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ISSUE 1
March 2017
PARALEGAL MATTERS A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
Letter From the President Greetings Atlanta Paralegal, It is with the greatest of expectations for the Association (“APA”), its members and affiliates that we enter into the 2016-2017 term with posi-
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Letter From the President ……..1 Message From the Editor...…….2 Welcome from Publications…..2 About APA…………….…….……....3
tive energy, enthusiasm and desire for success.
The “APA” Website………………..5
Your continued support reinforces that “APA” is truly on the right
Bar News...………..…………….…..5
"path.” The composition for the upcoming year begins with our celebration of the purpose of APA.
The elements of APA’s purpose are representative of the key focus
Kudos to Clerks’ Authority…….6 Membership is Privileged ….….7 A Paralegal Who Matters.….…..8 Thanks to Our Sponsors ………10
points of the organization. As we move forward committed to: 1) fellowship, 2) a high order of ethical and professional attainment, 3) continued education, 4) purposes, aims and goals of members, 5) promoting the paralegal profession, 6) providing opportunities for the advancement, experience, development and improvement of the professional skills of the members of APA and 7) celebrating our many accomplishments; we will continue to focus our attention and energy on current issues facing
UPCOMING LEARN-AT-LUNCH
paralegals in Georgia. I invite you to share your concerns, questions and interests with us. You
may contact me at president@atlantaparalegal.org. As we move forward on the pathways to success, we look forward to a
March 16, 2017 Ethical Use of Paralegal April 20, 2017 Bankruptcy Law
productive year and to your invaluable support.
May 18, 2017
Wishing you success!
June 15, 2017
Professional Ethics
Sincerely,
Family Law
Carrie C. Foster Atlanta Paralegal Association, Inc., P.O. Box 7552, Atlanta, Georgia 30357 An Affiliate of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc., The Paralegal Association
www.atlantaparalegal.org www.nala.org
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Paralegal Matters is compiled and edited by the Publications Team and relies heavily on content submitted by members and friends of “APA,” Atlanta Paralegal Association, Inc. To suggest or contribute news, articles, photographs or other material for the newsletter, please e-mail publicationseditor@atlantaparalegal.org and reference “Paralegal Matters” in the subject line.
QUOTE OF THE QUARTER: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” ~ Potter Stewart
WELCOME FROM PUBLICATIONS By Ashley Ayala, Ronald L. Campbell, ACP, Denise Cousin, Michael Martin, Nina Walzer Welcome to the inaugural issue of Paralegal Matters. Let’s get right to it. This newsletter is dedicated to helping Atlanta paralegals thrive! It’s the forum for open discussion of ideas and exchange of views, news and articles of interest to paralegals and those who want to become paralegals. It’s where your professional work, community service and lives are recognized, respected and celebrated—the place where every paralegal matters! Launching an e-Newsletter that’s spot on target is an exciting and challenging endeavor. Our team is striving to involve, challenge and engage you; to help you learn from the experience of others and to connect with you, encourage you and celebrate you in the pursuit of your career goals with information, knowledge and resources you can use; and maybe occasionally, when
we are really spot on, even inspire you. And, oh, the places we will go, as we explore first one matter and then another, As a quarterly publication, we’ll take a glance back and a look ahead, focusing on APA educational events, networking activities with articles and matters of interest to Atlanta paralegals, sprinkled with messages from APA officers/directors, as well as news from you about you. All APA members are invited and encouraged to submit articles and news items of interest for paralegals. For more information or to submit an article or suggestion, or question, contact Publications Editor. publicationseditor@atlantaparalegal.org .
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ABOUT APA By: Tamanika Brown, 2nd VP Membership APA is the leading paralegal association in Atlanta and is affiliated with NALA, the National Association of Legal Assistants. Its purpose is to provide continuing education and professional development for all paralegals and legal assistants. how we serve you.
Our purpose drives
When you join APA you become part of
a professional association of paralegals that's there to help you thrive.
10 Reasons to Join 1. Stay up to date on the latest trends in the legal profession. 2. Be among the first to know about changes in job requirements, current status of “issues� within the paralegal profession, new resources for legal research, etc. 3. Network with your peers - personally developed professional relationships brings endless benefits.
4. Learn about new technologies - new and evolving hardware, software, and research tools to help you work smarter. 5. Gain access to other paralegals who you can use as information resources when performing your job. Our forums and social media networks bring you in touch with paralegal who have the answers you seek. 6. Learn new skills. Regularly planned programs provide information that is helpful to paralegals in a variety of specializations. Some of these programs will give you access to knowledge about practice areas outside of your specialization. 7. Find out about pro bono opportunities that are available to you. Take advantage of an opportunity to use your skills to help others enhance their access to legal assistance. 8. Learn what paralegals in other parts of the country and in the world are doing, what their job limitations are, and what they do to enhance their skills and help their communities. 9. Find job opportunities. 10. Get valuable discounts on car rentals, continuing education, hotel reservations, insurance, entertainment and more!
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Where Paralegals Thrive! Member Benefits:
Local Continuing Education Learn-at-Lunch Seminars Networking Events Professional Recognition Career Opportunities Newsletter Assistance toward Certification And much more‌.
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THE APA WEBSITE By Melinda Carter, CP The APA website is an excellent resource for paralegals and legal professionals. APA is working diligently to enhance the website to promote sufficient information for its visitors, such as information on our monthly Learn-at-Lunch seminars, Educational Resources, Membership, and our Quarterly Newsletter. As an added feature, new and current members can log in to the website to access additional webpages, such as Job Opportunities, Membership Directory and Past Educational Events. Check out our website for updates.
BAR NEWS By Mary McKay, State/Local Bar Liaison Did you know that the Atlanta Bar Association offers a nonlawyer membership for paralegals for an annual fee of $50.00.
Paralegal membership benefits include discounted
rates for CLEs, lunches, breakfasts, and cocktail events, as well as all ABA events. One of the upcoming educational/ networking opportunities, sponsored by the Intellectual Property Section of the ABA, will be held on April 15-16, 2017 at Barnsley Gardens Resort. Also, the ABA also offers a “Pro Bono March Madness CLE� program that is available for various practice areas and is available to paralegal members at a reduced rate. This is a great opportunity for certified paralegals to earn their necessary CLEs in their area of practice. An ABA membership application and upcoming ABA event details can be found at www.atlantabar.org.
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KUDOS TO THE CLERKS’ AUTHORITY Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority
By Ronald L. Campbell, BS, MSHA, LFACHE, ACP The Clerks’ Authori-
may be found in O.C.G.A. § 15-6-94. The
ty is a great resource
public accessed the Authority’s invaluable
with a really superb
data via the Internet over 4.8 million times
(user friendly) web-
from 211 countries in FY 2016; had nearly
site, plus a great feature for mobile devices
364 million page views and nearly 1.1 million
for use with iPhone, iPad, or android with
unique visitors to the Clerks’ Authority web-
view/print functions as well. Yes, you can use
site. The Clerks’ Authority is governed by a
their entire website on your mobile device—
board of 10 members whose meetings are
WOW!
open to the public. The Authority oversees
Kudos to the Clerks’ Authority—they do an outstanding job and have an awesome website! For over two decades the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority has
the following divisions, projects, programs and registries: Notary Division, Fines and Fees Division, UCC Project, Real Estate Deed Project, Historical Deed Re-Indexing Project,
”You can use their [The Clerks’ Authority] website from your mobile device!”
been an innovator in the public records arena and has led the state of Georgia in Court technology. Thanks to their cooperative endeavors we now have online access for filing and re-
trieving all kinds of legal documents. The system allows online searches from Georgia’s 159 counties for access to invaluable information such as Indexes for Carbon Registry, Liens, Notaries, Plats, PT-61, Real Estate and UCC; and much more. The Clerks’ Authority was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly in 1993. The enabling legislation
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County-Funded Historical Deed, Lien and Plat Re-Indexing Project, Lien, Plat and Map Project, Historical Plat and Map Project, PT61 Project, Premium Search Account, Clerks’ Authority Map Search Application, Data Archive Project, Microfilm Project, e-File Project, Civil Case Data Project, Georgia Protective Order Registry, Criminal Case Data Project (Offender-Based Tracking System) and Carbon Sequestration Registry. Try the Clerks’ Authority Map Search App. It is a must have resource for anyone needing up to
date and accurate real estate sales data. It’s the only mobile app that provides real time sales data based on the official source of property tax transfer data in Georgia. This app is AWESOME! The Clerks’ Authority provides unprecedented access to valuable information—free access through search terminals are installed in all clerk of Superior Court offices and convenient internet.
Visit their site map https://www.gsccca.org/ sitemap to see everything that’s available.
MEMBERSHIP IS PRIVILEGED By Denise Cousin The benefits of be-
actually follow the phases of a trial from initial
ing a member of
proceedings to final closing statements!!
APA are that you’re
given the opportunities for some GREAT NETWORKING events!! These networking opportunities during our monthly “Learn-at-Lunch” seminars and other events are great ways to get to know your fellow APA members. These events gives everyone the opportunity to learn the different aspects of the whole paralegal profession and what other members encounter in various job duties throughout their day. I’ve been a member of APA for the past two years and I can truly say that I’ve learned a lot in
the
“Learn-at-Lunch”
seminars.
I enjoy conversing with my fellow members
Anyone interested in becoming a paralegal
should DEFINITLEY JOIN APA because it is well worth your membership dollars and I can truly say that you won’t be disappointed...I was not. I am surely pleased with what I’ve learned. Listed below is the link to our website so you can view the calendar and see which seminar is held each month and make plans ahead of time to attend some or all of the workshops. www.atlantaparalegal.org.
Everyone’s invited to attend as many interesting events as you like. To attend Learn-at-Lunch the fee is only $10 person for non-members….but monthly seminars are free once you pay your
about the interesting job assignments and espe-
membership fee and become an APA member.
cially the assignments involving the courtroom.
So in closing, what are you waiting for??
I would enjoy an assignment that involved some courtroom work. It would be very interesting to
JUST COME ON AND JOIN US AT APA!!
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A PARALEGAL WHO MATTERS A Conversation with Nicole Clements
Nicole Clements, a top
“I gave a presentation
-notch
paraprofes-
around the same time
sional at an interna-
the EU was expanding,
tional staffing compa-
and everything I pre-
ny, a top-notch moth-
dicted in my presenta-
er, and APA’s newly
tion came true a few
elected Second Vice President of Education begins her day much like the rest of us—too busy. From speaking with her, I have little doubt that she wakes up too early after going to bed too late, and spends most of her waking life between the two, planning tomorrow. She’s a hardworking professional with eighteen years in the business, and enjoys every bit of it. Nicole kindly carved some time out of her
As someone who enjoys reading, researching and writing; Nicole also found herself naturally attuned to the rhythm of legal work.
“In a lot of the law, that’s all you do. You read and summarize case law, read judges’ opinions and interpretations of the law, and follow rulings that affect an entire industry.”
schedule to share her story and a glimpse
As Nicole elaborates, she observes her
of the future for APA members.
own curious fascination with the way laws
Prior to her paralegal career, Nicole stud-
change and how they shape society. “I
ied abroad in Germany. It was during a
find it fascinating how laws can affect all
course in International Law that one of
of these changes overnight” she states.
her professors saw her potential and converted that potential into a passion for law.
Nicole currently works for a company that specializes in providing staffing solutions to its national and international clients.
An excellent student with a gift for obser-
Given that some of her clients employ in-
vation,
ternationals, she’s keeping a close eye on
Nicole
sometimes
stood
out
among her peers. Nicole recalls one of her experiences as a student:
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days later.”
laws relating to H-1B visas.
She explains, “as the world is changing, every- With an increasing membership and a push thing is constantly moving. And if you don’t for non-member inclusion to monthly lunchknow the rules of the game, then you can’t eons, Nicole and the other newly elected APA keep up”. As for her role in the APA as Second officers have a lot on their plates. By fostering Vice President of Education, she’s happy to see a spirit of volunteerism, APA leadership hopes our membership growing steadily each month. to curb some of the growing pains and become In light of that growth, she says there’s a great- more acquainted with their peers in the APA er push to get NALA CLE Credits for the community. monthly luncheons, and making the Power-
“As the world is changing, everything is constantly moving. And if you don’t know the rules of the game, then you can’t keep up.” Point presentations available online through APA’s website.
If readers would like to volunteer or assist in planning APA events, feel free to reach out to
Additionally, she’d like to spread the word that Nicole and the other officers through the Learn-at-Lunch seminars are open to non- APA’s members.
official
website:
www.atlantaparalegal.org.
“A lot of people thought they couldn’t attend if they weren’t members, but that is not true so I’m trying to put the word out there.”
Are you or someone you know a paralegal who matters? Want to be featured in our e-newsletter? Contact the APA Publications Team!
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A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
PUBLICATIONS TEAM Ronald L. Campbell Publications Editor Denise Cousin Proofreading & Copywriting Nina Walzer Graphic Design & Layout Ashley Ayala & Michael Martin Photography
Paralegal Matters is the official e-Newsletter of APA, Atlanta Paralegal Association, Inc. It is designed to serve the needs and interests of paralegals. Paralegal Matters is edited for the members of APA. Publishing and editorial decisions are based on the editors’ judgment of writing, the timeliness of the article and the potential interest of the readers. The views expressed in Paralegal Matters are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of APA. No endorsement of those views should be inferred unless specifically identified as the official policy of APA. Paralegal Matters exercises reasonable care in accepting advertising from reputable firms and individuals. However, information concerning products and services advertised is provided by the advertisers. Paralegal Matters makes no representations as to the validity of the information or the suitability of advertised products and serves to particular uses. Paralegal Matters and APA are not liable for misinformation, typographical errors or misprints in advertisements.
Atlanta Paralegal Association, Inc. P.O. Box 7552 Atlanta, Georgia 30357 Website: www.atlantaparalegal.org Email: publicationseditor@atlantaparalegal.org
Paralegal Matters Š 2017
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS Carrie Foster, President Alicia D. Levenberry, VP Nicole Clements 2nd VP Education Tamanika Brown 2nd VP-Membership Andrea Linnear, Treasurer Mary J. McKay, ACP, RP, CEDS, State/Local Bar Liaison Becky L. Shipes, ACP, NALA Liaison, Parliamentarian Ronald L. Campbell, BS, MSHA, LFACHE, ACP, Publications Editor Melinda Carter Website Admin. Karen C. Miller, ACP,MSCL, School/Student Liaison