Member-s h i p , a t m e m b e r [email protected] or 404-881-1300. Visit our website for more information.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE GAP is your organization, and it exists for the benefit of its members. Please take our Membership Survey and tell us what you would like to see happen with GAP in the fu-ture. In 2008 - We enabled our website to allow members to join or renew their member-ships online! Joining GAP or
Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth
Karen Proudy, K.Paezlé Harris and LaShonda Dillard
2008 NFPA CONVENTION BY
KAREN PROUDY
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At the December Holiday Dinner we installed the 2009 GAP Board of Directors; however there remains two important positions open that we would like to fill.
1. Speaker Coordinator 2. Community Service Coordinator If you are interested in either of these positions, details are available at http://www.gaparalegal.org/boardvolunteer.html and you submit your statement of interest to Kevin Fogle, President at [email protected].
2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITIONS
DECEMBER 2008
JANUARY 2009 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
JAN 6— BOARD MEETING 5:30pm PLACE TBD
JAN 8— PAYMENT DUE FOR GAP-A-WAY ON APRI L 16TH
JAN 25— GAP PACE STUDY GROUP EVERY SUNDAY 3-5pm THRU MARCH 22, 2009
PLEASE CHECK THE GAP WEBSITE FOR CURRENT UP-DATES TO THE CALENDER AT: WWW.GAPARALEGAL.ORG
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: November 25, 2008 Cindy Byfield, Managing Director [email protected]
K. PAEZLE´ HARRIS, RP, CLA and GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF PARALEGALS RECEIVE NATIONAL
AWARD FOR PROMOTION OF PARALEGAL ADVANCED COMPETENCY EXAM (PACE)
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations <http://paralegals.org/> (NFPA) announced the selection of the Georgia Association of Paralegals (GAP) and its PACE Ambassador, K. Paezle’ Harris, RP, CLA of Cox Communications, Inc. as recipient of the organization’s 2008 PACE Ambassador Award. The award, spon-sored by Altep <http://www.altep.com/> , was presented on October 11th at NFPA’s annual convention in Rogers, Arkansas. The PACE Ambassador Award recognizes an NFPA member association that has made superior efforts to pro-mote the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam to its members and the legal community. The Georgia Asso-ciation of Paralegals (GAP) has demonstrated its commitment to the advancement of the PACE exam by sponsoring PACE-related study groups, publishing articles about PACE in its monthly newsletter, The Para-graph <http://www.gaparalegals.org/pubs.html> , honoring all of its credentialed paralegals on its website www.gaparalegals.org <http://www.gaparalegals.org/> , purchasing lapel pins for credentialed paralegal members of GAP, awarding merit-based PACE Scholarships sponsored by Gallo & Brown, LLC to GAP mem-bers, promoting the PACE Online Review Course offered by NFPA through its partnership with the American Institute for Paralegal Studies (AIPS), yearly participation at PACE Ambassador Conferences sponsored by NFPA, and by hosting the 2008 PACE Ambassador’s Conference in Atlanta. Paezle´ speaks frequently about PACE at different roundtables and seminars, responds regularly to email re-quests for information, and keeps in touch with PACE Ambassadors nationwide in order to keep abreast of changing regulations and licensing updates. Paezle´ recently invented a game for the monthly GAP Dinner Meetings called Are You Smarter than a JD? which consists of members competing against one another to answer mock PACE exam questions. Each member can utilize a veteran GAP member and/or RPs as a life-line. Winners receive fee paid dinners at future GAP meetings. Paezle´ is a Certified Mediator and Georgia Neutral who obtained her Paralegal Certificate from the Uni-versity of Georgia (UGA) and her Advanced Paralegal Certificate from the University of South Carolina (USC) through the Center for Legal Studies. Paezlè became a PACE Registered Paralegal in 2007 and a NALA Certified Paralegal in 2008. She is currently finishing a BS in Business Administration (Legal Studies Major) at Adams State College and plans to begin the Masters Degree Program in Paralegal Studies at George Washington University in 2009. Paezle´ is an active participant in Toastmasters International – Cox Communicators; a member of the Civitan International – Civitan Club of Atlanta; and, has been a part of the corporate paralegal group, LexisNexis Paralegal Advisory Group of Atlanta (PAGA), since 2006. NFPA <http://paralegals.org/> is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 11,000 paralegals and is headquartered in Edmonds, Washington. NFPA’s core purpose is the advancement of the paralegal profession. NFPA promotes a global presence for the paralegal profession, and leadership in the legal community. NFPA – the Leader of the Paralegal Profession™ Altep <http://www.altep.com/> is an industry innovator in the fields of litigation support and professional document management. They provide the tools, strategies and expertise that litigation teams need to success-fully complete document-intensive projects.
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Each year GAP honors a paralegal employer who encourages educa-tional advancement and continued legal training for paralegals; encour-ages interest and active participation in GAP; and mentors paralegals to work toward establishing and achieving professional goals. The winner was an honored guest at GAP’s Holiday Dinner, where the award was presented.
GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF PARALEGALS’ 2008 EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
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K. PAEZLE´ HARRIS, RP, CLA By Helen Hammons
Her name is Paezlè Harris, a senior paralegal with Cox Communications, Inc. in Atlanta and the Georgia Association of Paralegals’ (GAP) award winning Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) ambas-sador. But resumes, nice as they are, tell you little about who a person really is. Exuding warmth, energy, style and self-assuredness, Harris comes across as a bundle of confidence ready to tackle any challenge. What’s in a Name? “I get that question a lot and I just like to leave it a mystery,” says the witty Harris. Paezlè’s mom spreads the tale the name is French and it came from Africa. Another family take on the unique moniker is that it’s just made up. “There are several tales about my name, none that can be believed. I can’t tell you the real truth; it remains a mystery to all,” says Harris with a wink and a nod like jolly old Saint Nicholas. Influences Paezlè Harris says she has been particularly influenced by Wally Lamb’s book She’s Come Undone. She says it’s her favorite and she’s read the book three or four times. “It is about a girl who has issues with her weight and with her self-esteem, and it’s about how her life changes from early childhood to adult-hood. It’s about her everyday life and how she got through all of her issues. It really, really inspired me. She really got through a lot of issues and with humor.”
Harris says other than by family members, she’s learned the most and been inspired and encouraged in her career by two good friends, previous bosses - Pam Nix and Mitzey West.
“When I came on the scene (as a paralegal) at the firm where they both worked, I didn’t know a thing. I really appreciated over the years how they took me under their wings and taught me everything I know. They were happy to feed me any knowledge. They taught me so much, both of them. They were my bosses at different times, and I still keep in touch with them.
Growing It’s the paralegal experience and the unselfishness of others that’s given Harris the courage not only to take steps to improve her leadership skills, but led her back to school and her role as PACE ambassador with GAP. She says she didn’t have a lot of discipline in her first attempt at college years ago. “I learned from being a paralegal how to concentrate in school, whereas I didn’t have that discipline be-fore.”
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WELCOME NEW GAP MEMBERS!
Active Members Rashmi Ahuja
Littler Mendelson PC Natalie Banathy, CLA Chris Ann Davis, CLA Angela L. Davis
Littler Mendelson PC Virginia Eden
Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP
Michelle Elek Alston & Bird LLP
Crystal L. Francis Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP
Carol G. Frost
Jennifer Kirkland
Gray Rust St.Amand Moffett & Brieske
Laura L. Meadows Georgia-Pacific LLC
Elizabeth M. Mikulis Edmond & Jones LLP
Nelly N. Muamba Littler Mendelson PC
Amy Nguyen Littler Mendelson PC
Zarna Rao Littler Mendelson PC
Judith Samuels
John Knight Keenan Sean Kelly Cindy Kirkland
The McCurry Law Firm LLC Lisa Thompson
Martin & Jones Janet Wilson Williams, RP
Andersen Tate & Carr PC Timothy J. Goff Marina V. Grishayeva
Law Office of J. Thomas Salata Barry J. Sudds
Littler Mendelson PC
Student Members Sustaining Members
Paullyanny B. Ferreira
Audrey L. Foster Kathrine H. Miller
Barbara Adams Morey
Phyllis M. Sands Marlon Sims
Donna Strand, RN
First American Commercial
Due Diligence Service Steve Protz
The Georgia Academy of
Mediators and Arbitrators Darren Lee, Director
When: January 25, 2009 to March 22, 2009 Sundays 3:00 to 5:00 PM Where: Seyfarth Shaw LLP 1545 Peachtree Street, Suite 700 Atlanta, Georgia 30309 This is a FREE study group available for GAP members only. Space is limited. Please contact K. Paezle´ Harris at [email protected] or 404-269-7898 to sign up and for additional information or visit the website.
GAP PACE STUDY GROUP
( Outsourcing...Continued from page 4 )
law firm to cut costs by creating an office in India that will handle docu-ment management in litigation, IP and arbitration matters pending around the world. A paralegal would earn $20,000-$25,000 (£10,160-£12,700) per year, as opposed to $40,000-$50,000 (£20,320-£25,400) in the US. To learn more about outsourcing of legal services to India visit Legal Week.
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2008 Registered Paralegals
Alice Chow, RP Elizabeth "Libby" Martinez, RP Janet Williams, RP Brenda Romero, RP
2008 PACE Scholarship
winners Charles Mingle Sarah Bradley Barbara Pylant Runners Up: Michael Misenheimer Amadi Leaks
11
(Continued from page 8)
She’s now earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Adams State College with an emphasis in legal management. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in 2009. Part of being a leader is leading by example, so Paezlè set out to prove to herself she had the knowledge needed for the role. She wants to be a role model and encourager to others. Removing all Doubts. “I wanted to make sure I felt confident as a paralegal. I wanted to make sure I was well-educated in what I was doing. I wanted to have no doubts. There’s so much that we as parale-gals have to know, that we should know, and that we need to make sure that we know.” Harris says 10 years ago she didn’t know any of the stuff on the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) or PACE exams she’s recently passed, “but I was a paralegal.” Harris says just like she had lim-ited knowledge about the field back then a lot of people now call themselves paralegals and many of them shouldn’t be called paralegals. She says it’s important for the profession to move forward. “That really needs to change. We need to make sure there’s a set amount of re-quired education and knowledge before you can call yourself a paralegal.” “I have been trying to get people to take the PACE exam so that they can feel confident about their level of knowledge. “ She believes certification exams should be mandatory. “Others like CPAs have to take licensing, certification exams to prove they have the knowledge and educa-tion required, and I think that’s important.” Away from Work Lest anyone think Paezlè’s only hobby is work, she says that’s not the case. Harris likes to read and says her favorite author is Amy Tan. “Every book she has written has had me enthralled. I always refer people to her books.” Of Tan’s books, Paezlè says The Kitchen God’s Wife is her favorite. Her busy life has kept her away from her most favorite of things – writing. “My favorite thing to do, which I haven’t had time to do the last two years, is to write. I have started three differ-ent books over the last 15 years and finished none, but it really is what I love to do when I have the time. I’ll start one book, put it down, and start a new one. I never go back to the one I started. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do it in a long time, but I’m going to get back to it.” The talented Ms. Harris, who has also been known to enjoy taking part in happenings at a local dinner mystery theatre, says she’s started a mystery book, a self-help book, and one for chil-dren about her daughter, Taya. Others have given much to Paezlè Harris as she’s traveled the highway of life. As she continues to discover the uniqueness within her, she wants to be an encouragement to others in their journey. As 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.”
If you’d like more information about PACE Exams please contact Paezlè’ at [email protected] .
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Let's GAP-A-WAY
The 2008 GAP-A-Way was such a success we have decided to do it again in 2009 - April 16th to the 19th. This time the destination is
Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic
April 16, 2009 - 3 nights
All Meals and Snacks All Alcoholic Beverages Sports and Activities Entertainment/Shows Night Club more details
Beautiful Riu Bachata is an extraordinary getaway on the spectacular shores of Mai-mon Bay, overlooking a lush tropical mountainside. The 610 bungalow-style guest-rooms offer deluxe accommodations with Riu's unique amenities, such as a mini-bar and liquor dispenser. The hotel features a relaxed atmosphere and a wide array of dining and leisure options, all complemented by the renowned Caribbean Street promenade and the exchange privileges program with Riu's two sister properties within the resort. This friendly fun-filled resort is a wonderful choice for fabulous holi-days set in breathtaking, tropical surroundings.
Contact Bonnie at 770-729-1881 or [email protected] go to Nationwide Cruises & Vacations Home Page
2008
GAP-A-WAY
to J A M A I C A
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GAP MEMBERS CELEBRATE AT IITH ANNUAL HOLDAY PARTY
DECEMBER 9, 2008
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LEGAL WORD POWER Complete the crossword search and fax your answers to 888-677-5650 --The first respondent with the correct answers will win an Editors Gift Pack.
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RESOLVE TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE IN GAP FOR 2009!
New Year's day...it never fails to evoke feelings of hope and renewal, but is it really a trap? You've been handed a proverbial clean slate - another chance to shrug off your bad habits and reach for your dreams. In an attempt to bottle that New Year's vigor, you'll make a few New Year's Resolutions. But before you put pen to paper, you ought to know this: It has been reported that 92 % of all New Year's Resolutions end in failure. That means that less than 1 out of every 10 people will successful accomplish their reso-lutions in 2009. Ouch - those statistics are brutal. Who in their right mind would take the time to make resolutions when failure is that imminent? First up, the 92% who failed. These well meaning folks shared a common mistake that put the nail in their coffin before they'd even begun. They bit off more than they could chew. In all the excitement of becoming a better person and changing their life in the New Year they made the crucial mistake of committing to do too much. But reality set in, a few weeks or even days into their reformed life, and they gave up. The 92% gave themselves an easy way out. They approached their resolution with an 'all or nothing' attitude. Once the 'all' became too tough they opted for 'nothing'. And just like that another resolution ended in failure - end of story. Now let's examine the 8% who succeed with their resolutions year after year. The key to their success is quite simple (you may have even guessed it by now). They set realistic goals. I'll repeat that... they set REALISTIC goals. Remember that the whole point of making a New Year's Resolution is to become a healthier, happier and more successful person. Small changes done consistently will make a big difference. If your New Year's Resolution has to do with becoming more active in GAP. The GAP Board would love to team up with you - together we will transform our organization.
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We learned that the PACE pass rate is now 77% and that the pass rate is same under new test as it was under old test. This year there are 86 new Registered Paralegals. The first day of the Convention consisted of two CLE seminar tracks. On Friday it was down to business and each of the five Regions which make up NFPA held its second region meetings for 2008. Georgia is part of Region III, which had a representative from every one of its associations attending the Conven-tion. We were joined this year by Region III’s newest association, the South Florida Paralegal Associa-tion. During the Region III meeting we discussed issues which face our associations, how to increase membership and achieve financial stability and the agenda topics to be considered during the Policy Meeting. The Policy Meeting was held on Saturday and half of Sunday. Each association, regardless of size, has one vote on the agendas which are presented at the annual meeting. GAP is one of the largest associa-tions which make up NFPA. The Agenda Topics on which the delegates voted covered various issues in-cluding adopting a conflict of interest policy, appointing a marketing coordinator, developing an entry level exam and adopting a model plan for paralegal licensure. The delegates worked hard to establish NFPA Policy and amend the bylaws to further our ever changing profession. Finally, we learned that a history of NFPA is currently being compiled and GAP members should be proud of the role we have played in NFPA’s history. GAP is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this year and NFPA will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary during 2009. GAP is one of eight charter associations which founded NFPA. Just one year after forming our own association in 1973, Georgia Paralegals en-deavored to form a national federation for other associations in 1974. We can all look forward to cele-brating NFPA’s 35th Anniversary next year.
( 2008 NFPA CONVENTION Continued from page 4)
