JANUARY, 2011

KERN COUNTY PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION

Affiliate of the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations

In this issue

Community Affairs……………..2, 4

January General Meeting…………..….3 Managing Your Minutes.……….…5- 6 Attorney Stick………………....7 Holiday Style……….8

President’s Message

Kayleen J. Wills, CP, CAS

Wow! KCPA/KCBA had another great Holiday Luncheon in December! The Stockdale Christian School Third Grade Choir sang wonderful Christmas songs for us! And thanks to your generosity, we raised $1,808 this year to benefit CASA and The Dream Center. Well, the New Year is here! As we have another year to “start fresh,” I was thinking about resolutions. I have to admit, I am discouraged with all the hype about New Year’s resolutions, as they usually are along the lines of weight loss and exercise. Which, don’t get me wrong, are great goals, but my thoughts took me along the path of thinking about others. Mentoring, specifically. Mentoring is not difficult, but it does require your effort and time to reach out to others. As I think back over the years of my career, I’ve had a number of mentors who might not have realized all the ways in which they helped me become a better person, friend, and paralegal - and to reach higher for myself. Mentoring helped me become more successful in my career and gave me a better outlook about myself. This year, make yourself available to others, be it a warm smile, an offer to assist or explain, or take a few minutes to encourage someone to pursue higher education or career goals. It’s totally a “win-win!” Here’s to your 2011 resolution success!

www.kcpaonline.org

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN JANUARY

Annette Gustafson 3 Michele Hill 6

Olga Lampkin 13 Kimie Hughes 15

Lesleigh Johnston 15 Roger C Paligutan, RN CLNC 15 Jennifer Rodges, CAS, ACP 16

LeAnn Banducci 17 Sarah Stamboolian 18

KCPA’s January

Community Affairs Event

HELP KEEP SOMEONE WARM THIS WINTER!

For our January Community Affairs opportunity, KCPA is organizing a blanket drive for the Bakersfield Homeless Center. Donations of new or gently used blankets

may be submitted at the January general meeting or to Leslee Vincent, c/o Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, et al.,4550 California Avenue, 2

nd Floor, Bakersfield, CA.

Note: The Homeless Center will gladly take any size of blanket, but they can use twin-sized blankets the most.

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January Meeting Announcement

The Kern County Paralegal Association, a state-bar approved MCLE provider, invites you to our January luncheon on Thursday, January 13, 2011. Retired Judge Frank Hoover will be discussing “Drug & Alcohol Dependency Issues – How Does It Affect Your Case?” The luncheon will be held at 12:00 noon at The Petroleum Club, located on the 12th Floor of the Stockdale Tower, 5060 California Avenue, Bakersfield, California (NE corner of California and Mohawk). There is extra parking in the parking structure to the north of the Tower. The cost is $16.00 for KCPA members, and $20.00 for attorneys and non-members. Please RSVP by January 12, 2011, to Leslie Larson, (KCPA Programs Director) at 661-328-5366 (Law Offices of Thomas C. Fallgatter) or email at llarson@kleinlaw.com.

Deadline for cancellations: 5:00 p.m. on January 12, 2011. No-shows will be billed.

KCPA’s January Community Affairs event benefits the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter. Please remember to bring

new or gently used BLANKETS to the meeting. Cash donations will also be accepted for the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter.

Help KCPA support this program.

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KCPA’s Community Outreach

January February March April May June

Blankets for the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter. Book drive for Bakersfield SPCA for its Springtime Book Sale. Business clothes and suits for men/women participating in the Life Training Program at the Bakersfield Rescue Mission. Clothing drive for Alliance Against Family Violence. Canned/packaged food drive to benefit the Senior Sack Lunch program through Golden Empire Gleaners. Cash donations to benefit Kern County Wounded Heroes Fund.

423 Truxtun Avenue/Bakersfield, CA 93301

516 W. Shaw Ave., Ste. 200/Fresno, CA 93704

800.322.4595 or 661.395.1050

www.woodrandall.com

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FIVE TIPS TO MANAGING YOUR MINUTES

by Bobbie D. Mebane

As I was sitting at my desk staring at the pile of files, I decided to balance my checkbook, grab a cup of coffee, and shoot the breeze with my neighbor in the office next door. Wow! How many of us have had those days? When I finally sat back down, after wasting all that time, I realized the files were still there, and, unless I found my inner focus, they weren’t going anywhere. So, with the hectic Holiday Season behind us, I thought this would be a great time to review tips on “Managing Your Minutes.” 1. Break Up Projects. When we finish a project most of us feel elated and accomplished. It is natural to put off tasks that we cannot finish in a single work day. If a project is too large to complete in what you perceive is a timely manner, break it into more manageable pieces so that it takes less time to finish, and you get a sense of accomplishment as you finish each part. 2. Prioritize Daily Tasks. These days, everyone has e-mail and social networking accounts that require daily review. Checking these various accounts and responding to inquiries can take up a considerable amount of time. To avoid getting off track every time an e-mail comes in, schedule a set block of time each day to review these accounts and to respond to e-mails. If your job requires you to constantly be aware of the e-mails you receive, review your e-mails once every two hours, if necessary. Scheduling blocks of time to handle these tasks will prevent you from logging in every fifteen minutes and diverting from other tasks to do so. 3. De-Clutter. Does your work environment assist you in staying on task? Or do you need to “de-clutter”? If you find that your workspace is a constant distraction, then, in order to stay on task, it may be necessary to periodically “de-clutter your zone.” Not only will this help you focus on the task at hand, it will minimize the possibility of mixing up documents and client files.

continued...

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4. Minimize Interruptions. Obviously, it is difficult to stay on task when you are constantly being interrupted by co-workers or telephone calls. Unless, you are expecting an important call, and to the extent you can do so, hold your calls for the first two hours of your work day. This will allow you to get on task first thing in the morning without interruption and to finish those loose ends from the day before. In order to get and stay focused, it may be nec-essary to close off your work space, such as shutting your office door. If you find your-self in this situation, simply send an e-mail to your co-workers letting them know that you are available, if needed, but prefer not to be disturbed at this time because you are working on an important task. 5. Jump Back On The Wagon. It is inevitable that, at one point or another, everyone falls off the wagon. Whether it is in connection with weight loss, New Year’s resolutions, or goals at work, everyone has had that moment where they set out to accomplish something, but things just didn’t go as planned. People become successful because they do not give up when the going gets tough. Instead, when life puts a bump in the road that knocks them off their wagon, they hop back on and learn from their trials and tribulations. So, get back on that wagon! Someone once said, you can only do three things with your time—Sell it! Savor it! Or, Squander it. This year, I plan on savoring my time and making the most of it!

FIVE TIPS TO MANAGING YOUR MINUTES ~continued~

Bobbie D. Mebane is a paralegal at Edward J. Thomas’ office in Bakersfield.

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ATTORNEY STICK

AKA CRAIG D. BRAUN, ESQ.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?

To continue receiving each issue of the Paralegal Post,

please send an email to our Membership Director, Jannett Coats

(jcoats@chainlaw.com) and notify KCPA of this important information! Thank you!

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9

Aneta Adams

Attorney’s Certified Services

Cathy Bennett, Esq.

Bottoms Up Tanning Salon -

Amber Schultz

CASA

Estella Casas

Chain / Cohn / Stiles

Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Clifford & Brown

David Mebane Ranches

Chris and Cheryl Dominguez

Jacob Eaton, Esq.

Edge Salon & Boutique—Trisha

Wasserman

Essentiels Spa—Julia Smith

Esquire Deposition

Gary Fachin, Esq.

Freedom Fiberglass

GKL Corporate/Search, Inc.

Halliburton

KDG HR Solutions

Keleher’s Certified

Shorthand Reporters

Kern County Women Lawyers

Association

Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Coo-

per, Rosenlieb & Kimball

La Quinta Inn

Lawdable Press -Julie Goren, Esq.

Gary Logan, Esq.

Bobbie Mebane

Randell Parker, Esq.

Petroleum Club

Plumberry’s

Becky Pruitt Photography

Saba Agency

Edward Thomas, ACP

Via Bella Salon -

Victoria Kirby

Wood Randall

Court Reporting

Young & Nichols

and

Kern County Bar Association

Kern County Paralegal Association

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A note from KCPA’s Webmaster, Makala Coleman:

Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with current events, connect with colleagues, and share your thoughts! Click on either of the icons to go to our LinkedIn or Facebook pages. Don’t forget to check our website (www.kcpaonline.org) as well for current information and the latest news!

PHYLLIS LOPEZ REALTOR®

DRE LICENSE #01195361

3955 Coffee Road

Bakersfield, CA 93308 Cell: (661) 333-8506

Office: (661) 615-1500 Direct: (661 615-1503

E-mail:

phyllislopez@bak.rr.com

www.phyllislopez.com

Golden Empire Realty

Outstanding Agents Outstanding Results.

MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE

MLS

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Proudly Supports

Its Legal Assistants

Barbara Haubrick, ACP/CAS

Lou Stocker, ACP

Hana Tarin, CLA

Kay Roberts

Linda Houts

Jannett Coats

Lesleigh Johnston

and the

Kern County Paralegal Association

When You Need Us, We’ll Be There

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Ads and Articles - The Paralegal Post

The charge for a help-wanted ad is $50 (unless your company is a Sustaining Member of KCPA). Help-wanted ads will be placed in The Paralegal Post, on the KCPA website, and sent out through an email “blast” to all KCPA Members. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month. Contact kwills@co.kern.ca.us for more information.

President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary Member Services Programs Director Newsletter CAPA Primary CAPA Secondary Pro Bono Community Affairs Webmaster Public Information Student Represent. Board Advisor

Kayleen J. Wills, CP, CAS Trinette Lidgett Bobbie Mebane, ACP Makala Coleman, CP Jannett Coats Leslie Larson, ACP Kayleen J. Wills, CP, CAS Tina Anderson Barbara Haubrich, ACP, CAS Starlene Parson Leslee Vincent Makala Coleman, CP Barbara Haubrich, ACP, CAS Justin Madding Nancy K. Boles

kwills@co.kern.ca.us tlidgett@kleinlaw.com bobbie@edthomas.com mcoleman@kleinlaw.com jcoats@chainlaw.com llarson@kleinlaw.com kwills@co.kern.ca.us andersot@kernmedctr.com bhaubrich@chainlaw.com sparson@gbla.org lvincent@kleinlaw.com mcoleman@kleinlaw.com bhaubrich@chainlaw.com jmadding@chainlaw.com nboles@kleinlaw.com

KCPA BOARD

KCPA SUSTAINING MEMBERS Support our Sustaining Members by using their services.

A.V. NOTARY NETWORK ATTORNEY’S CERTIFIED SERVICES BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU CHAIN COHN STILES DOWLING, ARRON & KEELER ESQUIRE DEPOSITION SERVICES GARY FACHIN, ESQ. GKL CORPORATE / SEARCH, INC.

KELEHER’S CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTERS PHYLLIS LOPEZ, REALTOR KLEIN, DENATALE, GOLDNER, COOPER, ROSENLIEB & KIMBALL, LLP SYLVIA MENDEZ & ASSOCIATES THOMSON RUETERS BUSINESS WEST WOOD & RANDALL COURT REPORTING

Become a Sustaining Member of KCPA. Your company’s help-wanted ads run as needed, your company’s logo ad runs monthly in The Paralegal Post, and your company’s

name and website link are placed on KCPA’s website. Sustaining Membership is only $125 per year. Please contact our Members Services Director, Jannett Coats.