fall 2004 vol. 10 no. 2                                                                                                                  Return to Contents
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Member NEWS

LAD GOES TO LONDON
• For the first time ever, the Division is planning a trip to London on the dates of April 24 – 30, 2005. Registration is available online at www.lad.org. Registration deadline is October 1, 2004.

UPCOMING SPRING ELECTIONS
• Director Elections will be held in the Spring 2005 for odd numbered Districts (1,3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15). These elections will be held and voted online via the LAD website under the Members Only area. Active members will be able to vote online beginning in April 2005. We encourage each Active member to cast your vote for the leaders of this organization.
• Interested in running for a Director Position? Contact LAD’s Election Chairperson, Jennifer Fielder at jfielder@riewelaw.com and request a Petition. Interested candidates must obtain signatures of LAD members prior to election. Notice of elections will be posted in the Winter 2004 issue of the Texas Paralegal Journal. Only Active members registered as of February 1 of each year are eligible to run for a director position or vote in the election. Contact Jennifer for details.

DELL COMPUTER DISCOUNT
• The number assigned to the Legal Assistants Division by Dell Computer Corp is: SS2453215. This is the number you should use to receive the 10% discount for purchase of computers. However, they do not have the 10% discount special continuously. Dell sends a notice when the discount is offered to our members at which time it is forwarded to the LAD members via the LAD E-group. You may try to use this number anytime, but there are no guarantees that you may receive the discount at the time of access. Notices will continue to be forwarded to the LAD E-Group when the discount is available.

CHANGES TO MEMBER RECORDS
• Legal Assistants Division members can now change their names, credentials, addresses, email addresses, preferred mailing address and/or phone numbers via the State Bar of Texas website. Go to www.texasbar.com; click on MyBarPage (top of home page). If you have never visited this page, you will need to set up a pin/password. Your password to set up your NEW Pin/password is the last four digits of your social security number (if the State Bar does NOT have your social security number on file, you will not be able to use this area nor will you have access to MyBarPage); once you set up the new pin/password, you will be able to enter this section of the website to update your member records.

MEMBERSHIP CARD
• Need to replace your membership card? Please send $5.00 made payable to the Legal Assistants Division along with a letter requesting a new membership card to the Membership Department, State Bar of Texas, P. O. Box 12487, Austin, TX 78711.
• Did not receive a membership card when you renewed in 2003/2004 or became a new member in 2004/2005? Please contact the Membership Department of the State Bar of Texas at 1/800/204.2222 or email at jmartinez@texasbar.com

MEMBER DIRECTORY ONLINE
• A membership directory is set up on the LAD website under the Members Only area. This membership directory is self contained and self edited. If you want your information listed on the membership directory, please follow the directions provided on the website. If you need changes made to the membership directory, you need to make these changes using your password to access this site. This is NOT the same membership roster maintained by the Membership Department of the State Bar of Texas. This is a voluntary membership directory for use by the Members of the Legal Assistants Division and is a member benefit.

MEMBERS ONLY AREA
• The Members Only area of the LAD website is for members only. If you are a member of the Legal Assistants Division and cannot access this area, please send an email to lad@lad.org requesting access and sending your name, email address and membership number. Once you are confirmed as a current paid member of the Legal Assistants Division, an access User ID and password will be forwarded to you via email.

LAD E-GROUP
• How do I sign up for the LAD E-Group?
• Going to trial in a “foreign” jurisdiction and want some tips from those who have gone before? Need a form but do not know where to turn? Then you need to sign up for the LAD E-group! This is a members-only group and a benefit of being a member of the Legal Assistants Division (LAD).
• To sign up, go to www.lad.org, click on Members Only and choose LAD E-Group. There will be directions on how to sign up. Once you have signed up, you will begin receiving emails from the members of LAD.
• For those who prefer not to be interrupted with email notifications, select “digest” for the LAD email exchange. Emails are collected and distributed one time a day in one email.

• How Do I change my LAD E-group email address?
• Instructions:
• The LAD E-Group created by the member is password-protected, only the member has access to change your LAD E-Group email. Go to www.lad.org, click on Members-Only, click on LAD E-Group, enter your password, unsubscribe the current email address, and create a new email address where you want to receive your LAD E-Group messages.

LAD ONLINE JOB BANK
• Have a job posting? Need a new job? Please post any job vacancies you have knowledge of on the Job Bank under the Members Only area of the LAD website.

NEWSLETTER ON LAD.ORG
• During the current LAD membership year (2004-2005), the Division will be posting a newsletter in the “Members Only” Section of the LAD website – www.lad.org. This statewide newsletter will ensure continuity of information being provided to our members after each Board of Directors Meeting. This newsletter posting will be on a “trial” basis for the specified year and will occur three times during the year: August 2004; October 2004; and March 2005. The newsletter posting replaces the mailing of a hard copy newsletter in each district or your receipt of an electronically transmitted newsletter by your District Director. To view the newsletter, a member must log into the “Members Only” area of the website.

EVENTS IN EACH DISTRICT
District events and occurrences will be posted by Directors on www.lad.org under your specific District

LAD AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
• Is your local association in need of a quick presentation that will provide your members with some general information about the Division? Or, do you have a topic that you would like one of the Division’s Past Presidents, i.e., LAD Ambassadors, to address? Our LAD Past Presidents are very knowledgeable about the profession and about the history of the organization. Contact Carolyn Goff to schedule a presentation by one of LAD’s Ambassadors at one of your area associations’ upcoming meetings. Presentations may also be scheduled for local high schools, colleges, and community organizations. Contact Carolyn Goff 409.763.2341 or cgoff@millsshirley.com to schedule a presentation.

TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL
SPECIALIZATION
• The Texas Board of Legal Specialization was established in 1975 for attorneys, and in 1984 for legal assistants / paralegals. Today, Texas has over 6,700 Board Certified attorneys in 20 specialty areas of law, and more than 300 certified legal assistants in 6 specialty areas. The TBLS and the Board Certification program will continue to insure that citizens of Texas receive the highest quality legal services through expanding online access and enhancing member services. To learn more about board certification, visit the website at www.tbls.org

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2004 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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