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Third Quarter, 2002 July, 2002
IN THIS
ISSUE
SPOTLIGHT ON
GAPMEMBERS
•GAP TO HOLD
ANIMAL LAW
CLE SEMINAR
•PRO BONO
COMMITTEE
JOINS FORCES
WITH AVLF•
WHY NFPAMEMBERSHIP
IS VITAL
•ARTICLES
NEEDED!•
NEW
MEMBERS
WELCOMED
•GAP
CORPORATE
SPONSORS
•CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
NFPA’S SPRING CONVENTIONThe National Federation of Paralegal Associations(NFPA) held its Spring Convention in Indianapolis,Indiana from May 2-5, 2002. As GAP Primary, Irepresented our membership at the policy meetingsalong with Marcus Li, GAP Secondary.
Prior to the Spring Convention, at the GAPmembership meeting held at Anthony’s on April 9th,I briefly explained five proposed agenda topics thatwere to be addressed at convention. I distributed aquestionnaire and asked the members in attendanceto voice their opinions on those topics, so I wouldknow how to represent GAP on the issues.
The results of the discussion and voting on those five agenda topics are as follows:
1 The resolution for amending NFPA policy to define or further explain “expanding the role ofparalegals” was discussed on the floor, but no vote was taken and the resolution was not madeinto policy;
2 A resolution was passed for endorsing a Conclave Educator’s Statement that encourages theuse of paralegals as instructors in paralegal education programs;
3 A resolution was passed for NFPA to set forth a goal for its members of 12 hours of CLE everytwo years;
4 The resolution for NFPA to adopt and have available general job descriptions that allow for atiered career path according to experience was discussed on the floor. Most of the concernsthat were voiced had to do with the proposed job descriptions as written, so the resolution wasreferred back to committee and will likely be modified and presented again at the FallConvention;
5 A resolution was passed for NFPA to revise its definition of “paralegal” to eliminate the term“legal assistant”.
Attending the convention as a representative of GAP was a great experience for me. NFPA’s FallConvention is scheduled for September 26-29, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio. I encourage all membersto consider joining me in attending the Fall Convention and taking part in the shaping anddevelopment of our national organization and our profession.
Gina S. Farley, CLAGAP [email protected]
�������������Newsletter of the Georgia Association of Paralegals
Charter Member of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations
2
President
Jennifer K. [email protected]
Sr. VP/NFPA Secondary
Marcus C. [email protected]
VP - CLE
Debra K. [email protected]
VP Membership
Russ P. [email protected]
Secretary
Linda S. [email protected]
Treasurer
Tracey M. [email protected]
NFPA Primary
Gina S. [email protected]
Newsletter Editor/Director
Denise H. [email protected]
Job Referral Service
Sherry A. [email protected]
Pro Bono Co -Chair
James C. [email protected]
Past President/Board Advisor
Executive Administrator
Norene [email protected]
2002 GAP Boardof Directors
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Jennifer K. Kirkland2002 GAP President
Wow! It is hard to imagine that it is alreadyJune. Summer is here and boy is it hot!The weather isn’t the only thing that is hot.The GAP board has been on fire this year.Please be sure to see past President, KimHollomon’s board notes in this edition aswell as her highlights of board members.Please remember that the board is alwaysopen to your comments and suggestions.Feel free to share with us ideas forimprovements, meeting topics, or anyother suggestions you may have. It is alsotime for us to already begin thinking aboutthe GAP board for 2003. Some boardmembers will be stepping down. Therefore,if you have an interest in serving on theGAP board, please let me know.
In May I attended the National Federationof Paralegals convention in Indianapolis. Iwas very proud to represent our associationand brag about our manyaccomplishments. GAP is a part of RegionIII as is Indianapolis. The Indiana ParalegalAssociation worked very hard to get aproclamation for recognition of a paralegalday. What an accomplishment! Under thedirection of our Vice President, Marcus Li,GAP will also be striving to do somethingsimilar.
Speaking of National, I would like tocongratulate our own Pro Bono Chair, JamesWest for his recent appointment as NationalFederation of Paralegals Pro Bono Co-Chair.Congratulations James! On the national leveland especially at the convention, there was alot of discussion regarding the way in whichthe NFPA board had been taking minutes. Thecontroversy went as far as seeking a legalopinion. I am proud to say that our minutesfollow the standard corporate practiceregarding such documents. I would like torecognize Linda Sloope, a long standing boardmember and our Secretary for doing such anexcellent job on our minutes. Thank youLinda.
SPOTLIGHT ON GAP MEMBERS
This edition of The Paragraph spotlights member James Marsh. James is alitigation paralegal with the Macon law firm Reynolds & McArthur. He’s
been with Reynolds and McArthur for 2 ½ years and deals withalmost every aspect of personal injury litigation. When asked why
he chose this area of law, James responded “It chose me!” Jamesattended Georgia Military College and considers Macon hishometown, though he “grew up all over.” He is a singlefather of an eight-year-old son, enjoys playing the guitar,and family activities. James has been a member of GAP forone year.
3 3
FROM THE EDITOR
Denise A. McSpadden2002 Newsletter Editor / Director
Summer is almost upon us and youknow what that means: the arrivalof the “Summer Associate”. For thoseof you who work in law firms, youknow it’s summer not when schoolis out, people go on vacations, ortraffic gets a smidgen lighter. It’s theinflux of the summer associates.
The summer associate is a necessityto fill the empty desk of associateswho inexplicably departed theprevious year to find more fulfilling,fascinating jobs. Aside from walkingaround in their newly purchasedBrooks Brothers suits spendingquality-billing time looking for thebathroom, for the most part, thesummer associates are fine.
The downside of the summerassociate program is that theparalegals workload often slowsdown for the period May throughAugust. One way to counteract theshift in workload is to network.
Networking is one of the mostvaluable tools we as paralegals haveat our disposal for moving forwardin our profession, especially duringthe summer months. If you continue
to put your name out there and showpeople your capabilities, your careerwill move to another realm regardlessof the time of year. But, you mustparticipate to derive the greatestbenefit.
Some tips for enhancing yournetworking skills at work:
· Introduce yourself to thesummer associates, newattorneys, visit differentdepartments
· Get involved or volunteer for acommittee in your firm
· Project a positive andprofessional image
· Attend events the firm may offersuch as softball games
· Always give your best and enjoywhat you are doing
· Write articles for the firmnewsletter and other professionalpublications
The key tonetworking issimple —
communicate. One you’ve learnedthe ability to network, thepossibilities of obtaining qualitywork will be endless.
And if all else fails in an attempt tokeep the billable hours high, keep inmind that September is right aroundthe corner.
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Articles Needed
The Editor is looking for articlesfor The Paragraph! If you, orsomeone you know, is involvedwith the delivery of legal services,we would love to hear about youror their experience. If you haveideas for articles or authors, orany questions about length,deadlines, etc., please contactDenise McSpadden [email protected] or 404-572-3437.
4 4
CORPORATE SPONSOR MEMBERS
Welcome new Corporate SponsorMembers!
On-Site Sourcing new memberJeremy Smith joined at the GAPoffice and is shown with GAP’sMargaret Bryce and the big GAPCorporate Sponsor sign list ofvendor members.
The AffiliatesAlexander Gallo & Associates
Anthony’sAtlanta Attorney Services
Atlanta LegaLinkBellon & Associates, Inc.
BG Search AssociatesBrown Reporting Inc.CambridgeStaff, Inc.
CaseCentral, Inc.Clayton College & State
UniversityCo-Counsel: An Ajilon
CompanyCorporation Service Company
CT Corporation SystemDocument Resources
Document Technologies Inc.DocuPro, Inc.
eAttorneyE-Lit. - Electronic Litigation
SupportEsquire Deposition Services,
LLCFirstPRO Inc.
Hughes & Sloan/InterimSolutions
Huseby & AssociatesIKON Legal Document Services
Intermark Language ServicesKelly Law Registry
The Legal Concierge, Inc.Legal Eagle
LegalPro Imaging ServicesLEX Business SolutionsLexisNexis CourtLink
LexisNexis Document SolutionsLiberty Corporate Services
Litigation Systems Inc.LucasGroup
MLQ Attorney ServicesNational Center for Paralegal
TrainingNelson Mullins Riley &
Scarborough, LLPOn-Site Sourcing
Origin Information & ServicesInc.
Paces Personnel, Inc.Paramount Staffing, Inc.
Paranet Corporation Services,Inc.
Professional Translating ServicesProgressive Personnel
Select Staffing Solutions, Inc.Special Counsel, Inc.
Superior Courts of Georgia
Paces Personnel new members with Sherry Rosen (center) from left toright: Andrea Myers and Heather Donnelly at a GAP dinner meeting.
5 5
WELCOME TO NEW GAP MEMBERS
Russ P. Stayanoff of APAC who is our VP of Membershipwelcomes our newest members who joined GAP at the April 9th
Dinner Meeting. From left to right: (I think that we can allrecognize Russ! Angie Mims Cobb of Slappey & Sadd —Karolyn Howard of Barrickman, Allred & Young, LLC —Mary Suzanne Turner of Troutman Sanders LLP.
New GAP paralegal member, Kym Harriswith her supervising attorney, George E.Nowack, Jr. from Weissman, Nowack, Curry& Wilco. Mr. Nowack gave a greatpresentation to GAP members on “TheChanging Role of Paralegals in the RealEstate Profession.”
New Member Mixer Door Prize winner, Julie Jenkins ofHendrick, Phillips, Schemm & Salzman won the bottle ofGallo wine and all the trimmings in a basket from AlexGallo, the sponsor of the GAP Mixers is his firm,Alexander Gallo & Associates
Kenneth Scott BakerDeann BlauseyJimmie CrowellAnne M. DaceyJulia L. Dooley
Yolanda Y. MashburnAmy Trice
Stacey E. Vanderboom
AGL Resources IncRenee H. McCrary
AirGate PCS, Inc.Tarrah Gales
Alston & Bird LLPKerrie Sekine-Pettite
Atlanta Housing AuthorityLinda W. Shaw
Tawanna L. TuckerDwan Young
Atlanta Volunteer LawyersFoundationConnie White
BG Search AssociatesEileen Fry
Comcast CablevisionRachel Jones
Constangy, Brooks &Smith, LLC
Dallas Criss
eAttorneyDennis Diamond
Ed Voyles DealershipsChristine M. Carrick
Finch McCranie, LLPAnnette Long
Fulton County DistrictAttorney’s Office
Bakia Y. Parrish
Georgia Indigent DefenseCouncil
Susan Myrick
Hendrick, Phillips,Schemm & Salzman
Julie A. Jenkins
King & SpaldingRodger L. Fenton
Barrickman, Allred &Young, LLCKarolyn Howard
BellSouth CorporationJackie Begue
Katherine DavisKatherine Vincent
Brock, Clay, Calhoun,Wilson & Rogers, P.C.
Kevin O. Fogle
C. Benjamin Guile, IIISteffanie W. Jerome
CambridgeStaff, Inc.Hallie Pinstein
CaseCentral, Inc.W. Brooke Hawkins
Casey, Gilson, Williams &Shingler
Shervon J. HogsettNickole L. Perez
Chambers & Knight, LLCDeesi Phillips
LEX Business SolutionsBob Cann
Chris HinelyChris Plows
Darryl Scantling
LegalPro Imaging ServicesSteve Jones
Miller & Martin, LLPJody J. Denberg
Needle & Rosenberg, PCMonica Dalton
Vertisha M. HardrickAlicia C. Sheffield
Nelson Mullins Riley &Scarborough, LLP
Sanjay BhoolaJennifer P. Coleman
Erica L. HallJavier MedinaStacy Norris
Saroja P. Rajgopal
On-Site SourcingChris Haag
Jeremy SmithCraig Sutton
Paces Personnel, Inc.Heather Donnelly
Andrea Myers
Paul Hastings Janofsky &Walker LLP
Vernon ArchibaldMizette V. Coakley
Peterson & HarrisKaren A. Diehl
Professional TranslatingServices
Irina Solomkina
Scott A. I. Hart, P.C.Brittany A. Spencer
Six Continents Hotels, Inc.Carla Foster
LaTonia Denise KiserSlappey & Sadd
Angely Mims Cobb
Superior Courts ofGeorgia
Ann G. Bone
Synavant, Inc.Dionne L. Luckey
The Legal Concierge, Inc.Lawrence Cooper
Troutman Sanders LLPMary Suzanne Turner
UGA, InformationTechnology
Robert Lewis Spann, Jr.
United Parcel ServiceAnne Hogan Keegan
6 6
GAP MEMBERS WERE REAL
WINNERS AT THE
JUNE APPRECIATION DINNER -THANKS, SPONSORS!
(see more on page 18)
Kimberly Lusink won the NFPA Conference Giftprizes that Marcus Li and Gina Farley brought backfrom the Indianapolis NFPA Convention in May
A gift certificate fora French Manicureat Spa Sydell was
the prize presentedby Dennis
Diamond ofeAttorney to a veryappreciative GAPmember! Winning
is such fun!
7 7
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8 8
Whether you would like to assist withprograms which benefit seniors, emergencyservice personnel, victims of domesticviolence, or animals GAP pro bono maywell have something to offer you. If you areinterested in volunteering directly for probono organizations, I would be happy toprovide you with a list of such organizations.Another resource to which I would like todraw your attention is an article authoredby our President, Jennifer Kirkland, whichdiscusses how to get involved with pro bono.The article can be accessed on the pro bonopage of GAP’s website (gaparalegal.org) andhas a contact list of pro bono organizationsand programs at the end.
GAP’s Pro Bono Committee continues togrow strong and I am very pleased that wenow have fourteen voting members! Themeetings are open to anyone. We meet thethird Wednesday of each month usually at6:30 p.m. Please contact me, my co-chair,Lex Wells, or Committee Secretary KellyYeadon if you are interested in attending ameeting or want information about theCommittee.
We are currently working with the AtlantaVolunteer Lawyers Foundation on a projectwhich involves Wills for Firemen. Paralegalswith specific experience with trusts andestates work / will drafting are particularly
encouraged to get involved, although helpwill also be needed with such tasks as notaryservices when wills are executed andparalegals may be asked to visit firestationsin Atlanta to answer questions anddistribute will planning questionnaires. Theproject is still evolving as this is a first forAVLF and also a first for AVLF to beworking in a limited capacity with GAP onsuch a project. Please look for moreinformation to be forthcoming and let Lexor myself know if you would like for us tomaintain your name on a list of those whomay want to help. For more informationyou may also e-mail AVLF Legal AssistantConnie White at [email protected].
The Committee will be working withattorney Leighton B. Deming, Jr. to put onan AARP Legal Check-up Seminar at a dateto be determined (most likely in October).This program will follow the guidelines setforth for the joint collaboration betweenNFPA and AARP to conduct such legalcheck-up seminars for AARP members withthe assistance of local paralegal associations.This is a great opportunity for any GAPmember to get involved with a programwhich will disseminate very useful legalinformation to seniors. No specificexperience in any practice area is requiredfor participation with putting on the
seminar. Committee member VickiDiamond has been appointed Ad HocProject Coordinator for this program and Iencourage you to contact Vicki [email protected] for moreinformation.
The Dekalb County Court Watch programis ongoing and GAP participation continuesto be coordinated by Lex Wells. If youwould like to help make a difference withthe monitoring of domestic violence caseson arraignment in Dekalb County bybecoming a Court Watcher, please contactLex at [email protected]. No specificparalegal practice area experience is requiredand materials on the program are available.
GAP TO HOLD ANIMAL LAW CLE SEMINARGAP and The Pro Bono Committee willbe conducting a CLE seminar on thetopic of animal law which will take placeon Saturday, September 21, 2002 at theoffices of the Georgia Indigent DefenseCouncil. I will be working with GAP’sVice President of CLE, Debra Mulder,to plan the CLE. Please mark yourcalendar and look for more specifics tobe advertised closer to the date of theevent. GAP gratefully acknowledges oneof its new sponsors – Select StaffingSolutions, Inc. – who will be sponsoringthe seminar. Several distinguishedspeakers have already been confirmed tospeak at the CLE, with more to beconfirmed going forward to September.Before discussing the speakers and theirqualifications, I would like to address thetopic of animal law in general: what it is,what it is not, and why it is such anexciting and rapidly expanding area ofthe law which you may wish to learn moreabout.
Although undoubtedly connected andintertwined on different levels, animal lawper se is not animal activism / protectactivities / charity work on behalf ofanimals. Like any area of the law, animallaw is just that – a body of law, bothcommon and statutory, which concernsitself with laws regarding animals, theirtreatment and prevailing attitudes in localand legal communities regarding such lawsand their application. Emotional reactionsinnate to the subject matter and certainprotest activities conducted by well knownorganizations such as People for the EthicalTreatment of Animals (PETA) are examplesof what animal law is not, although manyassume otherwise.
Scholarly writing on the subject abounds,exemplified by the law review publishedby the Northwestern School of Law ofLewis & Clark College entitled,appropriately enough, Animal Law. As withany law review periodical, the essays
continued on page 9
by James C. WestPro Bono Co-Chair
PRO BONO NEWS
James C. WestPro Bono Co-Chair
9 9
PRO BONO COMMITTEE JOINS FORCES WITH AVLF
Connie WhitePro Bono Committee Member
and AVLF Paralegal(404) 521-0790
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) is starting its twenty-third year of assistingclients. We match attorneys with qualified low-income Fulton County residents in need oflegal assistance. We also coordinate community-wide pro bono efforts. Over the years someof our projects have changed and expanded. Currently we need assistance with three of ourmajor projects: wills, divorces and bankruptcies.
Immediate Projects. All of our divorce cases are a result of domestic violence. Our clientssometimes struggle for years to leave a bad marriage and when they finally decide to do so,we want to have an attorney ready. It is very important that we find attorneys for theseclients as soon as possible.
The clients who want wills are usually elderly. They often times own their homes, but donot have other sizeable assets. Usually there are no minor children involved. They havegeneral questions about wills and advance directives, which in these cases are not complicateddocuments.
Our bankruptcy clients have been through consumer credit counseling, our intake procedureand they have the filing fee. They are ready to file bankruptcy but need an attorney, as theprocedure can be complicated. We have numerous clients who have been waiting for manymonths for legal help.
Future Projects. We have two projects that will need assistance from paralegals as well aslawyers. The first project is the Wills for Emergency Personnel project. AVLF, in conjunctionwith several Atlanta area law firms, will draft wills for Atlanta’s Emergency Personnel. There will be no cost to the Personnel. We havealmost completed the Firefighters and we will move on to the Marshalls, Sheriffs, EMT’s and Police. This is an on going project. TheParalegals are assisting the Emergency Personnel with filling out their questionnaires. In the next few months, there will be trainingfor attorneys and paralegals who agree to volunteer for this effort.
The next project for paralegals is with our Domestic Violence project. We normally have law students assist with preparing andpresenting applications for Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs), however, the students are not available in the summer and duringvacation. We would like to have a pool of paralegals and attorneys to help with this process during those times. The paralegals wouldbe trained to assist the victims in obtaining the TPOs but an attorney would have to present the TPO in court. It would be helpful butnot essential for a paralegal to have an attorney to work with them in this project; if an attorney is not available our staff attorney isavailable.
appearing in Animal Law discuss currenttrends in this area of the law along withcritiques and in-depth analysis. Several facetsof animal law as a legal subject which I havefound to be particularly compelling are thecrossover with other areas of the law, andthe philosophical foundations of the subject.As to crossover, animal law encompassescertain aspects of litigation, family law,probate and real estate, among other legaldisciplines. A cursory review of a recentedition of Animal Law (7 Animal L. 2001)challenges one to explore some of thetheoretical framework of the topic in theworks of such philosophers as Descartes,Kant, Plato and Montesquieu.
Now that your curiosity has been arousedand thirst for knowledge whetted, some ofthe speakers who will be discussing a varietyof animal law issues at the CLE onSeptember 21st include: 1) Paralegal ChristyLawrence of Dallas, Texas. Ms. Lawrence is
actively involved with animal law issueslocally within Texas and nationally forNFPA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.Ms. Lawrence founded and chairs theAnimal Law Section of the Dallas AreaParalegal Association and also chairs theLegal Assistant Committee of the State Barof Texas Animal Law Section. 2) DonaldFeare, Esq. of Arlington, Texas. Mr. Feareis a nationally recognized animal law expertwhose many credentials includeinvolvement with precedent setting cases,establishment of alternative programs ofstudy, expert witness testimony, consultancyand publication of numerous articles in thefield with an emphasis on diseases andbehavior of waterfowl. 3) Laura Bevan,Southeast Regional Director of TheHumane Society of the United States, basedin Tallahassee, Florida. Ms. Bevanfrequently speaks on legislative issues onbehalf of The Humane Society and willmost likely emphasize companion animal
matters. 4) Andrea Lane, of Humane USA,PAC. Ms. Lane is an attorney in Atlantaand heads the Georgia chapter of HumaneUSA, a political action committee whichdisseminates information and lobbies forthe election of individuals who care aboutthe humane treatment of animals. Ms. Laneis a member of the Animal Legal DefenseFund. 5) Jolynn VanCamp, President ofAtlanta-based Second Chance AnimalRescues and Adoptions, an animal rescuegroup which is currently constructingGeorgia’s first no kill animal shelter. Ms.VanCamp has involvement with legislativeissues. I worked closely with Ms. VanCampto coordinate GAP’s community servicenight on April 9th for Second Chance andshe briefly addressed the GAP assembly thatnight.
Please contact me at (770) 857-1675 formore information on the seminar.
Continued from page 8
10 10
GET TO KNOW YOUR BOARD
Gina Farleyis in her firstterm asGAP’s NFPAPrimary Rep-resentative.She previ-ously served
on the newsletter committee and the com-munity service committee of the JacksonvilleLegal Assistants in Florida. For the past yearand a half Gina has worked with TheWeatherly Law Firm in Atlanta representingschool districts in special education litigation.She sees her current position as a great oppor-tunity to learn a new area of law that shereally had not even known existed prior toher interviewing with Weatherly. She for-merly worked in commercial litigation andbankruptcy, and credits her current position,dealing in “people law”, for resuscitating herdesire to continue as a paralegal. Gina gradu-ated from the University of Tennessee Chat-tanooga with a degree in secondary education,and graduated from NCPT in Atlanta withhonors. She considers her hometown to beChattanooga, Tennessee. Gina has two cats,Thelma and Louie, and a dog, Mazzy. Sheenjoys hiking and camping, concerts and livemusic shows.
Linda Sloope is in her second term as GAPSecretary. She haspreviously served asGAP Treasurer, andas the RecordingSecretary for theHouston LegalA s s i s t a n t sAssociation. Lindahas worked invarious areas of realestate law for twelveyears, and iscurrently employedas a commercial real estate paralegal withWomble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, PLLCin Atlanta. She says she “just kind of fell into”real estate law. Linda attended LSU in BatonRouge, Louisiana, where she received aBachelor of Arts degree, and she also attendedthe Southwestern Paralegal Institute inHouston, Texas. She considers ClevelandHeights, Ohio her hometown. Linda has beenmarried to her husband, Kim, for 16 years.
She enjoys traveling, reading, and aerobics.
Marcus Li is in his first term as GAP SeniorVice President/NFPA Secondary. He hasp r e v i o u s l yserved on theGAP Board asNFPA PrimaryRepresentativeand NewsletterEditor. For thepast 3 years hehas worked as acorporate andhospitality lawparalegal withThe Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC in Atlanta.He chose this area of law because it allowshim an opportunity to work in a legal fieldwith domestic and international clients.Marcus attended the Denver ParalegalInstitute, and also holds a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Criminal Justice with a minor inSpeech Communications. He considersLakewood, Colorado his hometown, enjoystraveling, and spending time with his mixedlab, Bernard.
byKim HollomanPast President
BOARD NEWS
CALENDAR OF EVENTSAugust 13, 2002GAP Membership Dinner at Anthony’sSpeaker: TBDSponsor: LexisNexis Document SolutionsSponsor: Special Counsel
Sept. 2002 NFPA Fall Convention
Oct. 08, 2002GAP Membership Dinner Meeting at Anthony’sNew Member Mixer sponsored by Alexender Gallo & AssociatesSpeaker: TBDSponsor: Kelly Law RegistrySponsor: On-Site Sourcing
Dec. 10, 20024th Annual GAP Holiday Party at Anthony’sInstallation of the 2003 Board of DirectorsSponsor: Document TechnologiesSponsor: Select Staffing
NFPA’s 2002 Fall Convention
September 26-29, 2002
Paralegals Rockin’ Cleveland
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ATLANTAMidtown1206 Spring StreetAtlanta, GA 30309404.873.2202 phone404.873.2282 [email protected]
Downtown191 Peachtree StreetSuite LL110Atlanta, GA 30303
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BALTIMORE/GREENBELT410.752.4343 phone410.752.1566 [email protected]
United States Bankruptcy Court/United States District Court410.837.0409 phone410.837.0357 [email protected]
United States Bankruptcy Court/United States District Court 301.982.4216 phone301.982.4271 [email protected]
The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront410.895.1891 phone
CHARLOTTE4704.342.1020 phone704.342.1033 [email protected]
CHICAGO312.739.9999 phone312.739.0899 [email protected]
The Palmer House HotelThe Business Center312.917.1705 phone312.917.1707 [email protected]
Hilton O’Hare AirportO’Hare International Airport773.601.1743 phone773.601.2873 [email protected]
DENVER720.904.1250 phone720.904.1260 [email protected]
NEW YORK212.395.9000 phone212.278.8081 [email protected]
The Waldorf=Astoria HotelThe Business Center212.872.4950 phone212.872.7272 [email protected]
The Business Center at The Park Central New York212.707.5550 phone212.707.5557 [email protected]
ORLANDO407.333.1545 phone407.333.0655 [email protected]
RALEIGH919.821.7411 phone919.821.8489 [email protected]
SAN FRANCISCO415.495.4100 phone415.227.8640 fax [email protected]
WASHINGTON DC202.842.3300 phone202.842.3666 [email protected]
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12 12
TOP TEN REASONS MEMBERSHIP IN NFPA IS VITAL
⑩ My association receives vitalinformation about changes inthe profession through amonthly publication calledInside NFPA. This publication,which is only available tomember associations, includesfederal and state regulationproposals and enactments,case law, legislative updates,activities of the national lawrelated organizations andactivities of NFPA and itsmember associations. No otherorganization produces the samevolume of vital information.
⑨ My association receives vitalassistance in the areas ofassociation management,including leadership training,seminar planning and publicrelations. On a bi- monthlybasis, my association receives, forfree, essential data such as salary,billing and education. Thisdata not only helps me but helpsthe association plan for thefuture.
⑧ My association receivesassistance in areas ofmembership growth by NFPA’shosting my local association’shome page, marketing effortsthrough schools and directmarketing with paralegalsthroughout the nation.
⑦ Through my local association’smembership in NFPA, I haverepresentation on a nationallevel with the Conclave, anorganization made up of theAmerican Bar Association,American Association forParalegal Education, Legal
Fay Wilson-GorringRegion II Director,
Chair Region Directors of NFPA
Assistance ManagementAssociation and the Associationof Legal Administrators.
⑥ My association gets assistance inresponding to or developingproposals for paralegalregulation.
⑤ I can network with otherparalegals through the countryin my specialty areas through listserves, through chats, and one-on-one contact.
④ I receive discounts on suchthings as NFPA Publications,NFPA seminars, computertraining, flight accident insur-ance, notary supplies, disabilityand life insurance benefits,car rentals, eyewear discounts,credit union membership, a ho-tel reservation network,d e l i v e r ydiscounts,discountson dental,v i s i o n ,h e a r i n gaids andprescr ip-tion drugdiscounts.
③ I receive assistance through theCareer Center atwww.paralegals.org on jobpostings, with referrals atdiscounted rates.
② I receive a free subscription tothe National Paralegal Reporter,a bi-monthly magazine. Apaid annual subscription costs$33, but my membership is only$20 a year.
① Through my association, I getto vote on issues that WILLaffect my profession. I wouldrather be a part of creating thefuture than to sit on the sidelinesand watch.
NEED TO ROUND UP SOME PARALEGALS?(404) 872-6672 • (800) 737-3436 • (404) 892-3180 FAX
www.specialcounsel.com A Member of the MPS Group
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THE STATE OF THE JOB MARKET
Department of Labor, at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2002/spring/art01.pdf.
While the market is slowly recovering,professional recruiters and employerspredict it will take at least six more monthsfor the job market to return to where it waspre-September 11. Kara Gallup anticipatesthat “by the early part of 2003 thesecompanies will be back up to full staff andrunning more efficiently than before.”
by Sherry RosenJob Referral Service
CAREER CORNERIn December 2000, I started looking for anew job. I registered with only one localrecruiter. I went on countless interviews. Somany employers were hiring that I actuallyhad to turn down interviews. In less than amonth I accepted one of several offers, andstarted my new job. A year later, dissatisfiedwith my job, I started looking again. Iregistered with at least five recruiters. Muchto my surprise, and frustration, I was senton only a handful of interviews over aperiod of six months, and received only oneoffer (with a substantial pay cut). EventuallyI found a job in which I could use myexperience and skills, and which met mysalary requirements. My skills had notdeclined — the job market had. Althoughthe economy was already on adownslide, the terrorist attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001 had a significant effecton the job market and the entire economy.Companies folded; so many people losttheir jobs; and others were afraid to leavetheir jobs leaving far fewer availablepositions than under normal circumstances.Employers who had job vacancies to fillwere not willing, or able, to pay the salariesthey had previously paid. The situation wasbleak for all involved.
I recently spoke with Kara Gallup of SelectStaffing Solutions about the effect theeconomic slowdown has had on the legalindustry. “Top law firms and largecorporations have halted most of theirrecruiting efforts simply as [a] precaution.Administrators both in law firms andcorporations have been told to lay off andterminate their cushion of support staff.While doing this, employees are worriedabout losing their jobs due to theuneasiness they feel in their surroundingwork environment when the person theyhave worked with in the next cubicle forthe past five years has just lost his or herjob.”
The good news is the market is turningaround. The better news is that the U.S.Department of Labor projects a thirty-three percent growth between the years2000 and 2010 in the paralegal/legalassistant job market, projecting ”fasterthan average” growth. It attributes theprojected growth to the increasing practiceof hiring paralegals “in an effort to lowercosts and increase the availability andefficiency of legal services.” U.S.
14 14
GAP member, Jeannie Johnston, is President of Paralegal Gateway, Inc. Hereare some of the details from Jeannie behind this website creation.
The idea for Paralegal Gateway came to me while I was in between jobs andtrying to “connect” with other Paralegals on the Internet. My husband and Ihave a web design business on the side (www.PrivateerGraphics.com) and Ialready had a love for web design and I have been a Paralegal for 12 years.Then I thought, “Why not put the two together and make a site just forParalegals.”
That was in September of 2001. The site went “live” in February 2002 andreceives several hundred hits a day. It is a free site for Paralegals that offersdiscovery help, links to expert witnesses/court reporters and Martindale Hubbell,reference books, and soon will offer a job bank.
Visit http://www.ParalegalGateway.com or e-mail Jeannie [email protected].
GAP MEMBER CREATES A WEBSITE JUST FOR PARALEGALS
The site gets several hundred hits a day
www.ParalegalGateway.com
Jeannie JohnstonParalegal Gateway, Inc.
15 15
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LEGAL TRANSLATION: A PARALEGAL’S KEY ASSETThe primary goal of this articleis to introduce GAP members tothe legal translation servicesindustry. To do so, I would firstlike to draw on the parallelsbetween the profession ofparalegal and the profession oftranslator.
In college, my professors alwaystaught me to read between thelines, which is to say, what a textdoes not say can often be just asimportant as what it does say.Along these same lines, ananswer to the question “what isa paralegal?” or “what is atranslator?” can also be found byreflecting on what paralegals andtranslators are not.
When I logged onto NFPA’swebsite, this is the definition of “paralegal”that I found: “a person qualified througheducation, training or work experience toperform substantive legal work that requiresknowledge of legal concepts and iscustomarily, but not exclusively, performedby a lawyer.” Paralegals are not there, as VPof Membership Russ Stayanoff aptly statedat GAP’s February dinner meeting, to domenial labor, e.g., to collect restaurantmenus for attorneys working away from theoffice on business. I think Russ’s exact wordswere “not in my lifetime.” Why? Because aparalegal is a professional who provides avital service, both to the attorney and tothe client. A translator is a similar animal.
Translators are professionals that arequalified through education, training andpractical experience to perform work thatis essential to cross-cultural communication.In the case of legal translation, translatorsoften perform work that an attorney inanother country would perform if she werecalled upon to prepare a brief or draft acontract in her native tongue. Legaltranslators make sense out of documentsthat are incomprehensible to clients whodo not speak the language they were writtenin, rendering them into a language that theclient does understand, which is not justEnglish or French, for example, but Englishor French legalese. To take it to the extreme,translators are not people with other full-time jobs who happen to have taken a 101language course in high school. And even
people who are bilingual or have collegedegrees in foreign languages are not alwaysqualified to translate, especially when itcomes to legal texts. The reason can beexplained quite simply. Many of usremember and might even use “¿cómoestás?,” and “ça va?,” but can you imaginefiguring out how to say “jointly and severallyliable” in these languages or deciphering theGerman “EntsorgungsvereinbarungAbwasser”? Translators can and do just thaton a daily basis by consulting highlyspecialized dictionaries, researching foreignlaws and statutes, and staying current withthe writing style and terminology used todraft legal documents in their nativelanguage. This is where the benefit of usingprofessional translators comes into play.
Legal translators and legal translation firmsoffer law firms and their clients value-addedservices on a number of levels. First, thetranslation service provider saves the lawfirm the time and expense of having in-house personnel do translation work thatthey are likely not qualified to do. Second,by outsourcing the work to qualifiedtranslators, a law firm’s team can devotemore of its time to other case-critical tasks,which ultimately benefits the client.
Let’s face it, language is ambiguous withoutcontext and even with context, it can bemisleading to the untrained reader anddangerous in the hands of the untrainedtranslator. I offer this as an example: In ageneral release and waiver originally written
in English, the undersignedrepresents that he has no healthconditions that would interfere withhis ability to participate in aparticular sporting event. “Healthcondition,” which makes a nativeEnglish speaker think of somethinglike a heart condition or shortness ofbreath, was rendered as “condition/state of health” (Gesundheitszustand)in the German version of the release.The editor caught the mistake andreworded the sentence accordingly,but here’s the catch. The translation,which was otherwise impeccable, hadbeen done by an expert into-Germanlegal translator. Just imagine ifsomeone with no training in legaltranslation had done the job and nosecond pair of eyes had looked at it?A Chilean “sociedad anónima,” or
“stock corporation,” might erroneously becalled an “anonymous society.” The French“commerce intérieur et extérieur” could endup as “interior and exterior commerce”rather than “domestic and foreign trade.”And would someone with no experience intranslation realize that while “Werbung”means advertising in German,“Werbungskosten” are not advertisingexpenses, but expenses incurred to generateincome, e.g., investment income?Advertising expenses are “Werbekosten.”
To conclude, legal translation providersoffer you, the paralegal, time-savingsolutions to your document translationneeds. Rather than add translation to yourand your colleagues’ already overwhelmingworkload, why not trust that work to a teamof professionals that specializes in both lawand languages? There are any number ofdocuments that need to be translated righthere in Georgia everyday. Everything fromvital records for immigration andnaturalization purposes, to end useragreements and employee manuals, not tomention the stacks of contracts and internalmemos in languages other than English thatare entered into evidence. Legal translationfirms can help you make sense of thesedocuments. Call on them to discuss yourforeign language needs.
Cami TownsendGerman Translator and Editor
Intermark Language [email protected]
Vertisha M. Hardrick (L) was the winner of the highly covetedTranslation Book and Basket of Goodies from Intermark Lan-guage Services from Cami Townsend (on right). If you didn’twin the book but would like one, contact Cami Townsend.
17 17
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������������������� �� ��
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Harry Davis of Corporation Service Company
presents an American Express $100 gift
certificate to Mary Suzanne Turner. Great new
idea for a “use anywhere” door prize!
ForrestBrown of Brown Court Reporting
presents the much coveted July 2nd “Great
Braves Seats” tickets to an appreciative GAPmember.
Legal Eagle’s Gavin Cappuccilli offersto assist Thomas Fawole in carrying“The Big Red Basket with EverythingNeeded to Cook Italian!” - a $100 giftcertificate to Maggiano’s with spaghettiplatter and 6 matching bowls and allthe gourmet Italian fixin’s
$250 “The Works” at Spa Sydell - “tobe used on your next sick day” - the fineprint . . . Legal Eagle is not responsible
for premature termination ofemployment due to improper use of sickdays. Russ Carnahan and his new best
friend, Sally Weaver, the winner of thisgreat door prize
Russ Carnahan of Legal Eagle with“The Ted Turner Retirement Fund”
prize winner, Yolanda Mashburn. $100gift certificate for ESPN Zone and 4
tickets to The Braves vs ColoradoRockies, as well as Nike Brave apparel
19 19
You’re under a deadline.Lots of work to do.
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19
Georgia Association of Paralegals, Inc.1199 Euclid Avenue, N.E.Atlanta, GA 30307-1509404-522-1457 • Fax: 404-522-0132email: [email protected]
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
US PostagePAID
First Class PresortPermit No 30
Dahlonega, GA
Deadline for November Issue: October 1, 2002
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