Resources Are Everywhere!
By: Antoinette B. Van Schaick, PP, PLS
I
have been a member of NALS…the association for legal professionals
for nine years; I obtained my professional paralegal certification
in March 2004; and I am a member of the NALS Regulation
Certification Committee and have been for several years.
Committee members monitor regulation and other issues affecting
the legal professional on a regular basis using sources
such as websites of bar associations and other local and
professional association web sites, trade magazines, message
boards, court sites, etc.
As
an example, over the past several months, I have used a
monthly newsletter issued by the Institute for Paralegal
Education (“IPE”), which is a division of National Business
Institute, Inc. (“NBI, Inc.”) as a tool to aid me in researching
legislation and requirements for regulation and certification. It
is simply titled “IPE Newsletter”.
In
an issue earlier this year, Certification was discussed. A
link to a Paralegal Certification Comparison Chart was
provided, and quotes from members of NALS, NALA, and NFPA
who had become certified were published. It appeared
that the discussion presented, among other things, an overall
picture of why those particular members had become certified;
the types of certification exams offered by each of the
aforementioned associations; and promoted certification
as a career choice for the legal support professional.
Further,
it has provided insight into what is happening within other
paralegal associations throughout the United States. For
example, NALA just had its annual convention, and NFPA
has an Annual Convention coming up in October. It
will be interesting to see what outcome will result from
these conventions. My hope is that upcoming issues
of the newsletter will provide more detailed insight into
the activities within these associations and whether or
not those activities will have an effect on the careers
of many of us as legal support professionals.
As
professionals, we are not only supposed to keep abreast
of the changes within the legal profession, but as members
of NALS…the association for legal professionals, we also
should be aware of the factors that may affect how we will
conduct ourselves in our chosen profession. Those
factors include, among other things, how much and what
type of education and work experience we should have.
You
can help us keep up by using one of the methods mentioned
earlier in this article or one of your own. You could
attend a seminar sponsored by your firm; local bar association,
or local NALS chapter; review newsletters sent to your
firms by other firms or professional organizations; or
some other creative method.
The information we seek is within your grasp. You just
need to be ready to reach for it, and when you come across
information that can help us help you and all of the members
of NALS…the association for legal professionals, please contact
Nancy Harris, PP, PLS, Chair, NALS Regulation Certification
Committee at nharris@starneslaw.com and
let her know what you found.
