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spring 2003 vol. 8 no. 4
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The Beginning of a New Chapter in theFuture of LAD

By Kim J. Cantu and Carolyn B. Goff

Let’s Turn the Page . . .

Our profession has matured over the last 20 years. A good bit in part because of the leadership of the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas (LAD). LAD just celebrated its golden anniversary - a milestone for which we can be proud. Since its inception in 1982, LAD has been a forerunner in setting the pace of the legal assistant profession. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS), The State Bar College associate membership for legal assistants, and Legal Assistant University (now in its 6th year) are just a few of the ventures that distinguish LAD members from other legal assistant organizations.

With age comes wisdom; and we hope that with our maturity, responsibility rises —responsibility to maintain the highest of standards. For legal assistants to be proficient in their area of specialty, we must always be diligent to keep abreast of the law and changes that affect our work product. Because we are one of the few professions that is not regulated by a certifying board, we look to ourselves to set expectations of continuing to learn and expand our knowledge base.

It is because of LAD’s foresight to keep our Division on the leading edge of the legal assistant profession that the 2002-2003 Board of Directors voted on December 9, 2002 to approve the annual requirement of six hours continuing legal education (not more than 1/3 non-participatory hours) to maintain active, freelance, or associate membership in the Legal Assistants Division effective 2004/2005 fiscal year. This is the beginning of a new chapter for LAD.

This decision was not made without extensive research within and outside our profession. In June 2002, LAD President Rhonda Brashears appointed an Ad-Hoc Committee on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education. This committee made contact with various professions who have chosen to make continuing education a primary requirement for membership, along with other professions that are regulated by a certifying board. In addition, the ad-hoc members compiled the education requirements of local legal assistant organizations throughout the State of Texas.

One driving force for the LAD Board of Directors to begin looking into mandatory CLE was the 2001 Salary Survey conducted by the SBOT on behalf of LAD. The membership was polled as to whether they felt that mandatory CLE enhanced the legal assistant profession. From the LAD member responses received, 83% answered in the affirmative and 71% were in favor of mandatory CLE as a requirement for active membership in LAD. As confirmed by our members, they DO want mandatory CLE.
In the fall of 2002, the Ad-Hoc Committee conducted an informal poll through the LAD e-group and of those responding, an overwhelming number were in favor of mandatory CLE for continued membership in LAD. District Directors of LAD wrote and made contact with members in their district to solicit their opinion on mandatory CLE and its requirement for membership in LAD.
As the Ad-Hoc Committee on Mandatory CLE was working on compiling data for the LAD Board of Directors, another Ad-Hoc Committee on Online CLE was working on the feasibility of offering this venue to LAD members and other legal assistants. This possible benefit could only enhance the educational needs of our members.

With all the work of both Ad-Hoc Committee activities for six months, there was but one responsible action to be taken by the Board of Directors. So effective June 2004, active, freelance, and associate members will be required to submit proof that six hours of continuing legal education has been obtained over the previous year.

Through a vote to amend the Bylaws this spring, a standing committee on education will be established to facilitate the implementation of mandatory CLE. Members will be informed through the Texas Paralegal Journal, LAD’s web site (www.lad.org) and district newsletters of the availability of credit hours. Specifically each District Director has been charged with providing three CLE events at the local level for LAD members.

The current Ad-Hoc Mandatory CLE Committee and the Board of Directors are working on formulating guidelines and procedures for the membership renewal process and to assist members with application requirements.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT concerning mandatory CLE

The leaders of the Division want you to be proud of the profession that you have chosen and proud that you are a member of a professional organization that asks that you keep up-to-date on the changes in the law, expose yourself to new technology available for use in our justice system, i.e., electronic filing, electronic research, internet depositions, internet discovery, etc., and for purposes of providing our clients with more economic and thorough representation. The Division leaders hope that you consistently maintain the desire to further your education, just as the attorneys of the State Bar of Texas are required to do.
The Division plans to assist you with obtaining CLE in order to maintain your membership with our professional organization that is moving to the forefront in the United States. The Division will help its members to:
• Locate CLE that is acceptable to the work level of a paralegal and meets the educational and practice area needs of the legal assistant.
• Locate CLE that is time efficient and conveniently located.
• Locate CLE that is financially acceptable to you, should the registration fee be your responsibility.
• Locate CLE that is financially acceptable to your attorney, corporation, and/or law firm, should the fee be an employment benefit.
• Attempt to provide more CLE opportunities for legal assistants in various locals throughout the State of Texas.
• Take the “pain” out of keeping track of the CLE, which you choose to attend.
• Make the submission of CLE units quick and easy.
• Help LAD members become passionate about their careers and membership in the State Bar of Texas.

QUALIFYING HOURS

There are many sources for legal assistants to tap to obtain continuing legal education credit hours. Many of you may have in-house CLE in your law firm or corporation. Local bar associations and legal assistant organizations provide numerous opportunities to acquire CLE. Throughout the State there are colleges and universities with American Jurisprudence or Legal Assistant programs that present continuing legal education. Certifying review courses, such as the CLA examination review course, provide CLE.
LAD sponsors Legal Assistant University. This is a three day-seminar with 14 hours of CLE provided with approximately 70 speakers on varying topics on intermediate and advanced levels. Cost is kept at a very reasonable fee, and this venue is a wonderful opportunity for legal assistants.

The following is a list of possible sources for CLE:

Live Presentations
Legal Assistants Division - Legal Assistant University (LAD LAU)
Legal Assistants Division District Seminars
State Bar of Texas (SBOT)
South Texas School of Law (Houston)
University of Houston Law School
University of Texas School of Law (Austin)
PESI (Professional Education Systems Institute)
NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants)
Half- Moon Seminars
Professional Education Systems Institute (PESI)
NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations)
Alamo Area Professional Legal Assistants, Inc. (AAPLA)
American Corporate Legal Assistant Association (Houston)
Capital Area Paralegal Association (CAPA)
Dallas Area Paralegal Association (DAPA)
El Paso Association of Legal Assistants
Fort Worth Paralegal Association (FPWA)
Greater Denton Legal Assistant Association
Houston Legal Assistant Association (HLAA)
Houston Paralegals Association (HPA)
Legal Assistants of North Texas Association (LANTA) (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Legal Assistant Association of Permian Basin
Metroplex Association of Corporate Paralegals (MCAP) (Dallas/Forth Worth)
North Texas Association of Legal Assistants
Orange County Paralegal Association
Southeast Texas Association of Legal Assistants (SETALA)
Texarkana Association of Legal Assistants
Texas Panhandle Association of Legal Assistants
Tyler Area Association of Legal Professionals
West Texas Association of Legal Assistants
Local County Bar Associations

Online Courses
Legal Assistants Division (LAD)
NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants)
NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Organizations)
through West Legal Ed Center (www.paraleglas.org/CLE)
through Consortium for Advanced Legal Education (CALE)
State Bar of Texas
Attorney Et Al
Legal Seminar.com
Lorman Education Services
MCLE courses (Findlaw.com)
Lexis-Nexus
LawSight
CLENow (American Bar Association Center for Continuing Legal Education (ABA-CLE) in cooperation with CLE Group)

This list is not intended to be all-inclusive but merely a starting point for you.
Additionally self-study can provide up to one-third of the needed six-hour requirement. Self-study includes reading the Texas Paralegal Journal, The State Bar of Texas Journal, and Legal Assistant Today, just to name a few. The Education Committee will be working on identifying additional sources of non-participatory CLE.

Kim J. Cantu, CLA, is a Senior Paralegal in the Department of Legal Services at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, a charitable children’s orthopedic hospital, located in Dallas, Texas. She has been with the hospital since 1997. In 2000, Kim was elected to serve as Director for District 2 (Dallas County) of the Legal Assistants Division, a position she continues to hold. She currently serves as President of the newest NALA affiliate, the Legal Assistants of North Texas Association (“LANTA”), and located in Dallas. You may contact her at 214/559.7646 or kcantu@tsrh.org.

Carolyn B. Goff is Chair of the Mandatory CLE Ad Hoc Committee, Director of District 13, and Parliamentarian of LAD.  She earned her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and has worked as a legal assistant for over 30 years.  In 1982 she was elected charter president of the Legal Assistants of West Virginia.  She is currently employed by Mills Shirley in Galveston, Texas, and can be reached by email at cgoff@millsshirley.com.

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2003 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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