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 SAVE THE DATE! October 14-16, 2011

CALDA 24th Annual Conference

"The Legal Document Assistant: A Decade of Service 

to the Self-Help Litigant" 

In This Issue
Save the Date! 24th annual conference
New Member: Geo Legal, Inc.
New Members: Pitbull Legal Help
What is a Homestead Declaration?
LDA in the Library
Welcome New Members

Ahmad Afzal

Elijah Angote 

Christopher Johnson

Monika Juszl

Lori Mote

POSITIONS OPEN

CALDA Vice President

 

Professional Standards Committee

 

Newsletter Committee

 

For more information or to apply for a position, please contact  

Marcel Neumann

president@calda.org 


CALDA Members weigh in on Sacramento Bee article

"Very good article. The word must be spread to the masses that they do not need an attorney for various legal documents.

--Michael Rojas

Los Angeles Legales

 



"I thought it was a very well written article. Mixed feelings on Atty Mark Brobney's comments, although his point is well taken. It continues to drive home the need to act responsibly, professionally, and ethically. Their are those who standd ready to highlight mistakes made, ecpecially from those who do not believe LDA's should be allowed to operate as they do.

---Chris Johnson
Geo Legal, Inc.

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About Us

The California Association of Legal Document Assistants was established in August 1986, and was formerly known as "California Association of Independent Paralegals" (CAIP). CALDA is the premiere organization for legal document assistant professionals.

Become a Member

Interested in joining CALDA or have questions about how to become a Legal Document Assistant?

Contact:
Gail Erickson, Membership Chair (559) 519-1959

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March 2011

Marcel Nuemann
Marcel A. Neumann
President
President@CALDA.org.
The Sacramento Bee recently interviewed CALDA's Public Relations Chair, Angie Walters, for an article about Legal Document Assistants and how our services benefit consumers seeking low cost alternatives to attorneys.

The article was called: "Lower cost legal help is available."

We are so proud of Angie for so ably and professionally representing CALDA. Raising awareness of the LDA profession through the media is one of CALDA's main goals, and this important article by a prestigious publication such as the Sacramento Bee is a major breakthrough in our efforts.

CALDA also issued a press release about the Sacramento Bee article. Please read it here: "CALDA hails media for shedding light on LDA profession"


SAVE THE DATE!

Save the Date postcard FINAL 2

New member: Christopher D. Johnson

Chris Johnson

Christopher D. Johnson

Geo Legal, Inc.  

Year established: 2009 

Rocklin, CA

916.435.1401

chris@geo-legal.com 

 

Geo Legal, Inc. specializes in Real Estate related legal matters, to include; boundary and deed analysis, writing, recording, and expert testimony. Specialty surveys for land, boundary disputes, and title review.  Licensed by the California Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Geo-Legal, Inc. provides legal research for all levels of legal assistance. Document preparation for self-help legal matters pending Sacramento and Placer County certification assignment.

 

Why they joined CALDA:

"We joined CALDA to begin marketing Geo Legal services, and benefit from forums and expertise in building new division of company."

New Members: Monika Juszli & Sidney Maduforo

Monika Juszli & Sidney Maduforo

Pitbull legal

Pitbull Legal Help, Inc.

Year established: 2010

Torrance, CA

Email: help@pitbulldoc.com 

Tel:310.295.0121 

 

Pitbull Legal Help, Inc. is a registered and bonded legal document preparation company. We are qualified professionals with experiences ranging from small to mid-size law firms as well as government agencies. We are authorized under California law to prepare legal documents and provide self-help services at the specific direction of our customers. The court forms and legal software that we utilize are the same that attorneys use.

 

We offer the following services: Family law, Deed, Trust, Will, Unlawful detainer, and Criminal law services; Name Change, Power of Attorney, Adoptions, Healthcare Directives, Civil Actions, Civil Discovery, Small Claims Services, Civil harassment restraining order, Domestic violence restraining order, Liens, Mechanic's liens; and paralegal services for attorneys.   

 

Why they joined CALDA:

"We want to be part of a professional organization that offers educational, networking, and organizational opportunities for LDAs."

What is a Homestead Declaration?
By Ian Duncan, CALDA Legislative Chair
Homestead
LDAs Should be Very Careful When Someone Requests a Homestead Declaration

A homestead declaration is a written statement, made under penalty of perjury, that claims a particular "dwelling" (i.e. a house, condominium, boat, or similar property) as the owner's principal place of residence. In order to protect a home against a loss to creditors, a homestead declaration must be (1) signed by a homeowner, (2) acknowledged (i.e. notarized) by a notary, and (3) recorded.

A properly prepared and recorded homestead declaration may immunize the home (and the land on which it is situated) from many, but not all, legal enforcement measures.

Any non-attorney who prepares a homestead declaration is referred to as a "Homestead Filing Service".  These rules apply to Legal Document Assistants.

Read the complete article on our Blog: What is a Homestead Declaration?
LDA in the Library Program gets high marks!
LDA in the Library
LDA in the Library
The Alameda County Law Library recently hosted two "LDA in the Library Program" events in February. Steven R. Feller, Reference Librarian at the Alameda County Law Library, Hayward Branch gives the program high praise:

"The CALDA program is becoming a favorite among our public patrons!"

What is "The LDA in the Library" program, and how can CALDA members help to implement it in their local law and public libraries?

Find out how by reading the latest blog post from Marcel Neumann:  "The LDA in the Library Program."