wspa newsletter may-june 2010

May/June 2010 Volume 25 Issue 3

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Findings & Conclusions

ContentsPresident's Corner 1

Management Directory 2

Management Reports 3

Lions, Elvis and Paralegals, Oh My 9

Military Outreach 11

WSPA Scholarship Awards 12

Spring CLE Report 15

Professional Development 18

President's Cornerby Brian Haberly, RP

www.wspaonline.org

Index to Advertisers Advertiser Page

713 Training 13CourtsOnline 6Premier RealTime 8T-Scan Corporation 14Unisearch 13Watkins Court Reporters 6Advertising rates and information: page 6

As I write this issue’s President’s Cornercolumn, graduation celebrations for many are rightaround the corner. June is that month that we think ofas the culmination of the school year and a time ofboth promise of the future along with a little dose offear of the unknown. Indeed, for paralegal studentsnow finishing up their paralegal education, completionof their certificate program can be both a door openerto a potentially significant improvement in their earning

power but also a time when a career change and job search may well bringsome added tension.

Thankfully, as the U.S. economy continues to show signs ofslow but sustained job growth, anecdotal evidence from our members andfrom the number of job postings on our WSPA website Job Bank indicatesthat the paralegal job market in the Pacific Northwest is indeed improving.We are seeing more evidence of both law firms and corporate legaldepartments that are once again hiring, when last year at this time, most allWashington State employers were either in the middle of publiclyannounced hiring freezes or worse yet, laying off some of their staff.

A commonly shared view that we hear from many students isthat potential employers are seeking experienced paralegals, and thestudents often lack much real world legal experience. This indicates thevalue of adding to your resume some legal work performed in an internship,volunteer service in neighborhood legal clinics, or perhaps volunteeringpro bono work with programs such as the King County Bar Association’sHousing Justice Project. All of these examples can help newer paralegalsget some practice with their newly acquired skills, buttress a thin resume,while also getting the chance to meet attorneys from a variety of legaldisciplines. Who knows, the attorney you volunteer along side of manywell know of an unpublished opportunity in his or her firm!

While getting that first true paralegal job can be elusive, manyWSPA student members tell us that they proudly reference their WSPAmembership on their resumes, evidencing their interest in both personaland professional development to potential employers. Being preparedwith a quality resume and cover letter, well practiced interview skills, andcareful researching of potential employers will help separate potentialcandidates for desired positions. (Continued page four)


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2009 - 2010MANAGEMENT DIRECTORY

In-State: (800) 288-WSPA (9772) E-Mail: [email protected] Site: http://www.wspaonline.org

OFFICERS

PresidentBrian Haberly [email protected] & AdministrationSue [email protected] DevelopmentDonna [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Past PresidentTheda Yandell RP

NFPA REPRESENTATIVESNFPA Primary RepresentativeSue [email protected] RepresentativeJeanenne [email protected] AmbassadorLaura [email protected]

DIRECTORS

East King Co. DirectorTami [email protected] DirectorMichelle [email protected] DirectorJeanenne [email protected] Puget Sound DirectorBarbara [email protected] [email protected] WA. Chapter [email protected] Co. ChapterDirectorSarah [email protected] King CountyDouglas [email protected] Chapter DirectorAmy [email protected] At-Large, [email protected] At-Large, WestBrenda [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

CLE Approval CommitteeChairStephanie [email protected] Bank Committee [email protected] Program ChairJennifer [email protected]/Issues [email protected] Bono CoordinatorDebbie [email protected] Coordinator/EditorJay [email protected] Paralegal CoordinatorJeanenne Rutherfordmilitary-paralegal-support@[email protected]

ADMINISTRATORDiane BevinsAssociation Services, Inc.P.O. Box 58530Seattle, WA 98138-1530(206) [email protected]


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Management Reports

Seattle Chapter ReportJeanenne Rutherford, Seattle Chapter Director

We were lucky enough to be able to hear from Leah Medway, Perkins Coie’s Pro Bono Counsel forour April 10, 2010 brown bag on Pro Bono Opportunities in Washington State.

Five years ago Perkins Coie joined the Pro Bono Institutes Pro Bono Challenge. The challenge is forfirms with 50 or more lawyers, to set an apparitional goal of either 5 or 3 percent of the firms totalbillable hours or alternative a goal of 100 or 60 hours per attorney. Perkins has been lucky enough toachieve these goals and some of those have received awards from the community for their hard work.There is a separate corporate pro bono challenge for in-house lawyers and legal departments interestedin legal pro bono work (http://www.cpbo.org/). Leah’s role is to receive requests for pro bono work,retain attorneys, arrange for conflicts to be run and arrange for support the case. She also is

constantly “beating the drum” encouraging people to volunteer and meeting objections as to why they feel they do not havetime or ability to help.

One of Perkin’s proudest moments was winning the 2009 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, the professionshighest recognition for pro bono work, for their involvement with Holocaust Survivors Justice Network (HSJN), The JusticeNetwork was established after the German government created a new program in late 2007 to compensate survivors whoperformed “voluntary” labor in Nazi-controlled ghettos during the Second World War. Under the German Ghetto WorkPayment Program, survivors are eligible to file claims for a one-time payment of •2,000 (approximately U.S. $2,800). (http://www.perkinscoie.com/news/news_detail.aspx?news=d9bd8b63-4dff-497e-a631-69d13e6eae7e).

Many use pro bono as a way to obtain training and develop skills. Most pro bono programs offer free CLEs and trainingprograms. Leah’s advises that if you are passionate about a certain topic that there is a program needing help from you. Someresources to learn about programs in need are Washington Chapter of the Appleseed Network http://www.waappleseed.org/cat_index_50.shtml and the Advocator Resource Center http://www.advocateresourcecenter.org/oppsguide/

At our May 13, 2010 brown bag, we learned about Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice (VAIJ), with their director JulieBildhauer. The program was created in partnership with Microsoft and the American Bar Association. VAIJ’s work involvesthose who are in the deportation system and unable to afford counsel. They primarily see cases dealing with cancellation ofremoval, adjustment of status, are unaccompanied alien children or those seeking refugee status, this is considered removaldefense and is a very, very specialized area of immigration law. Since deportation is a civil action (not criminal), and those thatare arrested and detained by The Department of Homeland Security, there is no right to attorney and reading of Mirandarights is not required.

At this time there are an unusually high number of unaccompanied alien children entering into the country, do to the volatileconditions of countries south of the U.S. border and this is where the bulk of their work is concentrated. These children haveno status and no parent or guardian to care for them. With out intervention from pro bono groups, these children would besent back to their country to be left on the streets of the receiving port. Their families may have sent them to America in thehopes of finding a better quality of life or they may be trying to escape war or abuse. There is not a lot of modification of lawsbetween children and adults, even for those as young as 3 years old (a case Juli worked on that involved a child that hadbecome separated from her parents). To read more about VAIJ go to http://www.abanet.org/publicserv/immigration/vaij.shtml.


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Management Reports

(President’s Corner continued from page one)

WSPA encourages and promotes student career development, by our annual Paralegal Student Career Nighteach January, and by offering both steeply discounted and several free student scholarships to our Spring and FallCLE programs. Through the generosity of our sponsors, we were able to offer 10 students entirely free admissions toour Spring CLE held on May 7th in Seattle (see CLE story elsewhere in this issue).

June also signals the beginning of the 2010-2011 term of office for WSPA. I would like to thank all thosemembers that participated in our annual elections, and to Sarah Sawyer who served as our Director of Elections againthis year. I am humbled and honored to have been elected to my third term as your Association President, and I hopethat I can continue to make WSPA a successful, vibrant and relevant organization to each member in the coming year!

I would like to especially thank three outgoing Chapter Directors that completed their two year terms of officeon May 31st, and chose not to run for re-election: Tami Day, outgoing East King County Chapter Director; JeanenneRutherford, outgoing Seattle Chapter Director, and Amanda Sasser, outgoing Spokane Chapter Director. Yourcontributions of time and effort and to your local WSPA chapter members have been sincerely appreciated! Thankyou for making a difference!

I am pleased to note that Jeanenne will continue to serve as our NFPA Secondary Representative for certainnational issues affecting the Association, as well as serving as our Military Paralegal Outreach Coordinator. She wasalso recognized as the WSPA Pro Bono Paralegal of the Year at our Spring CLE and Annual Awards luncheon for herliterally hundreds of hours of pro bono service delivered this past year.

I am also pleased to share that Joshua Normand has agreed to serve as the Interim Chapter Director for theEast King County chapter. Josh’s first chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, June 17th at Panera Bread Bakery inRedmond, featuring Jim Cronin, who will speak about “Searching Washington Court Records”. We also invite you toattend the Wed., June 16th Snohomish Chapter meeting on “Your Career and current Job Market Outlook” to be held atthe Everett Library –Evergreen branch, and also the Snohomish County Chapter’s Brown Bag lunch meeting, also onJune 16th, entitled “Learn what a Certified Fraud Examiner does and what she can do to help you in your Job”.

If you are a paralegal in either the Seattle, Spokane and Central Washington areas interested in developing yourleadership skills and in meeting some top quality paralegals, attorneys, and other legal service providers, WSPA needsyou! We are currently seeking candidates for Chapter Directors for each of these three regions to help organizechapter meetings and to serve as a local contact point for the Association. If you are interested, please contact me viaemail at [email protected].

WSPA has many exciting initiatives in the pipeline for the coming year and we look forward to hearing from you withyour suggestions, questions, and yes, your criticisms. If you see something that WSPA can be doing better, pleasecontact us. Better still, please consider volunteering with your local chapter or on a WSPA Committee at or state levelto help make our Association even better. We are only as strong as our members make us!

Original items printed here are the property of WSPA. We ask that National Federation of Paralegal Associa-tions (NFPA) member associations who reprint articles from Findings and Conclusions, credit the article andprovide WSPA with a copy as reprinted. Others may not reproduce original material for any purpose without prior,written consent of the WSPA Newsletter Editor.Publication of any advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product/services offered. WSPA reservesthe right to reject advertisement due to content or space considerations.


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Management Reports

WASHINGTON STATE PARALEGAL ASSOCIATIONNW CHAPTER BROWN BAG CLE

DATE: JUNE 16, 2010 TIME: 12:05 PM – 12:50 PM

SPEAKER: LAURA M. PRESTON, CFE

TOPIC: LEARN WHAT A CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER DOES ANDWHAT SHE CAN DO TO HELP YOU IN YOUR JOB

LOCATION: ELDER LAW OFFICES OF MEYERS & AVERY2828 NORTHWEST AVENUEBELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON 98225

______________________________________________________________________________________________Bring your lunch and join us for a fun and informative hour.

There is no charge for attending the Brown Bag CLE. All paralegals, legal assistants, and students areinvited to attend. You do not have to be a member of WSPA to attend.

1 CLE CREDIT FOR WSPA MEMBERS RSVP to Michelle J. Snow [email protected]

Definition of a Paralegal – as defined by NFPA and WSPA

A Paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience to performsubstantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, butnot exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a lawyer,law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized by administrative,statutory or court authority to perform this work. Substantive shall mean work requiringrecognition, evaluation, organization, analysis, and communication of relevant facts andlegal concepts.


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Washington StateParalegal Association

ADVERTISING RATES:Dimensions Month to Month Pre-Paid One Year

(6 Issues)1/8 page $ 50.00 20% discount1/4 page $100.00 20% discount1/2 page $150.00 20% discountFull page $200.00 25% discount

Contact [email protected] for additional ad-vertising information.

Findings and Conclusions is the official publicationof the Washington State Paralegal Association andis published six times per year. Letters to the Editor,articles, advertisements or correspondence shouldbe submitted to:

WSPA Newsletter EditorP.O. Box 58530Seattle, WA 98138Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

All submissions are due the 20th of each odd num-bered month for publication the following month. Arti-cles may be submitted on disk in Word format or viaEmail.

The Editor reserves the right to edit material for clar-ity, space or advertising.The articles published hereinexpress the opinions of their authors and, unless ex-pressly stated, do not necessarily reflect those ofWSPA


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The Northwest Chapter held its May Brown Bag in Mount Vernon on May 19, 2010. It wasvery well attended. Our speaker, Catherine Brown of Volunteer Lawyer Program, talkedabout opportunities for paralegals and paralegal students to provide pro bono services inSkagit County. As promised, the meeting was fun and informative!

I was reminded of how lucky I am, as a chapter director. I appreciate those lawyers whoallow me to use space in their offices for our meetings. (Such as the law firm of Jones &Smith – many thanks for the use of your comfy conference room.) I also appreciate thespeakers who give up their free time to meet with us. And I thank the paralegals, paralegalstudents and other legal professionals who take the time to attend the meetings. I know Inearly always start my day with a list of “to-dos” for my lunch hour (if I actually get one) and I

appreciate the fact that you give up your lunch hour in order to network with other paralegals and advance yourknowledge at our event.

On May 12th several of our members traveled to Seattle for the WSPA Spring CLE and 2010 Awards Luncheon.NW Chapter Member, Darlene Klister, was the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; Mount Vernonparalegal, Anna Webb, was the 2010 Paralegal of the Year; and Michelle Snow received her RP pin in recogni-tion of earning the Registered Paralegal designation for passing the PACE. Congratulations to all of you – weare very proud!

Skagit County Law Day was held on April 29, 2010. Chapter members Glen Bristow, Chris Del Nagro, andMichelle Snow assisted in the event, as did the WSPA 2010 Paralegal of the Year, Anna Webb. The eventwas co-sponsored by Skagit County Bar Association and Skagit Valley College Paralegal Program. Morethan 110 ‘clients’ were given an opportunity to consult with one of the 23 volunteer lawyers. Twelve studentsfrom Skagit Valley College Paralegal Program gained invaluable experience as they interviewed clients andsat in on client/attorney conferences.

In April, attorney Carrie Coppinger Carter and paralegal Danelle Chaddock spoke at our April Brown Bag at theoffices of Meyers & Avery in Bellingham, Washington. Coppinger Carter P.S. is a paper-less office and Carrieand Danelle described how it was done and how it works in a small firm. It was one of our most enjoyablemeetings this year. Thank you.

On March 17, 2009, the Clerks of the Skagit County Superior Court presented an “Inside the Court” touroffering a rare opportunity to paralegals and other legal professionals to learn what goes on behind the coun-ter. Many, many thanks to Nancy Scott, Skagit County Clerk; Mavis Betz, Chief Deputy Clerk; MelissaTazer-Roberson, Main Cashier/Deputy Clerk; WSPA member, Jeniffier Provalenko, RP, Deputy Clerk; SherryKness, Dependency Clerk; Echo Rockwood, Domestic Clerk; and Becky Avery, Civil Clerk; for sharing theirtime and knowledge. The clerks provided guidelines for domestic violence protection and anti-harassmentorders, access to court records, as well as explaining their duties and the workings of the clerk’s office.

Our next chapter meeting will take place in Bellingham on June 16, 2010. Our scheduled speaker is LauraPreston, CFE and Financial Forensic Specialist. More information will follow.There are no NW Chapter events planned for July or August. So here’s hoping everyone has a great summerand we will see you in September!

Management Reports

Northwest Chapter ReportMichelle J. Snow-Waltz, SKCO Chapter Director

Unless otherwise indicated, the authors of the submissions contained in Findings & Conclusions are paralegals. All reports, profiles,summaries, checklists, articles, or other submissions are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended as legaladvice and should not be relied upon for that purpose. All opinions expressed in any submission are the authors’ sole opinionand should not be taken as the opinion or position of the Washington State Paralegal Association.


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Presenting at the NFPA Region One Conference isa prestigious distinction. Presenting at the NFPARegion One Conference in Las Vegas is prestig-ious and surreal. What follows is my report to myfellow Washington State Paralegal AssociationMembers. The names have been changed to pro-tect the…um..okay, sure…innocent.

We arrived in Las Vegas on Friday about 1pm. Ihave no idea when we left Las Vegas. I just remem-ber waking up on my couch, next to my wife andkids watching Spongebob, thinking that I reallyneeded a glass of water.

I had been asked by…Rita Fandrall, Region OneDirector to present a CLE on record retrieval in LasVegas. I knew our primary representative, LuluBeachy would be in attendance. I also knew sev-eral people from my Portland attendance for theNFPA annual conference would also be there. I al-ways like to spread the word about…J-Scan.

Everything we hold as a constant here in Seattle isturned sideways in Las Vegas. For example, ourhotel closed the pool one day because of inclem-ent weather. It was 70 degrees with wind gusts andclouds. The hotel deemed it too hazardous for swim-mers. It hasn’t been 70 degrees here in nine months.If it ever does get to 70 degrees again, I am prettysure my eight-year old son will want to be swim-ming in the inclement weather.

The pool is but one example of the topsy-turvy worldknown as Las Vegas but I digress.

So, Friday evening, the paralegals had a function ina room known as the Foundation Room. I still can-not figure out why they called it the Foundation room.It was no where near the foundation of the hotel. Itwas up on the top floor of Mandalay Bay. The roomwas covered in carved Mahogany. The room wasnot only part of the Vegas Strip but also part of theHouse of Blues—very Rock and Roll. Paralegalsas far as the eye could see where networking, say-ing hello, regaling one another with tales from theflights and going next door to the private party whereguys were not allowed. I sat and talked with thePresident of the Southern Nevada Paralegal Asso-ciation. Nice guy.

After the uber-secret conclave of paralegals returnedform the uber-secret House of Blues Party that re-ally cool guys are not allowed into, it was time togo get some dinner. Like I said, in Vegas the con-stants are sideways. Dinner was a chilled soup. Ithink they called it Vodka. The bar was literally madeof ice. It was a very good dinner. I would call it FourStar.

The next day, Saturday, the paralegals spent allday working in the MGM Grand Conference Center.A word needs to be said about this conferencecenter.

The MGM Grand Conference Center is literally 3miles of underground escalators, stairs, swimmingpools, restaurants, kiosks, lion habitats and casinoaway from the enterence of the MGM. I mean tosay, it is in the MGM; it is attached to the MGM;the people will tell you it is part of the MGM; it isthree miles of walking, two escalators and an el-evator away from humanity. They should tell you tobring bottled water, a pillow and a protein bar beforebeginning the trek to the conference center. I knownow I was not dressed appropriately. I should havehad hiking boots.

The conference room was alive with paralegal policydiscussion. I imagine this is exactly how Trumanwas elected for Congress—only no cigars this timearound.

After the policy meetings, it was time for dinner.This is where the real work begins.

Wolfgang Puck’s is somewhere in the MGM. Donot ask me where or to find it again because I leftmy GPS down there but I think it is 14 degreesNorth and 168 degrees West. I just can’t rememberif you use the Lion Habitat or the Big Lion out frontas the Equator.

The really cool thing that happens at these conven-tions, is one actually gets to sit down and get toknow like-minded people. I met, or reconnected with,paralegals from across the West. We talked aboutthe challenges, the joys, the irritants, and the real-ity of this industry. It is great to get outside out ownlittle circle and discover what we all share with thesame issues. It is really pretty amazing. (continuednext page)

Lions, Elvis and Paralegals, Oh My.By: Jay Jenkins, Newsletter Editor


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(continued from previous page)After dinner, it was getting late, nearly 7pm. So,because I had to be up at 7am to present to thegroup, I brushed my teeth and was in bed by 7:45.I slept like a baby.

Another fun Vegas fact, the place is completelydeserted at 7am in the morning. Well, not com-pletely, there were some stragglers from the nightbefore wondering around with a hotel key in onehand and an ATM slip in the other trying to find theelevator but other than that not too much doing inthe AM.

I hoofed it across the 100,000 acres of desert floorknown as the MGM to the conference room topresent “The Reality of Record Retrieval.” After aglass of water and a light nap, I was ready to go.

The presentation went very well. If anyone wants tosee it, just let me know. I am not proud, I can presentin an office or in a car stuck on I-5 on Friday after-noon just make the call.

Anyway, it went very well. The audience was en-gaged and we went on longer than our slotted timeand everyone had lots of questions and lots of in-terest in the topic. It is kind of geeky but I do enjoytalking about getting records.

After the presentation, I stuck around for the rest ofthe discussions, very interesting and fascinating. Ifany one could explain the rift between NFPA andNALA, that would be great. Frankly, I just don’tunderstand the problem. Seems to me both organi-zations are for education and professionalism. I thinkI am going to have a sleep-over and get these twocrazy kids speaking again.

So, after the policy discussions, the day ended withpeople flying off to parts unknown.

Is there more to this story…yes, there is. It involvesThe Beatles, Elvis, more walking, signing, gold tux-edo jackets and a guy named, um..Joe Fly. But,this issue is overdue and President Haberly justsent me more articles and a demand letter. Be sureto read the next issue.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Newsletter Editor

Baby Allisonwas born Friday, May 14, 2010 at 1:11 p.m. She weighed in 12 lbs. 6 oz. She was 22 inches long. Mom and baby aredoing well. Congratulations Brenda, Chris and Josie!

HEYBRENDA COTHARY!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Findings and Conclusions is the official publication of theWashington State Paralegal Association and is publishedsix times per year. Letters to the Editor, articles, adver-tisements or correspondence should be submitted to:

WSPA Newsletter EditorP.O. Box 58530Seattle, WA 98138Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

All submissions are due the 20th of each odd numberedmonth for publication the following month. Articles maybe submitted on disk in Word format or via Email.

The Editor reserves the right to edit material for clarity,space or advertising.The articles published herein expressthe opinions of their authors and, unless expressly stated,do not necessarily reflect those of WSPA


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Military Outreach

HELP WSPA SUPPORT MILITARYPARALEGALS AROUND THE WORLD

The Washington State Paralegal Association is a founding member of the NFPA Military Paralegal Outreach program. Thisprogram seeks to unite paralegals serving overseas in the US Armed Forces with local paralegal associations by sendingperiodic “Care Packages” of non-perishable food, snack, hygiene and other miscellaneous items (books, games, stationery,etc.) to bring them a little bit of home while away from their loved ones.

WSPA was one of the original 8 paralegal associations across the country that participated in the very first group mailing toactive duty Military Paralegals serving overseas back in February 2006. In the first year of this program, NFPA memberassociations supported 29 Navy Legalmen and Military Paralegals. WSPA is proud to have supported six militaryparalegals since this program was first begun. Jeanenne Rutherford is now accepting donations (cash and food items) inthe Seattle area. You can reach her at [email protected].

Suggested Items:

Hygiene: Food:Antibiotic Ointment Single Serving Pasta LicoriceChapstick/lip balm/Carmex Ready to Heat Soups Sunflower SeedsSunscreen (Bull Frog is good) Lunchables Aqua DropsBug Repellent (with deet) Ramon Noodles GumFace cleaner Powdered Power-Aide/Gator-Aide/ Peanuts in a shellEye drops/Saline Koolaid/Tang Rice Krispy TreatsLiquid hand sanitizer/Baby wipes Granola Bars/Cereal Bars Snack CakesFoot/body powder (Gold Bond) Fruit Roll-ups Misc:Misc:Misc:Misc:Misc:Deodorant Raisins CondimentsShampoo/Conditioner Beef Jerky (no pork) Lemonade/Ice Tea MixTooth Brush/Toothpaste Applesauce Cough DropsNose spray/nose drops Fruit/Pudding Cups Stationery/envelopesHand/Body Lotion Cereal (individual Servings) Stamps/PensBand-aids, Mole Skin Chex Mix Dice/Travel GamesSoap Tuna Kits Individual Instant CoffeeMouth Wash Snacks:Snacks:Snacks:Snacks:Snacks: Books/MagazinesNail Clippers Hard Candy (no chocolate-it melts) Tylenol/IbuprofenDental Floss Snack Mix Allergy MedicineTums/Rolaids Chips/Cookies/Crackers/Microwave Ziploc BagsTylenol/Aspirin Popcorn/Pretzels Instant CamerasQ-Tips Pop Tarts RainX


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WSPA AwardsScholarship

Military Outreach

Misty Carman, a paralegal student attending TacomaCommunity College (TCC), was recently awarded the2010 Paralegal Student Scholarship at the WSPAMembers Meeting and Annual Paralegal AwardLuncheon held May 7, 2010 in Seattle. She waspresented with her award by Sue Beichley, WSPAVice President of Membership.

Misty volunteers her time to the Crystal Judson Fam-ily Justice Center in Tacoma (http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/fjc/index.htm).In this capacity, she helps clients with certain courtsupport matters, and she has been training to an-swer the clinic’s 24 hour domestic violence helpline.She has also been an advocate for social justice andhas researched community resources to help clientsof the Family Justice Center.

Janet Olejar, one of her paralegal instructors at TCC,saluted the quality of her legal writing, her prepared-ness for class, and the leadership and skills she freelyshares with her fellow students, both in class as wellas via a study group outside the classroom. Ms.Olejar noted that Ms. Carman’s prior work historyworking in the fields of preschool education, account-ing and collections, and health care, have given hera wide range of skills and knowledge that will be ofimmediate benefit to a potential legal employer whenshe completes her paralegal studies.

Misty is an active member of the TCC Lambda JurisLaw Club and participates in fundraising activities.She is a mother of three, maintains a 3.82 GPA, andstill volunteers an average of 8-10 hours a week withnon-profit organizations in her community. As win-ner of the 2010 WSPA Student Scholarship, Mistyreceived a certificate and a $500 check for tuitionand books.


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Washington State ParalegalAssociation


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Over 55 enthusiastic paralegals and paralegal students attended the 2010 Spring CLE Program at the Red LionHotel In Seattle on Friday, May 7th. This year’s conference marks the 35th Anniversary of WSPA! This year’sSpring conference consisted of four, 90-minute long Continuing Legal Education sessions, an awards luncheon,and an ample exhibitor area with 8 exhibitors.

Many thanks to our CLE session speakers, Amy Lechner, Mimi Samuel, Clark Silliman and Bob Myers,and to our visiting Luncheon Keynote Speaker, Theresa Prater, RP®, NFPA Director and VP Profession Devel-opment.

Special thanks go to Donna Ziegler, our Spring CLE Chair and VP of Professional Development; to SueBeichley, VP of Membership who presented the WSPA member Longevity and Annual Paralegal Awards, and tovolunteers Kimiko Kasazaki, Sarah Eisenhauer, and Josh Normand who handled the registration and check-in table and many other event details.

This year’s CLE featured four sessions covering the topics of Controlling Costs in eDiscovery, Legal Ethics/UPL issues, Effective Legal Writing, and CT Summation/iBlaze. Attendees present for the full day earned6.0 WSPA CLE Credits.

Theresa Prater delivered a motivational speech and encouraged paralegals to get involved in their local associa-tion and consider volunteering on one of NFPA’s many committees. A number of past WSPA Leaders werepresent, including former WSPA Presidents Kelli Wilcox, Lauren Cole, and Theda Yandell (now our NFPARegion 1 Representative), as well as a former WSPA VP of Membership and Lifetime Achievement winner, BetsyChadwell.

Laura Jordan, PACE Ambassador, presented PACE Registered Paralegal “RP” pins to new RP’s Barbara Z.Panell, RP®, and Michelle J. Snow-Waltz, RP®. Unable to be present in person were new RP’s Stephanie H.Dermont, RP® and Terri Marvin-Crow, RP®.

Awards presented at the Awards Luncheon included:

Volunteer of the Year: Kimiko Kasazaki-Riley; Pro Bono Paralegal: Jeanenne Rutherford; Paralegal of theYear: Anna E. Webb; and Student Scholarship: Misty Carman.Theda Yandell, RP®, presented a Lifetime Achievement Award (only the 3rd time presented in WSPA’s history)to Darlene Klister, RP.

Thanks also to Jim Cronin, who did double duty as an Exhibitor and as our Photographer and to our manyvalued Exhibitors and Sponsors: Seattle Insurance and Legal Investigations;Digital War Room;Law Dawgs;MEDRECS;Prolumina;Northwest Legal Nurses;Naegeli Reporting Corporation;Bronze Level Sponsor: Physician Direct Services;Platinum Sponsor: Premiere Realtime Litigation ServicesVisit the WSPA website to see additional Spring CLE Photos (www.wspaonline.org). Be sure to watchthe WSPA Calendar for details about the Fall 2010 CLE program.

Red Lion Overun by Paralegals at SpringCLE Event!


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Spring CLE Pictures and Lotsof them!

To see more: Visit www.wspaonline.org1. The WSPA Glee Club prepares to entertain the crowd with Cher’s “If I could turn Back Time.”

(Actual: The 2010-2011Officers being installed)2. Amy Lechner: Making Your mark: The Paralegal’s Role in Controlling E-Discovery Costs3. Bob Myers: CT Summation Presentation4. Clark Silliman addresses the crowd5. WSPA President Brian haberly regales the crowd with one-man version of Brigadoon

(Actual: Luncheon remarks)6. The agenda says nothing about Brigadoon?7. CLE Donna Zeigler and Brian Haberly during Brigadoon intermission8. Darlene Klisterand Brian Haberly9. Barbara Parnell recieves RP Pin10.Michelle Snow-Walz recieves RP Pin11. Mimi Samuel: Effective Legal Writing12. Kelli Wilcox recieves 10 Year member Award13. Teresa Prater Delivers the Keynote Address14.Jeanenne Rutherford recieves Pro Bona Aaward15. Teresa, Sue and Tami enjoying Brigadoon


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“Coming together is a beginning.Keeping together is progress.Working together is success. “

~ Henry FordBy: Donna Ziegler Professional Development

TEAMWORK !! Hmmm?? This seems like a word, or words, that should be simple. It should beeasy for us all to work together as a team. Especially in our work as paralegals and legal assistants. Whatis teamwork though? Seems easy enough. Sends us back to Kindergarten –“Okay, Julie, you use this red clay, and I will use this blue clay, and Sandy will use the yellow clayand we will build a little house.”“Okay, Joe, no problem. We are a team !!”

Well, as we all know, this type of “teamwork” is not so prevalent at times in our industry. If only we couldhand our attorneys little round balls of blue, red and yellow clay and tell them we will work together to build alittle house, how wonderful our lives would be. The transition to “team” is not always easy. Almost all of uswho have worked for large, or even small organizations, have had the experience of being part of a taskperforming group. Good teams don’t just happen. Good teams are made up of individuals who work hard,are task oriented, stay on track, plan, and commit 100% to the project at hand. One sour apple in a groupcan easily turn the team from great, to not so great. It is imperative that solid, well functioning teams havemanagers or organizers who keep the team focused and on track. Designing a well functioning team is askill that requires a detailed understanding of how a team works, and the dynamics of a good team.

OKAY !! I have said team one too many times, but we all know, in our work as paralegals, it is incrediblyimportant that understanding what makes a team function will naturally lead to better and more productiveteams, and the final outcome of any project will be top notch. We can all look to the WSPA as an exampleof a great team. Great leaders, great managers, and outstanding team members, who all seem to under-stand the dynamics of a great team.

Unfortunately, for managers, accomplishing the simple tasks of implementing change and new techniques,figuring out where behaviors are not clicking, defining goals and methods, responsibilities and execution ofassigned work within teams is not always an easy task. In the legal profession, especially with litigationand trial work, a solid functioning team is imperative to the success and outcome of the trial. Most laypeople will believe the lawyer is the manager of the team – however, we all know, having a top notch, highquality paralegal to manage the litigation team, will lead to the ultimate success and hopefully ending wantedjury verdict. Keeping projects on task, exhibits in order, experts and witnesses on time, and judges andattorneys happy, can be a hair pulling, eye scratching, blood curdling task at the end of the day – unless youhave a great team in place and each member of that team performs at his/her highest level.

BUT WHAT IS A TEAM? A team is a group of individuals who are interdependent with respect to information,resources, and skills and who seek to combine their efforts to achieve a common goal. The 5 most importantcharacteristics of any solid functioning successful team are:

Teamwork


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The team must exist to achieve a shared goal.What is the goal? Where are we headed? What is the purpose of this team? Do we agree on the goal? Whatwill the outcome be?

The team members are interdependent regarding a common goal.Meaning each member of the team must rely on mutual assistance, support, cooperation, or interaction amongconstituent parts or members of the team. Each individual has his purpose, and his purpose relies uponanother, and another, and all of those purposes together complete the outcome.

Team members are bounded and stable over time.Meaning, you know who is on your team. Those people rely on you, and you rely on them to ensure the endresult, the goal, is met. Without each other, all pieces of the puzzle may not come together.

Team members have the stability and authority to manage their work and internal processes.Meaning most team members work together for a meaningful length of time, long enough to accomplish theending result or goal, though each team member still has the authority to manage his/her own work and internalprocesses.

Teams operate in a social system context.Which in a nutshell means, two or more people working or interacting together in a bounded situation.Most of us are educated professionals who have come to realize in the legal industry, as well as almost everyindustry, building high quality, high functioning, quality teams can dramatically improve the effectiveness and endresult of any project. There are of course frustrations that play along with the aspect of teamwork. Statisticallymanagers consider the most frequently cited frustrations and challenges when managing teams was developingand sustaining high motivation, followed by minimizing confusion, and coordinating and solving problems withinthe team.

It is up to highly effective managers to take steps and have the proper skill to effectively manage a team. Theycan learn to accurately diagnose team problems and correct them.

There is no magic formula for creating and preserving a solid, high functioning team. However, we as paralegalsand project managers can take the steps necessary to learn, analyze situations, and improve upon ourselves tohelp our bosses and co-workers understand the importance of team building, team work, and team implementa-tion. We can “take the bull by the horns” and develop our teams and teach others the basics of teamwork, tomake our lives easier and to make the workplace much more productive.

WSPA's Mission: To enthusiastically support and promote the paralegal profession in the State ofWashington.

We are dedicated to the enhancement of the paralegal profession.We strive for personal and professional development.

We will encourage increased utilization of paralegals to broaden employment opportunities statewide.

We advocate high quality paralegal educational programs in preparation for entry into the profession.

We hold our members to high standards by requiring 10 Continuing Legal Education credits per year to retain full votingstatus or to hold an office in the Association.

We will monitor proposed state and federal legislation affecting paralegals and will participate in the legislative andregulatory process to represent our Members' views.

wspa newsletter may-june 2010

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