It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - NALS Fiscal Year, that is!

Can you hear the song? The one we often hear in August when students are getting ready for school? It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

And it is - for NALS!

This is the time when the newly-elected officers are installed and take the reins of their chapters and state associations.

My sincere Congratulations to all of you! And I'm curious. I started a discussion on the NALS Forum (http://www.nalsnet.ning.com/) because I want to know what special events are connected to your chapter or state association's annual event. Inquiring minds want to know!

Since I am inspired by all of you, I thought I'd give you a thought or two during these momenteous occasions:

The Journey of Possibilities begins with a first step in any direction. All steps are part of the journey, regardless of where you stop along the way. Embrace the journey, stop and smell the sweet smell of successes (no matter the size or the impact), Keep It Simple, Sweetie, and have FUN. The "Possibilities" will make themselves known - just be open to them all.

Congratulations to all Chapters and State Associations as you begin your very own Journey of Possibilities.

Patti
Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
NALS President
president@nals.org

And The 2010-11 Fiscal Year is Off and Running

Wow! It's hard to believe that I was in Tulsa this time last week. How quickly everything went by. And, of course, there was no time to quietly reflect before I had to jump right back into work. I'm sure many of the other attendees feel the same.

We made some important announcements in Tulsa. First of all, the Online Learning Center will now be available to members only. Members will need to log in to get into the OLC for education/professional development sessions, for the Online Study Group, and for national committee meetings. Follow the instructions on the Member Log in page.

Lots of terrific stuff is planned for NALS trip to Branson. Conference information is being posted to the web site and registration forms will be there soon. Don't miss out and don't wait to book your room. The room block is filling up fast.

[Drum roll, please] The 2011 Annual Educational Conference and National Forum will be held in [sound of cymbals crashing] Cincinnati, Ohio. Keep watching for more information.

The Life Membership option for national dues has been reopened at the bargain price of $1,500.

Don't forget to recruit five (5) new members in your membership category and NALS will waive your national dues. And be sure to Pay It Forward and give each of those five new members membership applications for them to recruit and get their dues waived too.

Send your suggestions and comments to thinktank@NALS.org. Be proactive and help steer the future of NALS.

Yes, it is thrilling being NALS President,but it's also a little scary and overwhelming too. I am proud and honored to serve you as your President. I am always available to members and I'm happy to answer nonmembers' questions. Email me any time at President@NALS.org.

Remember to Keep It Simple, Sweeties and THINK BIG!

PattiPP
Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
NALS President

I wonder what Eula Mae would think now?

I love tradition. I’m steeped in it. I have roots, big thick roots, in where I grew up. So deep that I built my house next door to my parents’ house. Every Christmas at my house; every Thanksgiving at my cousin’s. As Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof shouts, “Tradition!” – I’m right there with him. I get it.

Tradition is comfortable. We know exactly what is expected to happen. We know our roles and we understand our duties and responsibilities. No questions asked.

Tradition plays and important part in NALS too. Let’s face it though, not every member, and particularly our newer members, are interested following tradition. They often buck it at every turn -- as we did at one time.

Tradition, while worthwhile, can also be crippling. The NALS of Eula Mae’s time most certainly is not the NALS of today. Do we expect the NALS of the future to look the same as it does now? Eula Mae never in her wildest imagination thought we’d be corresponding by e-mail and filing documents over the Internet! It is a new age and change is constant.

I am the first one to admit that I readily fall into the “always done it that way” syndrome. I have promised myself to stop doing that. To allow each new (and what may seem in my estimation, wacky) idea to have its day. To permit new members to experience the excitement and the thrill of bringing their ideas to life. To grow in their NALS career through their triumphs and their failures. To have the change to experience NALS as I have experienced NALS. I believe that we owe our new members that and I’m sure that you believe it do too.

I think Eula Mae would be proud and happy at where NALS is today and excited to see how NALS of the future turns out.

Come to think of it, I’m pretty excited myself! How about YOU???

Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS

2009-10 NALS President-Elect

A Question of Value . . .

What is value and why do we scrutinize and prioritize the value of everyone and everything about us?

Why is it that we will buy the store brand cereal, but wouldn’t dream of buying the store brand coffee? What is it that determines the value of spending more for basically the same thing?

Some would argue that it isn’t the same. That the "store brand " is not quite as good. That the special brand has more value for your dollars. This is also true of NALS membership.

Why is NALS membership valuable now more than ever? In an age where we can access just about anything on the Internet, why do we value our connection to NALS?

Is it possible that membership in NALS, with its education and certification opportunities, has provided us with an edge over other employees during this economy? Could it be that NALS consistently provides the knowledge needed to move forward in our careers?

OR could it be that NALS fulfills something sorely lacking in our professional lives?

No other professional association will support you in your view of who you are in the legal services industry and how your expertise and professionalism matter in your job. It won’t come from your family. Not from your co-workers who will not understand the value of belonging. It probably will not come from your office or your attorneys, so overworked and inundated with the financial concerns of firm or the practice in general that they barely notice your existence (except when you aren’t at your desk).

Only through NALS will you come to know and understand your true value and worth as a legal professional – your rightful place within the law firm structure.

Is NALS of value? Is it worthy of your dollars and your time? I believe that it is. Do YOU?

If you value yourself as a professional, then you will also value what NALS has to offer at its Professional Development Conference, March 11-13, 2010. http://www.nals.org/conferences/professionaldevelopment/registration.html

THINK BIG! Change yourself. Give yourself the value you deserve.

Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
NALS President-elect

On Being Snowed In

Snow is so beautiful, covering the ground and making everything, including my rusty old shed, look pristine and clean.

I had the opportunity during the weekend before Christmas to enjoy a major snowstorm – a “record breaker” in my area. Being snowed in always brings out the domestic in me. I make pancakes in the morning, bake cookies during the day, and pop popcorn in the evening, all while watching the silent accumulation of snow. Luckily, my family was safe and snug in the house with me.

NALS is like that too, a special family that worries about its members, particularly when economic storms set in. NALS supports you in a way no other professional association supports its members. Have you utilized the NALS Career Center www.careers.nals.org? If you are out of work, have you applied for the one-year waiver for your national dues www.NALS.org/download/NALSdueswaiver/pdf?

Have you taken advantage of the one year national dues waiver offered when you recruit five new members (of your class of membership) within a one-year period beginning November 1, 2009 www.NALS.org/download/waiverduesfiveNMs.pdf? That's a $98 savings just for recruiting five new members!

What about the free Online Learning Center sessions and the free Online Study Group (beginning January 5, 2010, to prepare for the March exams)? Have you taken advantage of the WebEd offerings? NALS webinars are provided to you at a reasonable price (check around – NALS’ webinars are a bargain!). The next WebEd on Federal Rules of Civil Procedure presented by Chris Gierymski (DLA Piper, LLP) is scheduled for January 13, 2010, at 7 pm CT.

This is just the tip of the snow drift. As you dig through the layers of NALS services and products, don’t forget that NALS is there for all of us, supporting us while the storm of life rages all around. Don’t break your back shoveling the stuff that is of no use to you in your professional life. Be safe and snug in your NALS family.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Be safe and warm.

President-Elect Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS

(Feel free to leave a comment to this post.)

Exactly What You Ask For

Imagine that – getting what you asked for.

When I was young, one Christmas fondly remembered is the one where I got exactly the present I asked for (no, I won’t tell you what it was – it was a long time ago!).

Children everywhere ask Santa for exactly what they want and parents everywhere scramble to make it happen.

There is a direct correlation to be drawn from the asking and the getting, and here it is: one of the best things that NALS has going for it is that NALS listens to its members.

Have you noticed that there is a “Suggestions” link (www.NALS.org/suggestions.html) at the bottom left corner of the NALS web site home page? You can: provide a new idea, make a suggestion, tell NALS about a problem, send a note of praise, or ask a question. There are options to direct your comment to specific areas, such as a general comment, conferences, marketing, corporate sponsors, students, etc. Then enter your comment(s), click the Send My Comments button, and your suggestions are received by the Resource Center staff. It is a fabulous way for YOU to impact upon NALS. How can NALS do it (whatever that may be) if NALS doesn’t know what you want?

I challenge you to Think Big! and change your association; change yourself. Post your suggestions and comments. Who knows, perhaps YOUR idea may be the next latest and greatest service NALS will offer its member.

Imagine that! Getting what you asked for . . .

President-Elect Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS

The Change of the Seasons

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. In my little corner of the world, the temperatures turn cooler (but not cold), and the leaves of the deciduous trees turn to awesome hues of red, gold, and orange. This change in the seasons draws my attention to the upcoming holidays, then to the new year, and then to the annual Professional Development Conference in Tulsa in March.

NALS experiences change too. The election results will be announce in November and the preparations for transitioning to the 2010-11 year will begin sometime after the first of the year. While I dislike pushing the seasons forward, to ensure a smooth transition, the initial preparations must begin now.

I am searching for NALS members willing to serve on next year’s national committees. The Committee Preference Sheet is available on the NALS website under the Leaders page. http://www.nals.org/download/NALSPreferenceSheet.pdf or contact me and I will e-mail it to you.

Change your association. Change yourself. I challenge YOU to Think Big! and consider serving as part of the 2010-11 Leadership Team. Together, I know it will be an inspiring and remarkable experience!



Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect
infanti@ballardspahr.com

The September Certification Challenge

Don’t you just love September? The scent in the air changes, the temperatures lower, the lazy days of Summer are over, and the children are standing on the corners waiting for the school bus. The smell of new binders and folders and pencils and backpacks is intoxicating (and not because it simply means our children are back at school). And because of this, it is only natural that we, too, consider our own education.

It was September 1994 when I began studying for the March 1995 PLS exam. It seemed, somehow, a perfect time to do so. While my boys were studying Math, English, and Social Studies, I was pouring over Wills and Estates, Bankruptcy, and Criminal law. While I quizzed my boys on spelling and grammar, I was reinforcing those same rules for myself. While I was studying night and day for the exam, my boys were seeing how hard Mommy worked to pass a test. I hung up my boys’ test papers on my refrigerator, so you better believe that when the letter came with the initials “PLS” after my name – I put that on the refrigerator too!

I hope my boys understood that anything worthwhile in this world was worth working long and hard to achieve. I know you believe it too.

Looking for a short-term challenge for yourself this September?? Now is a great time to accept the challenge to become certified. Get the books, form a study group, use the Online Study Group and the NALS mock exams, and prepare for the certification exams. Think Big! and earn the certification distinction that will set you apart from the rest.

Perhaps next Spring the refrigerator will hold YOUR letter from NALS congratulating you on passing the PP, PLS, or ALS certification examination!

Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-2010 NALS President-Elect

Remembering . . .

Remembering those who served our country is the reason for Memorial Day (formerly known as “Decoration Day”). Having a special day filled with parades, speeches, and other forms of celebration prompts us to remember the sacrifices made by those who came before us. That and the war pictures shown continuously throughout the weekend on various TV and cable networks!

Remembering past heroes got me thinking about NALS past – the members who sacrificed their time and worked so hard throughout NALS’ history – the very foundation of NALS today.

NALS is celebrating its 80th Anniversary this year – how cool is that? In 1929 our founder, Eula Mae Jett, a legal secretary in California, invited legal secretary friends to meet and discuss matters of mutual concern in the legal profession. Their mutual goal was to become better secretaries, more proficient, and knowledgeable in their respective positions. From this initial meeting of a few friends in Long Beach, California, in 1929 came the first legal secretaries association. I’m sure that Ms. Jett and her legal secretary friends had no idea that their initial meetings would lead to the NALS of today.

NALS’ 80th Anniversary celebration will take place, appropriately, in California at the 58th Annual Education Conference and National Forum, October 8-11, 2009. It is a chance to be part of NALS’ history by being part of this historic event. Early Bird registration is due July 1. Will I see YOU there making history?

Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-2010 NALS President-Elect
infanti@ballardspahr.com

ReadyTalk Conference Center

I had the opportunity to participate in ReadyTalk’s Conferencing Tutorial and Demonstration on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. It required me to take my lunch hour from 2 to 3 pm (ET) and I did have numerous telephone calls and other interruptions, but it was WORTH attending. This company has amazing things to offer.

Via a toll-free teleconference number, I dialed into the session and once I connected my computer into the meeting, I viewed slides on screen while Jay Mills and Shawn Cardinal took us through the ReadyTalk site. Shawn described how to (1) schedule a meeting, (2) customize registration for follow-up purposes, (3) have multiple speakers for a Web meeting, (4) eliminate background noise, and (5) how to send a post meeting survey to attendees as well as sending thank you emails; while Jay fielded multiple questions from the attendees.

There are many, many more features to this totally awesome service (see www.readytalk.com) including the ability to record a Web Meeting then send a link to others to access the meeting’s discussions. WOW!

April 16, 2009 is the first NALS WebEd Session - Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? discussing diversity and May 20 is the next NALS WebEd Session entitled, So You Think That Document is Confidential? covering ethics.

Are you registered? Hope so and I’ll meet you there. NALS is THINKING BIG!

Are YOU?

PattiPP
a/k/a Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect

New Oceans

"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

What a great quote. While in Tulsa sharing a piece of Dove Chocolate, the inside of the wrapper contained this quotation. How apropos in light of the THINK BIG! concept rolled out in Tulsa and now sweeping through NALS.

Think Big. Change your association. Change yourself.

And NALS is thinking big with its first Webinar (Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? by David Horowitz, Esq.) on April 16, 2009, at 8 pm CT. Then there's the new NALS Community at Ning - it's awesome! (nalsnet.ning.com) I mean, just check out the NALS Web Site these days. But I'm getting off track here.

I suffer sometimes from the "that's the way we've always done it" malady - have you? This "sickness" is the very mistaken idea that something new cannot possibly work and that the only way to tackle a project is by following the same tried and true procedure used many times before.

Why do we do that? Probably because it is comfortable and predictable to maintain the status quo. However, it also kills the enthusiasm and morale of the person proposing a new and different way of doing something. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that it is a new era and if NALS and all of its regions, states, and chapters wish to remain healthy and relevant (especially to Generation "X" and the Millennial "Y" generation), we have to embrace "new oceans" -- meaning, new ways of doing everything.

When I feel a recurrence of the "malady" starting to come back, I ask myself, "What is the absolute worst thing that might happen?" and "What is the best thing that could happen?" It is the antidote to counteract the malady's poison. The good outweighs the bad, and I make every effort to stay out of the mix and let the good take place.

We have to cast off and lose sight of the shore, my friends. Use the talents of all members and don't be afraid to try something exciting, different, and new. Change procedures around and shake things up. Be Brave. Be Bold. and . . .

THINK BIG!


Patti PP
a/k/a
Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect