Greetings!
As we wrap this year up, I would like to take the opportunity to thank each of you for your participation in making this a great year for CFPA. We have ventured into some new things this year, bylaws amendments, testing center, and volunteer opportunities. We have had such success and I am so excited to see what 2013 brings us. I want to also thank you all for allowing me to be your President this year. It has truly been an honor and an experience of a lifetime. Our last seminar of the year is coming up as a prelude to our Annual Meeting. If you haven't, please register for the seminar Discovery to Appeals. We have some great speakers lined up for a half day seminar. If you need CLE's or a refresher, please come out and to this great seminar. Contact our CLE chair for more details. We have our Annual Meeting and holiday party coming up on December 7, 2012 at 6pm. This year's location is the Hyatt inside the Orlando International Airport. It's a new venue we are trying out this year and a very nice venue to end our year in style. I hope you grab your best jeans and bling (or whatever your prefer, its your day!) and come out and celebrate this wonderful year with us. We also will be announcing the 2013 Paralegal of the Year, scholarship winners, and the President's Award recipient. Bring a friend or significant other and make a night of it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at President@cfpainc.org or the Public Relations Chair at publicrelations@cfpainc.org . Again, thank you for this spectacular year. I look forward to passing the torch to Leslie Irick on December 7th as she becomes your 2013 CFPA President. I know that CFPA will continue to thrive under her leadership. Have a fantastic holiday season. Remember to take time for yourselves and be thankful. We appreciate Digital Legal's sponsorship of our newsletter this month and as a supportive Patron Member of CFPA. If you wish to know more about Digital Legal, please click on the link to their web site. Have a great month! Let us hear from you! 
Peonca Grier, CP, FRP
Certified Paralegal/Florida Registered Paralegal
CFPA President - 2012
President@cfpainc.org
|
|
Annual Meeting and Holiday Social ...
Friday, December 7, 2012 from
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Where:
Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport 9300 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard Orlando, FL 32827
We cordially invite you to CFPA's Annual Meeting and Annual Holiday Party. Please come out for a festive time to help benefit our Fourth Quarter charity Children's Home Society. All proceeds from chance drawings and silent auction will go directly to this charity. So put on your best denim and add some bling for our "Denim and Diamonds" themed event. After our Annual Meeting, enjoy dancing, games, prizes, food and drinks. What a great way to start the holiday season!
Fees:
Members - FREE Non-members $10.00
Free Self-Park or $3.00 Valet
Remember to bring an unwrapped toy for the Children's Home Society.
Two drink tickets are included with registration.
|
|
Your 2013 Board of Directors ...
Join me in welcoming your
2013 Board of Directors:
 PresidentLeslie Brown, CP, FRP  Vice President/President-ElectMarisa Green, CP, FRP  TreasurerJohn Starks  SecretaryKaren Higgins, FRP(No picture available) NALA LiaisonPeonca Grier, CP, FRP DirectorCassie D. Snyder, CP, FRP  DirectorTheresa K. Thomas, CP, FRP  DirectorCaroline Wilkerson, CP  Director(To be Appointed by Incoming President) Parliamentarian(To be Appointed by Incoming President)
|
|
|
CFPA Winter Park/Maitland Luncheon ...
The next Winter Park/Maitland area luncheon
will be held on Thursday, December 6th!
at 11:45 a.m.
Located across from the Winter Park Village
on 17-92/Orlando Avenue
REALLY ... WHO CAN RESIST THE YUMMY BREADSTICKS
WITH ALFREDO SAUCE!!?? :O)
For more details on the Winter Park Lunch or to RSVP to attend, please contact Cassie Snyder, CP, FRP snydercd@earthlink.net
|
|
NALA News by Nancy Jordhal, CP, FCP, FRP ...
It has been a privilege to serve as CFPA's NALA Liaison for these past few years! I am pleased to pass the reins to Peonca Grier who I know will do a great job for you as NALA Liaison. Please let either of us know if you have any NALA related questions and we will be happy to answer them for you. I will still be working with NALA as a member of NALA's Continuing Education Council through 2014.
NALA's 38th Annual Convention and Educational Institutes will be July 10-12, 2013 in Portland, Oregon. Please read the article in this newsletter by our Region III Director, Kristine M. Hill, ACP, FRP, regarding the benefits to you of attending convention. Kris is one of the many friends that I have made at a convention. Her article should really spark your interest! If you still have any doubts, just ask me, Peonca Grier, Leslie Brown, Lisa Vander Weide, Cassie Snyder, Natalie Colon, John Starks, Anne Hughes or Anne Marie Greer what a valuable experience the NALA convention can be.
Effective with the January 2013 testing session, a passing score of 73% of the total points on a section of the certified paralegal examination is required to pass the section. The point allocation is: Communications 100 points (73 to pass), Ethics 100 points (73 to pass), Judgment and Analytical Ability 150 points (109.5 to pass), Legal Research 100 points (73 to pass) and Substantive Law 500 points (365 to pass). The Communications section does not contain an essay in January 2013. In addition, the Certification section of the NALA website has been reorganized with a lot of new information added. Check it out at http://www.nala.org/Certification.aspx and keep in mind that the examination always has the following month-long "Testing Windows": January 1-31 (application deadline December 1, late application deadline December 10); May 1-31 (application deadline April 1, late application deadline April 10); and September 1-30 (application deadline August 1, late application deadline August 10).
Just one last reminder that NALA's National Utilization and Compensation Survey of paralegals will be conducted on-line through December 15, 2012. The survey is available at www.nala.org/survey.htm. A universal control number is required for access in order to thwart web surfers from finding the survey and spoiling it with bogus entries. The control number is 729843.
Also, another reminder that if you are transitioning from the classroom to the workplace or seeking employment due to layoffs and life changes, please plan on attending NALA's FREE webinar on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time (4:00 p.m. in Orlando). The webinar focuses on interviewing skills and current career trends. To register for the FREE webinar, go to NALA's website www.nala.org.
|
|
Membership Renewal Time ...
Is it that time again?
Time to RENEW your
CFPA Membership!
Membership renewals are due by January 1, 2013. All renewals received after January 1, 2013 are subject to a $10.00 reinstatement fee.
NEW! RENEW MEMBERSHIP ONLINE WITH PAY PAL/CREDIT CARD PAYMENT!
NEW! TWO WAYS TO RENEW YOUR CFPA MEMBERSHIP
RENEW MEMBERSHIP ONLINE: Process your online renewal payment through PayPal using the appropriate category button on CFPA's website and then complete the online renewal form located at the bottom of the renewal page. No need to mail anything in. www.cfpainc.org/membership/renewyourmembership.html.
REGISTER BY MAIL: Or you can mail a check/money order along with your completed membership renewal application you download & print and mail them to: CFPA, Inc Attn: Membership Renewal P.O. Box 1107 Orlando, FL 32801 |
|
Upcoming CLE Seminars ...
December 7 Paralegal Essentials:
Discovery to Appeals
- The Paralegals Role in Mediation
- The paralegals Role at Trial - and Then Some
- Appeals, Petitions and Stays ... Oh My
Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
9300 Jeff Fuqua Blvd., Orlando, FL 32827
Registration Form
CFPA'S ANNUAL MEETING AND HOLIDAY SOCIAL to immediately follow the seminar
Please go to CFPA's website for more information on these seminars and to register online or download the registration form.
http://www.cfpainc.org/cleseminars.html
All CFPA seminars are approved by NALA and meet the criteria for CLE credit under the Florida Registered Paralegal Program
|
|
Digital Legal ...
 Digital Legal provides the latest early case assessment, electronic data discovery, and litigation support solutions. We help you determine the most cost-effective method to identify, collect, review, and produce evidence. We believe that great verdicts begin with great discovery.
Whether you're a corporation of 30,000 employees, a national law firm, or an office of three attorneys, you can make Digital Legal part of your winning team. Click the link below to find out about all the services offered by Digital Legal: Find out More Information on What Digital Legal has to Offer! * This is a paid advertisement as the monthly Carpe Diem Sponsor
|
|
CFPA on the Web ...
You can find CFPA on these social networking sites:
Facebook
Linked In
Twitter
|
|
NALA Convention - What's in it for you? ...
 | |
Kris Hill, ACP, FRP and NALA Board of Directors, Region III
|
The NALA Convention - What's In It For You?
By Kris Hill, ACP, FRP and
NALA Board of Directors, Region III
This year, the NALA Convention will be held in Portland, Oregon from July 10 through July 12 [note that there is a change in the Convention schedule - it will end on Friday, July 12, with the installation of officers ceremony and reception. For more information, see www.nala.org].
I still remember my first convention in Tampa in 2006. I was the NWFPA's NALA Liaison that year and, as far as I knew, none of our members had ever been to a NALA Convention. The Board agreed to pay a portion of my expenses, and my employer also agreed to help finance the trip because of the continuing education I would receive.
I was all set!
I took my daughter with me, and she was the only person I knew at the Convention. . . to begin with, but that didn't last long. My plan was to "connect" with as many people as I could, and I found that everyone else seemed to have the same mindset. It is amazing the number of people I met at the Convention that week and how many have become close friends. The classes I attended that year left me inspired and motivated; plus, I received 13 hours of CLE.
So, what's in it for YOU? Different things about the convention are important to different people. Or, if you're like me, it's the total package that keeps you going back year after year. Here are just a few reasons to attend the NALA Convention:
The continuing education. The 3 or 4-day Institutes provide an in-depth presentation of the material and allow you time to delve into advanced issues related to the practice area, with presenters who are national figures and well-regarded in their fields. This year's institutes are tentatively planned to include Insurance Defense, Corporate-Transactional Work, Employment and HR, Technology in the Law Office, Estate Administration, Criminal Law and Procedure, and eDiscovery. The final line-up should be confirmed by the end of 2012.
The meetings. NALA member meetings are held Wednesday through Friday afternoons: the Membership Forum, the Affiliated Associations Annual Meeting, and the Member Annual Meeting. These meetings help you to understand what it means to be a part of NALA, give you the opportunity to elect your officers, and provide you with opportunities to learn from your fellow members. You won't want to miss the Member Exchanges which this year, according to NALA's preliminary information, will be held on Thursday afternoon.
The networking. Not only have I made wonderful friends, but I've had the opportunity to learn so much from paralegals from all over the country. When was the last time you spent five days surrounded by other paralegals, studying material developed for paralegals, and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow paralegals? It's an opportunity we don't get very often.
The exhibits. Every year, vendors from different areas of legal technology, education, and services join in the Exhibit Hall to present their wares, giving you a great opportunity to visit with them, question them, and bring back information (and goodies) to your office and peers about the latest and the greatest that's out there. On Friday, the Affiliates do their own exhibiting and have tables that showcase what their associations have been doing. It's a great opportunity to talk to everyone, as well as get ideas from other associations.
The travel. I admit it, I love visiting different parts of the country. This year's Convention is in Portland. I can't wait!
Here are some frequently asked questions about attending the convention:
1. Q: Do I need to be a NALA member to attend the convention?
A: No you don't, although the registration fee is a bit higher for non-members.
2. Q: Where can I find out more information about the Convention and making hotel reservations?
A: Check out the NALA website at www.nala.org, under the Continuing Education link.
3. Q: I'm a "first-timer." Where can I get additional tips and hints about the Convention before I go?
A: NALA offers a free webinar, which is generally held in June. You can find out more info about this on the NALA website as it gets closer to Convention time.
4. Q. Can I attend the Convention without signing up for an educational Institute?
A. Yes. There is no charge for attending many of the Convention events, such as the keynote address, the member meetings, and the evening functions. Check the NALA website for more information.
It is through attending the Conventions and participating in the many events that we keep learning, growing, and networking with our fellow paralegals. Come join the fun!
Reprinted from the NWFPA Summer 2012 issue of ParaLegal News, updated by the author for 2013.
|
|
From the Editor ...
If you would like to be a "Sponsor of the Month" or if you have any legal articles or topics of interest that you would like to see covered in the next issue of the Carpe Diem please feel free to share them with me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Membership Corner
Welcome New Members:
Elizabeth Buck, CP
Nina Holman, FRP
Anthony Perry
For Membership Information and Application CLICK HERE
|
|
Newsletter Sponsor:
CFPA CONTACT:
|
|
