may 2010 issue embracing e-discoveryaccording to some paralegals, hiring a virtual paralegal is a...

A North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Publication

EmbracingEmbracingE-discoveryE-discovery

Virtual paralegals becoming more common

as profession growspage 3

Graduation season a good time to reflect on career, offer advice

page 5

Paralegals will have to get ‘nerdy‘ to stay competitive

page 6

May 2010 issue

Not a lot of ‘Perry Mason moments’ in the law,

paralegal says page 7

Listen up, paralegals: it’s good

for your clients page 8

M ay 2 0 1 0 � V o l um e 4 , N um b e r 5

Carolina Paralegal News2 May 2010

INSIDE

PARALEGAL PERSPECTIVE

Q&Awith Betty Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A 36-year veteran of the industry, Betty Parks of Hilton Head, S.C.says one of the most frustrating parts of the job is having to stay polite —even when clients are not.

Q&AwithMartha Blackman-Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7North Carolina paralegal Martha Blackman-Hughes notes that thebest paralegals know that justice comes slowly.

Q&AwithWynne Potash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Palmetto Paralegal Association treasurer Wynne Potash says that gettinginvolved with professional organizations helped her overcome her shyness.

Q&Awith Annette Rorie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The dreaded billable hour: Charlotte, N.C. paralegal Annette Roriesays paralegals often stress about meeting their requirements.

Q&Awith Candace Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Accepting a smaller salary in exchange for experience may be necessaryfor entry-level paralegals, Nexsen Pruet paralegal Candace Russell tells CPN.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUELetter to theEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Paralegal Association News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Carolina Paralegal News

COLUMNS

Soaring Eagles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Recognizing your fears is the first step to overcoming them,according to Cheryl Leone and Dave Favor.

Overheard at theWater Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Camille Stell describes her own career path and offers adviceto new paralegals in an excerpt from a graduation speechshe delivered at Meredith College.

You are the Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Listen up! In this column, Annette Church urges paralegalsto become active listeners.

NEWS & FEATURES

Virtual Paralegals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Advances in technology are changing the ways that legalprofessionals do their jobs. Are virtual paralegals the waveof the future?

Embracing e-discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Handling a client matter may mean dealing with massiveamounts of electronically stored information. To do it right,paralegals may need to “get a little nerdy.”

May 2010 Carolina Paralegal News 3

Virtual paralegals becoming more common as profession growsBy KIMBERLY M. JOHNSON, Special to CPN

Despite the economic downturn, thelegal services field is one the fastestgrowing employment areas, accordingto the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And it’s still blossoming. The bureaupredicts that employment of paralegalsand legal assistants is expected to growby 28 percent between 2008 and 2018,much faster than the average for allother occupations.

But a decline in a firm or company’sbusiness cycle may have employerslooking for cost-cutting measures whilesearching for avenues to increase effi-ciency. Experts say that one approachis to tap into the virtual paralegal work-force.

A virtual paralegal performs the tra-ditional duties and has the same respon-sibilities of an office paralegal exceptthat he or she is an independent con-tractor and works from a remote loca-tion such as a home office.

Generally, the paralegal also has hadyears of experience working in a lawfirm or corporate environment. However,he or she does not have to specializein a particular area.

Oklahoma paralegal Cathy Ribble saidthat the virtual paralegal adheres to theAmerican Bar Association definition of alegal assistant or paralegal and has the“the skills and expertise to perform thiswork in a virtual setting.”

They also operate as small businessowners, said Michigan-based paralegalVicki Voisin.

“You are literally in business foryourself and must treat this like a busi-ness,” she explained. “You have totake care of all the issues of running abusiness — marketing, attractingclients, billing — and still get yourwork done.

“You no longer have the benefitspackage you had as a traditional para-legal...you must cover things like healthand life insurance yourself,” Voisin said.

Law firm perksAccording to some paralegals, hiring

a virtual paralegal is a positive way todo business.

“I’m a firm believer that virtual para-legals, virtual legal assistants and virtualassistants are the future of office admin-istration,” said virtual assistant Tina MarieHilton, who operates the ClericalAdvantage Virtual Assistance Services.

“One reason [is] that more and moreattorneys are going solo and preferringto work from a home office themselves.A virtual paralegal gives them the abilityto have the experienced help they needwithout needing to offer office space,supplies, computers or the taxes and ben-efits an employee would require.”

The virtual expert is a more con-temporary model for staffing needs,according to Laurie Mapp, who ownsand operates Canada-based HaloSecretarial Services.

“Solo lawyers may find them to bea preferred choice compared to havingfull-time staff or to doing too muchadministrative and general work them-selves,” she said. “Firms large and smallmay find that virtual paralegals andlegal assistants can be a wonderful addi-tion to having full-time staff.”

Based in Edmonton, Mapp added thatvirtual paralegals provide a greater sta-bility and experience level than anemployer would find in temporaryemployees. That reliability is essentialwhen virtual paralegals enter a remoteworking relationship with an attorney.

“As technology has advanced and wehave more ways to connect and performour work, our titles are evolving again,”says freelance virtual paralegal KrisCanady of Sequim, Wash. “We are

working in new ways that enhance ourvirtual ability and reach.”

Public and professional awareness ofalternative staffing models has alsohelped the virtual paralegal field grow inpopularity.

“Because people are largely con-nected through multimedia, the WorldWide Web and social networking, thevisibility of virtual paralegals (and attor-neys) has increased immensely.Similarly, as technology has becomeincreasingly available to both businessesand individuals, this group of profes-sionals has expanded as has interest inutilizing their services,” said Canady.

Bottom line benefitsWith the recession affecting pay

scales, many law offices and in-house

legal departments of corporations arelooking for ways to streamline com-pensation to workers.

Mapp said that virtual paralegals playan important role in meeting that need.

“Many law firms are working toreduce their bottom line and a virtualparalegal is an easy and effective way todo this. If there is no work, then there isno bill from the virtual paralegal, and ifthe firm is busy they can easily scale upthe number of hours the virtual paralegalis providing assistance,” she explained.

The other plus for legal employersis that virtual paralegals bill only whenthey are working. That eliminates thecosts associated with having a full-timeemployee.

This is particularly important to thesolo attorney, who needs to pay special

attention to cost, Ribble said.“Contracting with a virtual paralegal

allows many tasks to be performed ata lower cost than the solo attorney’snormal billing rate,” she explained.

Combat isolation with networkingAlthough virtual paralegals enjoy the

benefits of job flexibility and varied tasks,limiting their day-to-day routine to remotecommunication with employers presentsits own set of personal challenges.

Isolation and disconnect are two issuesa virtual paralegal encounters, accordingto Canaday, who provides litigation andadministrative support to attorneys.

“You do not have the luxury of askingan attorney for an opinion or discussing

NEWS

� See VIRTUAL on PAGE 9


understand your reaction and the betteryour potential for moving out of fear.

There is one more critical conceptthat is part of self-mastery and needsto be accepted at some level: You areresponsible for everything thathappens to you. This logic does notalways go down well, as it suggeststhat you are responsible for gettingcancer or for a car hitting you. Wecan discuss this for hours, but weonly have a few words left, so let’scut to the chase.

In self-mastery, you are responsiblefor your response or reaction to anevent, not the event itself. The reasonthis concept is so critical is because ifyou are not responsible, you cannotchange it.

If you find someone in fear modeand they say something is not their fault,they are not taking any action to move

By CHERYL J. LEONE and DAVID W. FAVORSpecial to CPN

The goal of teaching self-mastery isto provide an understanding of ourreactions and the tools we need to bettercontrol our lives. These principles applyto business settings as much as to yourpersonal lives.

The principles of self-mastery can beplaced in four categories, or paradigms,to better simplify our understanding —fear, duty, achievement and integrity. Werespond with all four of these paradigmsmany times during the day.

The goal of self-mastery is to movethrough the paradigms as fast as you canto arrive at integrity. You can see yourselfdoing this, the people around you doingthis and your business doing this.

Understanding these concepts notonly helps you live a more joyful life,but it also will help you become a betterleader because you are able to see andhelp people you relate to every day.

This article is about fear.Fear is an emotional response to a

perceived threat and almost alwaysrelates to future events, such asworsening of a situation or continuationof a situation that is unacceptable. Fearis an instant reaction to something thatis presently happening.

We respond with fear usually becauseof an unknown that makes us feel that

we have no control. Once we are in thefear paradigm, we are unable to moveforward. We are not fulfilling ourpurpose, moving towards our goals orhelping our cause.

The basic tenet of self-mastery theoryis that you react to events based on yourbeliefs, values and feelings of self-worth.At the foundation is the idea that if youhave no idea who you are, what youstand for or where you are in life, youwill always operate in fear mode andbe unable to make any progress. If youhave an employee or a partner in fearmode, they are not productive becausethey have no idea what to do next.

For an example of how this works,imagine a bridge.

As you are walking your path, youcome upon a ravine with a rickety ropebridge across it. You interpret this eventbased on your beliefs. Based on thatinterpretation, you develop an emotion.Based on that emotion, you respond.

Your initial response might be fear(i.e., ‘I can’t get across,’ ‘Someone isout to stop me,’ ‘I will fall,’ etc.). Ifyou can recognize yourself or a co-worker responding to the event, you canbetter understand how to help movebeyond fear.

Step one: Understand that you willreact based on your beliefs, values andfeeling of self-worth. The better youdefine yourself, the better you will

Want success? Take ownership of your fearsSOARING EAGLES

LeoneFavor

out of that paradigm. They are stuck.Likewise, if you can recognize that

you are in fear mode and have theability to take ownership of yourresponse, you are ready to move on andthe battle is almost won. However,without those critical few steps, noamount of tools or training will help.

This theory has been around forhundreds of years and is well-proven.It is the implementation that is sodifficult.

We have spent years trying to defineourselves and many times, outside eventsthreaten to beat us down. Levels ofdepression, stress and frustration areevident all around us. They key is tounderstand who you are, not just thetheory of self-mastery.

Remember the old adage: “The onlything you have to fear is fear itself?”

Editor’s note: Cheryl Leone andDave Favor are the principals inCatalyst Group, Inc., a nationalprofessional development company inRaleigh, N.C. Both speak and writenationally on law firm development andmentor and coach lawyers andparalegals in personal and professionaldevelopment. Soaring Eagles is the namethey apply to law firm personnel whenspeaking and writing. The companywebsite is www.catalystgroupinc.com.Soaring Eagles blogs can be found atwww.lawfirmcoachblog.com.

Q&A: BETTY PARKS

Betty Parks has spent 29 yearsworking as a paralegal with Laurich &Wiseman in Hilton Head, S.C. She is amember of the Hilton Head Legal StaffProfessionals, Legal Staff Professionalsof South Carolina and NALS. She alsois an affiliate member of the MortgageLenders Association.

CPN: How long have you been aparalegal?

Parks: Thirty-six years.

CPN: What drew you into the career?Parks: I really was just looking for

a job and applied for an assistant posi-tion with a local attorney. When Iwalked in, my high school businessteacher was working there and I got thejob with no problem. I have enjoyedthis career for many years.

CPN: What paralegal organizations— national, state or local— are youmember of and what positions do you

hold in them?Parks: I be-

long to the HiltonHead Legal StaffProfessionals andI now hold thetitle of treasurerand functionaldirector of educa-tion. This mem-bership alsoincludes a mem-bership withLSPSC and NALS.

CPN: When you talk with otherparalegals, what are the main concernsor issues they face on a daily basis?

Parks: As I work in real estate, thenew rules and regulations have made iteven harder for us to handle our jobsas quickly as we normally would. Thatmeans a lot of frustration from clientsand lenders about getting loans processedseems to land on our shoulders.

Perfect CLE would cover the problems paralegals have with attorneysCPN: If you could name one thing

that would most benefit the paralegalprofession, what would it be?

Parks: Recognition for the work andknowledge we have and bring to thejob.

CPN: If you could snap your fingersand create the perfect CLE, what wouldit be and why?

Parks: A lively discussion of prob-lems paralegals have with attorneys.

CPN: Should registration or certifi-cation through the S.C. Bar be approved?

Parks: I feel it would benefit theparalegals and encourage more certifi-cation.

CPN: When you were a kid, whatdid you want to be when you grew up?

Parks: A nurse or working withanimals.

CPN: Knowing what you know now,if you weren’t a paralegal, what elsewould you want to do?

Parks: Be retired!

CPN: What do you wish you knewwhen you were getting started in theprofession that you know now?

Parks: To take more classes and getcertification as quickly as possible.

CPN: What is the best thing aboutyour job?

Parks: I love my job. The people Iwork with help me in my stressful daysand having clients and lenders that youenjoy working with makes the day goby quicker.

CPN: And what part of your jobcould you do without?

Parks: Stress and time restraints.Also, some clients aren’t very pleasantand you still have to be polite.

CPN: What one thing, either per-sonally or professionally, are you mostproud of?

Parks: My paralegal certificate,which I received by going to nightschool, and working for the same attor-ney for over 28 years. I am also veryproud of raising a son that served inAfghanistan and Iraq and now hasjoined the National Guard.

CPN: Where would we find you onthe weekends?

Parks: Reading, working on jigsawpuzzles and church on Sunday.

Parks

WILSON AND ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC.CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER

Ann M Wilson, MBA, CPA, CFE 638 Nickolas Place NW, Concord, North Carolina 28027704-467-4424 • [email protected] • www.wilsonandassociatescfe.com

Forensic AccountingFraud InvestigationLitigation Support

every meeting or seminar that I attended.• Set priorities for yourself. I heard

a lawyer friend give a speech to aMeredith alumnae group and she said,“You can have it all, just not all at onetime.” I believe this is true. The law isa demanding field. We work for Type Apersonalities who are high achievers andhave excelled at everything they haveever done in their lives. Many of ushave some of those same traits. Everylawyer I have ever worked with has toldme that the bar is perfection — nothingless. And they aren’t kidding.

• Be indispensible. Early in theircareers, many people make the mistakeof putting all their eggs in one basket.You think you work for one lawyer orone team of lawyers rather than all thelawyers in the firm. The problem withthis way of thinking is that lawyerschange jobs or change practice areas andyou are often left behind. By makingyourself indispensible to the law firm, youlessen the chance of this happening. Learnhow to do tasks that no one else wants todo. When you don’t have enough workto keep you busy, walk the halls and askfor work — even if it’s in a new area.

• Follow legal trends. In order tomake sure our careers stay relevant, weneed to be aware of what is going on

around us. Following trends likeglobalization, advances in

technology and newpractice areas will be

important. Thisdoesn’t mean thatall of you will be

working for aninternational law

firm. Many of youwill be employed by

one of the thousands ofsole practitioners or small

law offices that populateour states and have jobs that

are fulfilling. However, whatthese trends mean is that if

you want a global job, theopportunity is available.

Remember, you have a respon-sibility to work hard, to be a valued

employee and to give back.Editor’s note: This is excerpted from

a graduation speech that Camille Stelldelivered to graduates of MeredithCollege’s paralegal program on May10 in Raleigh, N.C. Stell is direc-tor of client services for LawyersMutual Liability Insurance Companyof North Carolina and a and a fre-quent speaker and author on lawoffice management issues.


Advice to new paralegals• Remember that the learning has

just begun. For many of you, this isn’tyour first career, so you understand thatcompletion of school is a beginning, notan end. Be open to a lifetime of learn-ing. Don’t wait for your lawyer to tellyou how to do something — try it your-self. Read the rules, search the formfiles or brief banks. Take continuingeducation classes and get certified.Attend seminars in practice areas outsideof your own.

• Be original. My career has beenvaried and successful because I neverfollowed anyone’s path but my own. Iwas always looking for a challengeoutside of the ones provided and I neverwaited to be asked to do anything. Somepeople might sit back and wait for anominating committee to ask them toserve as president. Not me. If I wantedto be president of an association, I justput myself in the running. I didn’talways win every election, but the few Ididn’t win, I usually ended up with afine consolation prize — exposure tomore people and someone in a leader-ship position who usually asked for myadvice and input and contri-butions in other ways.

• Be bold. Seek jobswhere jobs might not existyet. I’ve had three jobscreated with me in mind —where I was able to writemy own job description andto use my gifts and abilities. Ididn’t know one lawyer before I

went to college and obtained myfirst job in a law firm. I didn’t

know any paralegals, but Iintroduced myself to

every paralegal at

By CAMILLE STELL, Special to CPN

Thirty years ago, I was a high schoolsenior who was planning to attendMeredith College in Raleigh, N.C. Ididn’t know what career I wanted topursue until a guidance counselorshowed me an article about the parale-gal profession. The article made the pro-fession sound interesting, and thesuggested course load fit with my inter-ests — English, history, political scienceand other pre-law courses. I decided thatthis would be my career.

I entered Meredith in August 1980.In one of my first classes, EmilyJohnson walked in and introducedherself as the director of a new post-graduate certificate program offered bythe college called the legal assistantsprogram (which became the paralegalprogram some years later). Not onlywould I be able to attend Meredith formy undergraduate studies, but now thecertificate course I would need toprepare for my career would be avail-able locally and not just in Atlanta orPhiladelphia, which would otherwisehave been my two closest options.

Looking backThe first networking experience that

landed me a job occurred while I was astudent in the legal assistants program.Clark Brewer, a real estate instructor,walked down to thelitigation classduring break andannounced that hislaw firm, YoungMoore Henderson& Alvis, planned tohire three litigationparalegals and heencouraged us tosend in our resumes.I interviewed andstarted work the weekafter graduation.

My first job was every-thing I expected it to be.The law firm was well-respected, the lawyers I workedwith were smart (maybe evenbrilliant) and the work was chal-lenging. Everything I learned in theclassroom I was able to do on thejob — interview clients, draft legaldocuments and participate in trials.My skill level grew as the lawyers Iworked with entrusted me with morechallenging assignments. I workedfor this law firm for 10 years.

During those first years of my

career, I hadmany professionalsuccesses —coupled withseveral publicfailures. I learnedthat the successesare great andmake you feelgood, but the fail-ures are necessaryto build character,to learn how tosolve problems and to help you deter-mine who your friends are.

During this time, I was also busydeveloping my professional profile. Ibecame active in paralegal associations,started teaching at Meredith and beganwriting and speaking about ethics, lawoffice management and any issues relat-ing to the paralegal profession. I wasn’tinterested in just receiving — I wantedto serve. The Meredith program hadgiven much to me that teaching andspending time on campus with studentsseemed a small price to pay in return.

The people I met through the para-legal associations became my mentorsand my friends. As a result of beingmentored, I wanted to experience thegift of mentoring others, so I jumpedinto professional association work. Ilearned leadership skills, teamwork andhow individual desires must sometimesbe sacrificed for the good of the organ-ization. I also met people who becamelifelong friends as well as professionalcolleagues who helped my career downthe road.

OVERHEARD AT THE WATERCOOLER

Graduation season a good time to reflect on career, offer advice

Stell


FEATURE

By SYLVIA ADCOCK, Special to CPN

“Plaintiff requests that Defendantproduce the documents requested toPlaintiff’s counsel of record within thirty(30) days of service.”

That’s been the standard form sentout at the beginning of most civilactions for decades. But one word —document — has taken on a vastly dif-ferent meaning in recent years. Whilethe word once conjured up images ofstacks of paper, memos, reports andletters, it has now been broadened toinclude almost any kind of informationthat can be stored electronically.

“Something new is popping up allthe time,” said Gary Melhuish, managerof litigation support services at BallardSpahr, a large firm based inPhiladelphia.

Just a few weeks ago, Melhuish said,he came across a case involving infor-mation that was stored in a copymachine that scans in materials.

“I’d never seen that before,” he said.Increasingly, paralegals — not only

those involved in litigation but otherspecialties as well — are having to stayon their toes to keep up. And althoughsome smaller firms have not had to dealwith electronic discovery, or e-discov-ery, that’s changing fast.

“It’s coming to a small law firm nearyou,” said Lynne DeVenny, a litigationparalegal with Elliot Pishko Morgan inWinston-Salem, N.C.

“You need to know what e-discov-ery is. You don’t want to be in a situ-ation where suddenly half theinformation requested from the otherside is coming from cell phones andhard drives, and you don’t know howto deal with it,” she said.

Separating the wheat from the chafftakes time and know-how. Firms willoften use specialized data-recoveryexperts.

In the Carolinas, Legalis, a well-known document management firm,employs “scary smart’’ graduates of

N.C. State University’s computer scienceprogram who know how to retrieveelectronically stored information whilemaking sure it’s not tainted in any way,said Craig McGannon, the company’sCEO.

Spoliation — the tainting of evidenceso that it is rendered useless in court— can become an issue when e-dis-covery is not handled properly.

For example, if a client is being suedby a former worker claiming unjustfiring and says the worker was lookingat porn on his office computer, that evi-dence must be handled carefully.Turning the computer on after theemployee left could taint the evidencethat the company could use to defenditself.

“The judge can throw it out and say

Emily J. Will, D-BFDECertified Document ExaminerCourt Qualified – 23 years

Box 58552 Raleigh, NC 27658919.556.7414 local877.699.7414 toll free

www.Qdewill.com

Handwriting, altered documents – examination, reports, testimony.

With firms laying people off left and right,you can make yourself quite marketable.From a technology standpoint, paralegals

are going have to get a little nerdy.

Lynne DeVenny, litigation paralegal with Elliot Pishko Morgan

Embracing E-discovery

you can’t prove it was him and notsomeone else,” McGannon said. “It canhave a devastating impact.”

In most cases, data from a computermust be retrieved without actuallyturning on the computer. And documenthandlers must also know how to lookfor metadata — the term used todescribe data that is hidden in electronicinformation, such as when a documentwas created, when it was altered andwho authored it.

Such information isn’t always avail-able on paper documents, but with elec-tronically stored information, attorneyscan even see who may have alteredcertain documents, which could becomeimportant to the case.

Litigation paralegals say that e-dis-covery is making it more likely thatparties to a case will be more aggressivein the discovery process, knowing thatthe electronically stored information, orESI, can hold a treasure trove of evi-dence.

One obvious and well-documentedreason is that people tend to be lessdiscreet in e-mails than in paper docu-ments. (Think Goldman Sachs execu-tive’s Fabrice Tourre’s e-mail missivethat he dumped worthless mortgagesecurities on “widows and orphans thatI ran into at the airport.”)

“The days of ‘I won’t ask for yoursif you don’t ask for mine’ are gone,”said Melhuish.

Still, courts are not likely to allowfishing expeditions. In 2007, the federalRules of Civil Procedure were changedto reflect e-discovery, for the first timemaking it official that the word “docu-ment” includes electronically storedinformation. But the rules also say thata responding party need not produceESI that is “reasonably inaccessible.”

Despite the changes, many smallerlocal firms are behind the times,McGannon said. Paralegals need tomake sure their attorneys are aware ofhow to handle e-discovery.

“They didn’t learn it in law school,’’said Chere Estrin, a legal educator whochairs the board of the Organization ofLegal Professionals, a nonprofit profes-sional organization.

“If your attorney is over 40, it didn’texist,” she said.

This summer, the California-basedOLP is offering an online interactivecourse in e-discovery followed by a cer-tification test. “We want to create aformal course … that would show youremployer that you’ve gone the extramile and you know more about this,’’Estrin said.

DeVenny, who writes the blogwww.practicalparalegalism.com, saidparalegals who know how to deal withe-discovery may have an edge on otherjob candidates.

“With firms laying people off leftand right, you can make yourself quitemarketable,’’ she said. “From a tech-nology standpoint, paralegals are goinghave to get a little nerdy.”

In the meantime, paper is becominga thing of the past.

McGannon, the Legalis CEO, saidmore than 90 percent of all documentsgenerated in court cases never existedon paper.

Jeffrey Smith, litigation paralegalwith Syngenta Crop Protection Inc. inGreensboro, N.C., said he is seeing lessand less paper.

“We’ve done some rather big col-lections lately, and most of it is elec-tronic,” he said. “On some of them,we’ve just pulled out a handful ofpaper.”

Here are some tips for effectivee-discovery:

• Know where the data is, whetherit’s for your firm’s client or yourcorporation. Communicate with ITspecialists so you’ll know how tonarrow down searches.

• If you’re using an outside docu-ment management company, doyour homework as you would inany vendor situation. Ask aroundand see who’s well-respected.

• If you or the client is under alitigation hold, make sure memosgo to the correct custodians ofinformation so that they know theycan’t delete memos.

• Learn the language of technologyjust as you know the language oflaw. If you can do that, you can bean effective translator between yourattorney and computer specialists.

‘ ’

and on time. I enjoy working for, andwith, dedicated professionals — bothattorneys and my fellow paralegals —who have such a strong work ethic andwho feel a great sense of responsibilityfor turning out quality work andachieving favorable outcomes for ourclients. I love being part of the winningteam at Smith Debnam.


Blackman-Hughes: Getting pastWestern Boulevard on I-440 on thecommute to and from work! Once I getto the building, I’m good. In terms ofwork, I don’t feel that I am asked todo anything for which I can’t see thepurpose and, for the most part, onlypurposeless tasks annoy me.

CPN: What one thing, eitherpersonally or professionally, are youmost proud of?

Blackman-Hughes: I take a greatdeal of satisfaction in educationalachievements. I do love to learn and tostudy. No one can ever take away fromyou what you put inside your ownhead. I am proud to be a graduate ofUNC-Chapel Hill, to have earned aparalegal certificate from DukeUniversity, to have passed the N.C.paralegal certification exam, and, mostrecently, to have earned my nationalparalegal certification from NALA.(OK, the Duke part broke my heartbecause I’m a true blue Carolina girl,but you do what you’ve got to do.)


Blackman-Hughes: I believe myphoto is in Webster’s Dictionary under“homebody.” By the end of the workweek, I just want to stay put. I like toread, quilt, watch classic movies andpaper craft. I’m also teaching myself tomake jam and preserves, so you mightwell find me in the kitchen this springand summer, canning a batch of fruit.


Not a lot of ‘Perry Mason moments’ in the law, paralegal saysA North Carolina native, Martha

Blackman-Hughes works in the creditors’rights, construction and leasing practicegroup at Smith Debnam Narron DrakeSaintsing & Myers in Raleigh, N.C. Shealso has legal experience in medicalmalpractice, personal injury, legalresearch and real property.


Blackman-Hughes: I was firstemployed as a paralegal in 2001. I havebeen in my current position for about19 months.

CPN: What drew you into thecareer?

Blackman-Hughes: I like that thelaw is a highly intellectual pursuit. Ittakes work and continuous study to begood at it. It is at once complex, rigidand structured, but at the same time,flexible and fluid enough to be open tothat “good faith argument” for themodification of existing law. It is a veryappealing paradox.

CPN: What paralegal organizations— national, state or local — are youmember of and what positions do youhold in them?

Blackman-Hughes: I am a memberof the N.C. Paralegal Association, theparalegal division of the N.C. BarAssociation, and the National Associationof Legal Assistants.


Blackman-Hughes: The first thingsthat come to mind are the same generalconcerns that most working womenhave, such as finding time to get it alldone, both at home and at work, andwondering whether there is a better wayto balance competing responsibilities. Ithink we all struggle a bit with findingthe proper balance and keeping a healthyperspective on our personal andprofessional lives.

CPN: If you could name one thingthat would most benefit the paralegalprofession, what would it be?

Blackman-Hughes: Some clear,objective measure of ability, whether itis an educational requirement or oneestablished by standardized testing, or acombination of the two. I was verypleased when North Carolina institutedits certification program for paralegals. Ibelieve that quality professionalcertification is a wonderful opportunitynot only to improve and enhance one’sskill set, but also to demonstrate to one’scurrent or potential employers acommitment to professional excellenceand to produce demonstrative evidenceof that commitment, beyond the day-to-day work product.


Blackman-Hughes: Anything thatincluded concrete, real-world instructionon how to get the job done. Theory andphilosophy certainly have their place ina paralegal’s education, as I don’tbelieve it is possible to approach one’swork thoughtfully and intelligentlywithout knowing why something shouldbe done.

However, it is no less important tounderstand how something should bedone. I have been frustrated so oftenwhen attending a CLE that gave melittle more than a fly-by overview of atopic. I need more than issue-spotting. Ialso need to know, for example, whattype of document to file, what

information needsto be in thedocument, whento file it, how tofix a filing errorand a heads-upon thepeculiarities oflocal rules incertain countiesor districts wherethe document maybe filed.


Blackman-Hughes: A veterinarian.My dad was, and is, a modern dayDoctor Dolittle, so we had all kindsof animals around while I wasgrowing up. I still have that love ofanimals today, but thought better ofmaking a career of it.


Blackman-Hughes: I had two tracksin mind when I graduated from college.One led to the law, which I followed,and the other to psychology. I was mostinterested in the field of socialpsychology and research. That ties intomany areas of the law, too, as we oftenask ourselves why people do the thingsthey do and how they can be motivatedto modify that behavior. I took the path

of helping to enforce consequences forparticular behaviors rather than studyingthe behaviors themselves.


Blackman-Hughes: That the lawgenerally moves with all deliberatespeed, which means slowly, and that oneis unlikely ever to see a “Perry Masonmoment” when a defendantspontaneously breaks down andconfesses it all. Justice comes carefullyand deliberately instead, and a goodparalegal has to learn to respect theprocess and to critically examine whatshe sees and hears at every step alongthe way.


Blackman-Hughes: Being in the

chain of responsibility for a client matterfrom start to finish. I am fortunate towork in a practice group where, subjectto appropriate attorney supervision anddirection, paralegals are an importantpart of keeping things moving in aclient’s case. We are not spoon-fed dailyassignments, but instead have reasonablelatitude to manage our workload, subjectto fixed deadlines and the occasionalunexpected priority project. We knowwhat we have to do and are heldaccountable for getting it done, correctly

Q&A:MARTHA BLACKMAN-HUGHES

Blackman-Hughes

I like that the law is a highly intellectualpursuit. It takes work and continuous study to be good

at it. It is at once complex, rigid and structured, but at thesame time, flexible and fluid enough to be open to that

“good faith argument” for the modification of existinglaw. It is a very appealing paradox.

‘’


Q&A:WYNNE POTASH

Association memberships can help break the ‘shyness shell’A paralegal with Haynsworth Sinkler

Boyd in Columbia, S.C., Wynne Potashreceived her bachelor’s degree in Frenchfrom the University of South Carolina in1983. She went on to earn a paralegalcertificate in December 1991 from theNational Center for Paralegal Training inAtlanta.

Before becoming a paralegal, Potashworked in the banking industry in thearea of employee benefits, primarilyadministering retirement plans. She cur-rently serves as treasurer of the PalmettoParalegal Association.


Potash: I have been working as aparalegal since June 1, 1992.


Potash: My dad and brother are bothlawyers, and my youngest sister receivedher paralegal certificate a few yearsbefore I did, so certainly familiarity andinterest drew me into the career ofbecoming a paralegal.

CPN: What paralegal organizations— national, state or local— are youmember of and what positions do youhold in them?

Potash: Through my membership inthe Palmetto Paralegal Association inColumbia, S.C., I am a member of theNational Federation of ParalegalAssociations and the S.C. Alliance ofParalegal Associations, formerly known

as the S.C.Alliance of LegalA s s i s t a n tA s s o c i a t i o n s(SCALAA).

I am thecurrent treasurerof PPA andserved in thatsame position in2009. I have heldvarious positionsin PPA throughoutmy years as a paralegal including treas-urer and first vice president/educationcommittee chair. I was spokesperson ofSCALAA in 2001.


Potash: Timekeeping, billing and col-lection goals, keeping pace with tech-nology and communication andconfirmation of practices and procedureswhen working with different attorneys.


Potash: Being recognized as a pro-fessional.


Potash: Since we know perfectionrarely exists, I will go out on a limband say that a perfect CLE would be

one that showcases success in balanc-ing family, children, work and livingwith joy!

CPN: Should registration or certifi-cation through the S.C. Bar beapproved?

Potash: When I was spokespersonof SCALAA in 2001, SCALAA focusedon regulation of the paralegal profes-sion in South Carolina. As a delegatein 2002 and 2003, I assisted in thedrafting and editing of a proposal thatSCALAA presented to the S.C. Bar onthe establishment of a paralegal/legalassistant division within the Bar. As weknow, this was unfortunately rejected.

I am optimistic that an opportunitywill arise in the near future to onceagain pursue the registration/certifica-tion process, and hopefully, withsuccess.


Potash: A teacher.


Potash: Not that I profess anyexpertise in the areas, but I am inter-ested in writing and also nutrition.


Potash: Never to assume and toalways confirm.


Potash: Without a doubt, the peopleI work for and with. The amount ofhours we spend on the job oftenexceeds the hours we spend at homewith our families, so it is a blessing tobe part of a wonderful team of attor-neys and co-workers.


Potash: Being a non-exemptemployee and having to keep track ofhours worked as well as billable hours.


Potash: I am honored that I havehad the opportunity to serve on theexecutive board of the PalmettoParalegal Association. Learning to inter-act and negotiate with many differentpersonalities certainly has been a lifelesson for me. I tend to be shy, so thisservice has helped break the shynessshell and build self-confidence and self-esteem.


Potash: At home with my family,enjoying friends and my children’sfriends, working on a house or schoolproject and at church.

Potash

By ANNETTE CHURCH, Special to CPN

People we know — and others wedo not — all seek us out to listen atsome point in our lives.

But effective listening rarely comesnaturally. Our environments are satu-rated with countless forms of technol-ogy beckoning us. It is made moredifficult in today’s world of continuoussounds and rapidly-changing noise-makers.

Skill and effort must be invested tobe a successful listener. It takes learning,practice and a most precious commodity:time.

We can all certainly recall someonewho is blessed with the gift of being agood listener. Therefore, we also knowthat on many levels, the investment putforth to be a good listener is well worthour time.

Successful listening calls for you totemporarily suspend the whirlwind ofideas inside your brain. Setting self asidefor the benefit of another person is thefirst step.

Here are some tips:• Pay attention and have eye contact

with the speaker if you are face-to-facewith them. Resist any distractions, ofwhich there may be many, and concen-trate on what is being said to you.

• Do not interrupt. The best listen-ers allow the person speaking to com-plete what they have to say becauseinterruptions likely will break thespeaker’s flow of thought.

• Avoid jumping in with your ownopinion when the person speakingpauses. There will be time to ask anyquestions you may have after the indi-vidual finishes talking. However, youcertainly do not want to be totally silentduring the conversation.

One way to acknowledge what has

been said to youis to repeat aphrase, particu-larly if you wantc l a r i f i c a t i o n .Making briefstatements atappropriate inter-vals will assurethe speaker youare listening.

Also key tobeing a consider-

ate listener is recognizing the barrierswhich can cause interference. Considerthese potential barriers to being athoughtful listener:

• Preferring to talk rather than listen;• Feeling the need to provide help

and interrupting to offer it;• Being preoccupied with our own

personal thoughts or issues with depres-sion, anger and biases;

• Being distracted by noises such astelevisions and cell phones.

Professionally, careful listening is oneof the most valuable tools paralegals canhave. Keeping your ears open to theclient is essential. Of course, it is moredifficult on those days when the tele-phone seems to ring without ceasing.Each client has a need and believes theirneed is the most pressing — because tothem, it is.

Make sure to pause between tele-phone calls, take a breath and listenwith care. Pay attention to details andtake notes. Listening with greatereffectiveness will lead to fewer mis-takes, and each area of your life willbenefit as you tweak your listeningskills.

Editor’s note: Annette G. Church isan N.C. State Bar-certified paralegalwith Ted A. Greve and Associates ofCharlotte.

YOU ARE THE LINK!

Listen up, paralegals: it’s good for your clients

Church


Paralegal Annette Rorie graduatedfrom the University of North Carolina inCharlotte in 1997 with a bachelor’sdegree in political science. She went onto work for the law firm of Knox,Brotherton, Knox and Godfrey from1998-2007, where she handled plaintiffs’work in personal injury and medicalmalpractice cases. Today, she works forthe defense law firm of Hedrick GardnerKincheloe & Garofalo. She handlesworkers’ compensation, federal productsliability and civil litigation cases.


Rorie: Almost 12 years.


Rorie: I took some law classes incollege and knew then that I wanted todo something in law.


Rorie: I am a certified paralegalthrough the N.C. State Bar and amember of the paralegal division of theN.C. Academy of Defense Attorneys. Iam the current membership chair of theParalegal Division of the NCADA.


Rorie: Most paralegals I talk withare concerned about reaching their bill-able hours.

CPN: If you could name one thing

that would most benefit the paralegalprofession, what would it be?

Rorie: I believe it would be that ourattorneys utilize us for more substan-tive work instead of administrative tasks.We are professionals and are more thancapable of assisting our attorneys withmore complex legal matters.


Rorie: Anything defense-oriented andwith substance. I have had the oppor-tunity of attending the NCADA’s CLEswith the attorneys and find they addressmore of what I do on a daily basisrather than those CLEs that are moregeared to first or second-year parale-gals.


Rorie: I wanted to be a schoolteacher. I had my own playhouse to playschool in and even had textbooks andchalkboards.


Rorie: I would work in the Pentagonor CIA. I have always had a fascina-tion with our military intelligence andthe CIA. I have a strong interest ininternational studies.

Q&A: ANNETTE RORIE

Rorie: Meeting billable hourrequirements can be stressful for paralegals

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Rorie: I wish I knew the limits ofour profession. As a paralegal, we arenot really able to move up the corporateladder to higher positions other than asenior paralegal.


Rorie: It would have to be the peopleI work with. I am blessed to work withsome really great people who are alwayswilling to lend a helping hand or toanswer any questions I may have.


Rorie: Some days it’s definitely thebillable hours.


Rorie: I am proud of the work Ihave performed over the 12 years I havebeen in the profession. As a paralegal, Ibelieve it is with the utmost importancethat we provide the best service we canto our clients and to our attorneys.


Rorie: On the weekends, I amusually hanging out with my family orfriends or running errands.

VIRTUAL� Continued from PAGE 3

matters,” she said. “At times, it is alsodifficult not to feel isolated. For me, thatgenerally happens when I’m not busy.”

However, Canady also said that feel-ings of loneliness can be overcome.

“I try to communicate regularly withmy attorneys so neither of us feels dis-connected from each other or the process.Similarly, I don’t give myself too muchopportunity to feel isolated because I usemy slow periods as an opportunity to goout and network with my local attorneys,who are truly amazing, and networkonline with other attorneys and legal pro-fessionals,” she explained.

Ribble added that connecting withother paralegals through social medianetworks is another method to combatthe isolation.

“I have found that Twitter andLinkedIn are greatly utilized by legalprofessionals. Facebook seems to begrowing in this area,” she said.

Thank you for featuring me in theApril 2010 issue of Carolina ParalegalNews. You certainly captured the essenceof my history, as well as my determi-nation to mentor paralegals and promotethe paralegal profession.

You should be so proud of CarolinaParalegal News — it’s a terrific publi-cation.

Vicki Voisin‘The Paralegal Mentor’

Charlevoix, Mich.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE

Paralegal

EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE

Paralegal

PARALEGALGeneral Parts International, Inc., a privately held company with corporate offices inRaleigh, North Carolina, seeks a paralegal to assist with transactional, corporate,and litigation matters in the Corporate Legal Department. General Parts Interna-tional, Inc. is one of the largest North American distributors of aftermarket automo-tive products and accessories.The candidate must have a bachelorʼs degree and certificate from an ABA accred-ited paralegal program, 3 to 5 years experience in a corporate legal departmentand/or private law firm with business and transactional matters and some familiar-ity with litigation management. The ideal candidate will have had experience bothin-house and with a private law firm.The candidate must have outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, in-cluding strong verbal and writing skills. Excellent computer skills are required, withproficiency in the Microsoft Office programs. The candidate must have good or-ganizational skills and a strong work ethic, and give attention to detail. The parale-gal will report to the Companyʼs Executive Vice President, General Counsel andSecretary, but will work closely with the Companyʼs other paralegal and in-housecounsel.General Parts International offers an exciting and rewarding work environment withan excellent salary and benefits package. Interested candidates should applyonline at www.carquest.com.


benefits in order to gain experience.


Russell: Personally, it would have tobe my education, because it was in anon-traditional manner. First I earned anassociate degree, then a paralegal cer-tificate and finally a bachelor’s degree.I returned to school for the bachelor’sdegree partly because I had been turneddown for jobs and/or interviews simplybecause I did not meet the educationrequirements, although I far exceededthe experience requirements. This is whyI encourage everyone to obtain as mucheducation as possible as well as earn[NALA’s] CLA/CP designation andNorth Carolina’s certified paralegal des-ignation.

Professionally, it would be havingbeen part of a litigation team that wasinvolved with a case that created newlaw. The matter began as a real estatedispute and a non-binding arbitration,which was appealed to the MilwaukeeCounty Circuit Court, the Court ofAppeals of Wisconsin and finally oralargument before the Supreme Court ofWisconsin. The decisions published werein regards to the issue of inadvertentlydisclosed attorney-client privilegeddocuments.

Russell: New paralegals may have to compromise on salary for experienceCandace Russell is a litigation para-

legal with Nexsen Pruet in Charlotte,N.C. She has a bachelor’s degree incriminal justice from ConcordiaUniversity of Wisconsin and a parale-gal certificate from the MilwaukeeBusiness Training Institute.


Russell: Sixteen years.


Russell: Prior to attending a parale-gal program, I worked in retail man-agement with a variety of women’sspecialty clothing stores. I could neverstay at one place of employment forlong because the companies kept goingout of business. The third time around,I recognized the signs of yet anothercompany headed towards bankruptcy anddecided to return to school and learn avocation that would always be neededin some form. And yes, that thirdcompany actually filed for bankruptcywhile I was attending paralegal school.


Russell: I am a member of the

Q&A: CANDANCE RUSSELL

N a t i o n a lAssociation ofLegal Assistants,N.C. ParalegalAssociation andthe MetrolinaP a r a l e g a lAssociation. I amthe NALA liaisonfor the MetrolinaP a r a l e g a lAssociation.


Russell: Paralegal students that havegraduated or are about to graduate areworried about being able to find anentry level position in either a firm orcorporation. Paralegals that areemployed are concerned about the costof certification and the cost of attend-ing CLEs because some firms/employ-ers do not pay for professionalassociation membership(s) and/or con-tinuing education.


Russell: More education and certifi-cation would benefit the paralegalprofession the most.


Russell: I’m not sure exactly whator where I would have ended had I notbecome a paralegal. It would probablyhave something to do with marketingsince my associate degree was in mar-keting and I was a former competitorat regional, state and national levels ofcompetitions in both DECA and DEX,which is an international association ofhigh school and college students study-ing marketing, management and entre-preneurship in business, finance,hospitality and marketing sales andservice.


Russell: It is more of a wish forothers starting out in the paralegal pro-fession. I have heard from severalrecent graduates and people who havechanged careers that are having diffi-culties finding a position due to nothaving experience or not being able toaccept an offer due to the pay scale notmeeting what they made in a previousindustry. This group needs to realizethat since they are entering a new pro-fession or field, they will have to makecompromises on pay and possibly other

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Metrolina Paralegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• Monthly membership meetings:Second Thursday of each month at 12p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church,115 W. 7th St., Charlotte.

North Carolina BarAssociation Paralegal DivisionNotes

• Visit www.paralegaldivision.ncbar.org for information about newsand information about upcoming meet-ings and CLEs.

North Carolina ParalegalAssociation, Inc.Notes:

• NCPA is proud to once againoffer the Meredith R. Pollette schol-arships, which are open to anyonewho will be taking the CLA or ACPexams. These scholarships will coverthe exam fees. Participants do nothave to be NALA members, but mustbe NCPA members in good standingand meet the eligibility criteria to sitfor the CLA/CP or ACP exams. Checkout the summer issue of NCPAFORUM or www.ncparalegal.org fordetails.

• Any paralegal association that isinterested in becoming an affiliate ofNCPA may contact affiliates directorTeresa Stacey at [email protected].

• NCPA is now on Facebook andMySpace. Contact Beverly King [email protected] if you have troublelocating NCPA on Facebook. ForMySpace questions, e-mail ErinGalloway at [email protected].

• NCPA recently kicked off a men-toring program. If you are a studentmember or new to the profession and

are interested in being paired up witha more seasoned NCPA member, visitthe association’s website at www.ncpara-legal.org and click on the “mentoring”link.

Raleigh-WakeParalegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• For 2010, RWPA membership meet-ings will occur bi-monthly. Meetingswill take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.on the second Wednesday of February,April, June, August, October andDecember at the Holiday Inn, 4100Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh. Featured ateach luncheon are guest speakers froma variety of practice areas and localbusinesses. The 2010 annual seminarwill not be affected by the change andwill proceed as scheduled.Notes:

• Any questions about RWPA can bedirected to Sherry Grady [email protected].

Research TriangleParalegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• The Research Triangle ParalegalAssociation meetings occur the thirdWednesday of June, August and October.A holiday meeting will occur inDecember.Notes:

• RTPA regularly supports Interact ofWake County (www.interactofwake.org)and challenges you and your firms orcompanies to get involved. Please visitour website at www.rtpanc.org for addi-tional information about upcoming meet-ings and events.

Asheville AreaParalegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• Monthly membership meetingsoccur the first Thursday of each monthat 12 p.m. at a downtown Ashevillerestaurant. Visit www. aapaonline.net formeeting details and locations.

• Topics vary from meeting tomeeting. They are posted online atwww.aapaonline.net. RSVP with menuselection is needed.Notes:• AAPA welcomes its members tosubmit articles of interest for potentialposting to the association’s website.Send your submissions to JennyIaquinto, chair of the publicity com-mittee, at [email protected].• During the spring quarter, AAPA willbe collecting donations for the UnitedWay’s Back-to-School supply drive. Theassociation will also support MANNAFood Bank and the Salvation Army in2010.

Catawba ValleyParalegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• Monthly meetings are held thesecond Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.at various locations. Membership is opento paralegals, legal assistants, legal sec-retaries, attorneys, students enrolled inparalegal programs of study, paralegaleducators, employees of judicial entitiesand other recognized legal agencies.

For more information, visithttp://www.catawbavalleyparalegalas-soc.org.

• July 13: Quarterly social from 6-8p.m. at the Riverbend Clubhouse inGranite Falls. Admission is a preparedfood item to share in the potluck dinner

and an in-kind donation for WRC orHSCC. See the “Community Outreach”link on the association’s website to viewwish lists. E-mail Lynn Price to let herknow what type of food you will bebringing at [email protected] to help coordinate the eventare welcome.Notes:

• For membership inquiries, contactCyndy Adams at [email protected] or Leah Poovey [email protected].

Cumberland CountyParalegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• Monthly membership meetings:Second Thursday of each month at12:30 p.m. at various locations. Visitwww.ccpara.com for details.

Guilford Paralegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• GPA meets on the second Tuesdayof every month in either Greensboro orHigh Point. Meetings are open to anyattorneys, legal support staff and othersconnected to the legal profession. VisitGPA’s website at www.guilfordparale-galassociation.org for information onmeetings, events and local continuingeducation opportunities.

Legal Support Staff of AshevilleUpcoming events:

• Monthly meetings will be held at5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of eachmonth at the law offices of Northup,McConnell & Sizemore, 123 BiltmoreAve., Asheville. No membership neces-sary to attend. Contact Susan D. Austinat [email protected] fordetails.

SEND US YOUR NEWS:

Carolina Paralegal News is happy topublish announcements of upcoming events,

association anniversaries or meetings scheduledfor your paralegal organization. Please e-mail

your news to [email protected] June 7 for the next issue.

Charleston Associationof Legal AssistantsUpcoming events:

• Membership meetings are held thethird Wednesday of each month.

• Dec. 2: CALA holiday party at theCharleston Yacht Club.

Legal Staff Professionalsof GreenvilleUpcoming events:

• LSPG’s regular membership meet-ings are on the third Wednesday ofevery month from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.at the Poinsett Club. The meetings offereducational speakers and one half-hourof CLE credit. For reservations, contactMyra Culbertson at 864-239-5959 or [email protected] or Laura Harlingat 864-232-8722 or at [email protected].

• Oct. 21-24: NALS 59th AnnualEducation Conference & National Forumin Branson, Mo.

Notes:• For membership inquiries, contact

Laura Harling at 864-232-8722 or [email protected]. Please visitwww.lspg.org for updates and additionalinformation.

Legal Staff Professionalsof South CarolinaUpcoming events:

• July 30-Aug. 1: Region 4 AnnualMeeting and Education Conference andLSPSC summer membership meeting.

• Oct. 21-24: NALS 59th AnnualEducation Conference & National Forumin Branson, Mo.Notes:

• LSPSC is continuing to support theS.C. Coalition Against DomesticViolence and Sexual Assault. Donateditems may include paper towels, toilettissue, paper items, cups, plates, napkins,utensils, envelopes, stationary, personalitems, bars of soap, shampoo, tooth-

paste, toothbrush, sanitary products,diapers and baby wipes.

• For LSPSC information, pleasecontact Tara Jean Prevatte at 864-271-7940 or visit www.lspsc.org.

Legal Staff Professionalsof the LowcountryUpcoming events:• Regular membership meetings are heldon the third Monday of every month at6:00 pm., Sunfire Grill & Bistro, 1090Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston. Themeetings offer educational speakers andone hour of CLE credit and a short busi-ness meeting. For reservations or additionalinformation, please contact Jennifer Cook at(843) 724-1115 or [email protected].

Legal Staff Professionalsof the MidlandsUpcoming events:• Regular membership meeting on thesecond Tuesday of each month at 1:00

p.m., 1320 Main St., Meridian Building,17th Floor, Columbia. A presentation bya legal education speaker will earnmembers a half-hour of CLE credit. Ashort business meeting will follow. Bringyour lunch and a friend! For additionalinformation, please contact Jamie Earlyat 803-422-6813.

Palmetto Paralegal AssociationUpcoming events:• Regular membership meetings on thethird Wednesday of each month from12:30 to 2 p.m.

S.C. Upstate Paralegal AssociationUpcoming events:

• Educational luncheon meetings areheld on the second Thursday of themonth at 12:30 p.m. at the PoinsettClub, 807 E. Washington St., Greenville.

• Oct. 1: 15th annual seminar,Embassy Suites Hotel, 670 VerdaeBlvd., Greenville.

for the certified paralegal examination.For more information, visit www.nala.org.• Starting in the fall, the NALA certifica-

tion exam will be computer-based. The newexam format will be available at all NALAtesting centers nationwide.

National Federationof Paralegal Associations, Inc.Upcoming events:

• A calendar of upcoming events andWebcasts can be found at http://www.parale-gals.org/calendar.cfm.

National Association ofLegal AssistantsUpcoming events:• July 14-17: 35th annual convention andexhibition at the Hyatt Regency JacksonvilleRiverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla.Notes:

• NALA Campus LIVE provides onlineeducational courses for paralegals. Thecourses are offered during two sessions peryear. The spring session will run through May25. Twelve of the 44 courses offered throughthe program are recommended as preparation

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