April 2006

In this Issue:

Message from Cathy Hankins, PP, PLS, NALS President In the next few weeks our chapters and states will enter a new era with new leaders. As we kick off the new year, no matter if you are serving as an officer, a member of the board, a committee chair, or a supportive NALS member, you can do your part to make your association the best that it can be. My first NALS appointment was to the Certifying Board. Beth Sorrow, PLS, the Certifying Board chair at that time, shared this story with us. I've used it in many leadership presentations over the years because it has a great message. My question to you is: do you want to have a perfect year or an excellent year? ...read more

Top 10 Reasons Why Certification Isn't For Me – Or Is It? 1. I already make too much money and I enjoy having a tight budget, clipping coupons, and buying all my clothing from consignment shops. Even Donald Trump wants to make more money. Unfortunately, most employees go to work, only do what is asked of them and no more, and then go home. Few employees work hard to become more valuable to their employers. Bosses reward employees who are exceptional. By “maximizing your potential” through increased education, you will maximize your earning potential as well. ...read more

Destination: Education! Most of my family and friends love to travel – it’s exciting to go somewhere for the first time to explore new sights, make new friends, and then anticipate future vacations to recapture the experience. Before my vacations even begin, I pick up a traveling book or magazine to learn more about these new places so that I am more prepared and can get the most out of my traveling experience. It seems to me that vacations or traveling expeditions end too soon and, even though I always have a wonderful time, I feel the desire to return to complete the adventure and learn more. Even though I am unable to vacation or travel as much as I’d like, these captured moments are just a few snapshots of my life. ...read more

Leadership Retreats As announced in the March @Law and displayed at the March Professional Development Conference in Tulsa, the Foundation has a new toolkit to assist you do a leadership retreat to recruit future leaders or train new leadership. This toolkit offers sample documents, including timelines, agendas, budget guidelines, handouts, etc., as well as articles and information from NALS.org. ...read more

Recruitment, Recognition, Retention Recruitment: We all know the definition of this word, “to enlist or engage a person in some type of service.” Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The successful organizations make sure that their group is well organized and functioning smoothly. Their chapter has a purpose and the members are clear about specific goals and projects. If your “travel” theme is not clear, who will want to go with you? Tell prospective members your chapter’s accomplishments. Make sure you let them know how exciting it would be for them to join. Be clear about the benefits of joining NALS. Why did you join? New members will want to know what they can gain from membership. ...read more

Why I Go I love attending NALS conferences not only for the obvious reasons: education, networking, making new friends and cementing old relationships, but for a not-so-obvious one: table talk. To me, talking with people from all over the United States, from different backgrounds and socio-economic environs, from large firms to small, from paralegals to administrators to secretaries to court personnel, from large associations to members-at-large about their lives, their interests, and their latest and greatest “finds” is the ultimate turn on. ...read more