fall 2003 vol.9 no. 2                                                                                                                            Return to Contents
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I Remembered the Nalamo

A “First Timer’s” Report on the 2003 NALA 28th Annual Convention

By Ly Nguyen

As I made the drive down to the San Antonio Riverwalk, the location of this year’s Annual NALA Convention, I was filled with excitement and anticipation reminiscent of my very first road trip. I was determined to make the most of my first NALA Convention…and as it turned out, that wasn’t too hard to do!

The fun started with the Early Bird Reception and Orientation, a “come as you are – meet, greet and plan your Convention activities” social, which was exactly what a new comer such as myself needed. As I enjoyed a marvelous light buffet, I was greeted by friendly and enthusiastic veterans, and treated royally as a “first timer”. How – you ask – did they know I was a first timer based solely on sight? Well, the pink ribbons attached to our name tags, of course!

Little did I know how fun the meet and greet session could be until the “Get Acquainted Scavenger Hunt” was introduced. We were all given little checklists and the task of locating other conventioneers that matched the descriptions on this scavenger hunt checklist. I cheerfully made the rounds and dutifully signed my name under such statements as living in Region 4, to fist time conventioneer, to never owned a mini-van. What a great way to work a room!

The next morning, NALA President – Vicki Kunz, CLAS, officially kicked off the Annual Convention with the General Session Welcome & Opening Remarks. Well deserved acknowledgments were made to the founder of NALA, which was established in 1975, along with the 2002-2003 Officers, Committee Chairs and Members.

Left: Legal Assistants Division booth at the NALA Convention (from left to right) Ellen Lockwood, RP, CLAS, District 5 Director; Pam Horn, District 4 Director; Joncilee Miller, CLA, District 2 Director; Javan Johnson, CLAS, Public Relation Committe Chair; and Norma Hackler, CMP, LAD Coordinator.

The Honorable John G. McBain, Fourth Judicial Circuit Court Judge, Jackson County, Michigan gave a poignant keynote address, “Write Your Own Ticket - Developing Opportunities for Your Career Path”. Making full use of funny anecdotes and catchy phrases, Judge McBain shared his secrets of success beginning from his paralegal days. To write your own ticket, he illustrated three key points:

1 Find your niche;
2 Develop a specialization; and
3 Change your mantra from – “What can my employer do for me?” to “What can I do for my employer?”

Judge McBain stressed the importance of a Can Do! attitude in developing professional status with attorneys, clients and support staff. When we do, we increase our value as paralegals and write our own ticket to success.
Following the keynote address, we were sent on our way to the educational sessions. NALA presented a variety of CLE tracks and topics, including, Criminal Law, Estates, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Social Security and Essential Skills. I personally elected to follow the Essential Skills track, a condensed version of the CLA Short Course.

The topics covered were Written Communications, The American Legal System, Legal Research, Ethics, and Judgment & Legal Analysis. For paralegals who are planning to take NALA’s nationally recognized CLA exam, interested in a refresher course, or just looking for general CLE, this track is the “essential” CLE course for a well-rounded paralegal education.
After an All Convention Lunch, I was re-energized and ready to go at the Affiliated Associations Meeting and Affiliate Exchange Presentations. Following elections for the new Affiliated Associations Director, Melissa A. “Lisa” Vander Weide, CLAS, and re-election of Marcy Jankovich, CLAS, as the Affiliated Associations Secretary, the North Carolina Paralegal Association gave a riveting presentation on LRP: Does Your Association Have It?

Belinda T. Pruitt, CLAS and Anita Watts Wing outlined their program on how to make long-range planning work for any paralegal association. Call them cheerleaders or gym coaches, their enthusiasm was catching as they pumped up the audience with a well-versed cheer. I seem to recall something along the lines of: Long range planning is our goal…watch out for that pole! Well, maybe those weren’t quite the exact words, but the point was clear – LRP is much needed in every organization and we should never let anything stop us from pursuing it.

Next up – Kim Cantu, CLA of the Legal Assistants of North Texas Association, gave an informative presentation of Charge Up 2004, a recount of their unique membership participation program. As Kim excitedly explained, members are awarded or participation at the luncheons, organization events, referral of non-members, writing articles for the newsletter, and a wide variety of other activities. This was definitely something that all organizations who need to charge up membership can put into action, and you can bet we were all taking feverish notes!
                                                                                                                          Above: NALA Conventioneers were treated
                                                                                                                          to an All Convention Lunch and
                                                                                                                          Opening Night Reception. Ole!

NALA had a number of useful informal sessions, including a Membership Forum – an opportunity to meet the 2003-04 Candidates, a chance to “get charged” with a report of the Specialty Task Force on improving the CLA Specialty Program, a “get wired for member energy” session with a special member presentation and focus groups to share ideas in the NALA Programs Discussion Groups. The breakout sessions allowed members to discuss current technology & trend movement, and ideas on identifying authors and subjects for future educational tracks, NALA books and Campus courses.
In addition to the educational courses and social events, NALA business was handled at the Annual Membership Meeting, Affiliated Associations Meeting, and Installation of Board of Directors. With the exception of the first Board of Directors Meeting for 2003-04, all meetings were open to NALA members.

Lest we forget the fun, fun, fun? Conventioneers were treated to an All Convention Lunch and Opening Night Fiesta on the first full day, and the fun continued well into the remainder of the Convention. Nestled in the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk, the Hyatt Regency Hotel was in the middle of the action. Paralegals from all over the country were given a chance to enjoy the restaurants, shops, entertainment, and, of course, the Alamo. To conclude the festivities, NALA put on a great show at the Awards Celebration where the Region 4 paralegals gave a karaoke performance, “Man, I am a Paralegal!” to the tune of a well-known Shania Twain song. You go, girls!

The local paralegal organization to which I belong, the Capital Area Paralegal Association (CAPA), did not go unnoticed at the Convention, and was privileged to have a display table during the Affiliated Exhibits. Rhonda Harshbarger, CAPA’s Immediate Past President, and I were proud to represent CAPA with the help of a festively decorated table, two exhibit boards, brochures, and informational flyers about our membership benefits, VLS pro bono project, CLA Study Group and Fall Seminar. We even held a drawing and gave away a prized $50 ticket that allowed a NALA Regional Director to attend the Awards Celebration, and umbrellas to three lucky paralegals.

I was also fortunate enough to visit with several LAD Officers at their exhibit table: Pam Horn, TBLS – District 4 Director (Austin), Joncilee Miller, CLA - District 2 Director (Dallas), Javan Johnson, CLA – Public Relations Chair, Norma Hackler, CMP – LAD Coordinator, and Ellen Lockwood, CLAS – Treasurer. I still can’t seem to find the right words to describe LAD’s well-thought out display, but I certainly remember the fiesta decorations, the candles, the red hot candies, the decorated eggs, and the always popular jelly bean in the jar guessing game. What an exceptional job!

Above: Legal Assistants Division booth at the NALA Convention (from left to right) Ellen Lockwood, RP, CLAS, District 5 Director; Pam Horn, District 4 Director; Joncilee Miller, CLA, District 2 Director; Javan Johnson, CLAS, Public Relation Committe Chair; and Norma Hackler, CMP, LAD Coordinator.

In conclusion, I had a great time at the Annual Convention and writing this article has given me a chance reflect on the time I spent at the NALAmo. Despite all the things I learned from the CLE courses, and the fun of the Riverwalk, what I will take away most from this grand experience is the pride I feel from being affiliated with such an honorable paralegal organization, and from being included in such a group of people that I hold in very high regard – Paralegals. I am honored to call you my colleagues.
As much as I’m looking forward to NALA’s 29th Annual Convention on July 14-17, 2004 in Reno, Nevada, I will always Remember the NALAmo!

All photos © Ly Nguyen.

Ly Nguyen is a paralegal in the Environmental & Administrative Law Practice Group at Jenkens & Gilchrist in Austin, Texas. She is the current President-Elect for the Capital Area Paralegal Association for the 2003-2004 term. Ms. Nguyen can be reached at lnguyen@jenkens.com.

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

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