2005 Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar, Austin, Texas
Nan Gibson, Marketing
Chair, Houston, TX
Even Hurricane Rita couldn’t stop, Lisa Sprinkle, CLAS, TAPS Planning Committee Chair and former Paralegal Division President, along with 11 committee chairs and their volunteers, and Coordinator/Meeting Planning, Norma Hackler, in their exceptional efforts to present the annual three-day, multi-track continuing education for Texas Paralegals this year. Even with a category 5 hurricane spinning in the Gulf of Mexico, 244 of the 253 registrants attended the seminar in Austin this year. The Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar (TAPS) was held in Austin, September 21-23, 2005. From Brownsville to Lubbock, and El Paso to Beaumont, attendees arrived looking for legislative updates, the latest information in their respective fields, and social interaction with their peers across the state. From the evaluation reports and member feedback, it is apparent everyone felt as if they’d gotten what they came for.
The annual seminar offers up to 14 hours of continuing legal education in many fields of law including Civil, Personal Injury, Environmental, Elder, Family, Estate Planning, Criminal, Real Estate, Immigration, Employment, Bankruptcy, Oil & Gas, and Corporate. There were also legislative updates in Family, Personal Injury, Civil, Environmental, Probate and Estate Planning Law.
Below are personal remarks from several attendees regarding the CLE:
I was on the family track and without exception the topics were very informative, the speakers were wonderful and the information I received was advanced, relevant, and helpful. I have told everyone that was not fortunate enough to attend that it was without a doubt one of the best seminars I have attended (and given my many, many years in the legal profession...) that’s saying something!
Charlyne Ragsdale, Austin
The topic, “Drug Testing and Its Limitations” by Robert B. Luther, Austin Attorney, and
Dr. James Hefner, Austin, on hair testing was very informative. The speaker was lively and provided a list of frequently asked questions that I will pass on to my clients. Excellent content and handouts!
Pat Hammer, Fort Worth
I particularly enjoyed “Some Fine Points of Legal Drafting” by Professor Wayne Scheiss. It was not only very informative, but was interesting, educational and entertaining. Dr. Scheiss actually made the “what’s, whys, and wherefores” of legal writing entertaining. I almost didn’t stay for the lecture because I that “Oh, yawn, a legal writing lecture”. I was very glad I did. It was a unique experience. As I sat at the back of the room, I could not help watching the other attendees, (and the classroom was full) who appeared to be as receptive as I was to the lecture. It was one of the many excellent lectures held at 2005 TAPS.
Nan Gibson, Houston
Thoughts on “Optimizing the Attorney/Paralegal Relationship in Complex Litigation” presented by Mike Slack, Austin Attorney, was worth waiting for.
Anonymous
Best seminar I’ve ever attended. First class seminar all the way. Speakers and materials were great. Hats off to committee and volunteers.
Anonymous
The seminar was held at the Omni SouthPark Hotel in Austin, which had deluxe accommodations. And a fabulous buffet!
The socials were phenomenal. On the evening of September 21, 2005, at Maggie Mae’s on 6th Street, we listened to the “Damn Good Texas Band”, who was just that, and learned that some of our members are line dancing fools. If line dancing was not your forte, you could head on upstairs to play a little 5-card hold ‘em, and dip a strawberry in the chocolate fountain. At each social event gift drawings were held. This year’s door prizes were exceptional, ranging from candles and t -shirts, to digital cameras with docking stations and $600 travel gift cards.
For Thursday, September 22, 2005’s social, what could be more entertaining than attorneys making fun of themselves? The Bar & Grill Singers, a group of Austin-based attorneys who have formed a singing group, which rewrites popular lyrics from well-known songs. The end result is hilarious. For example, they took Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and changed the chorus to, “If you call, at my office or at my home......I’m billing time.” At the close of their performance, while taking the opportunity to thank several of the members for such an entertaining evening, many commented that we were the best audience they’d ever had, and were, “a lot more fun than performing for our peers.”
But the contest that Javan Johnson, TAPS Social Chair, planned following the Bar & Grill Singers showed the true spirit of the paralegal. The object of the game was to find an object in the purse, bag, or on the “person” of your “group” and the first one to the front with the object scored a point for the team. “Hilarious” doesn’t begin to describe it. If you were there, you were laughing. If you were not, close your eyes and imagine a room full of competitive paralegals all fighting to be first. It was a circus, and like a circus, no one left the hall without the memory of a belly laugh.
Please mark your calendars for next year (Fall, 2006 – in Dallas). It will be just as informative and entertaining as this year. The contacts you make during this seminar may not only provide much needed assistance in some other county, but also lifelong friends. The Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas also makes it possible through this seminar, to accumulate all of the CLE you need to maintain certifications, and do it in a manner that is fun and educational.
REMEMBER that if finances have precluded you from attending the seminar in the past, go online and apply for a scholarship. See? There really is no excuse for not attending. We look forward to seeing you next year – The 2005 Planning Committee:
Committee Chair
Lisa Sprinkle, CLAS
TBLS Board Certified – Civil Trial Law
El Paso, Texas
Door Prizes
Jennifer Barnes
Maureen Peltier & Associates
Houston, Texas
Socials
Javan Johnson, CLAS
TBLS Board Certified – Civil Trial Law
Longview, Texas
Exhibitors
Michele Flowers Brooks
Adami, Goldman & Shuffield, Inc.
Austin, Texas
Exhibitors
Jeneatte Ybarra
Brown McCarroll
Austin, Texas
Speakers
Ginger Dvorak
TBLS Board Certified – Civil and Family Trial Law
Brown McCarroll
Austin, Texas
Speakers
Dora Hudgins
FreeScale
Austin, Texas
Registration
Kimberly Cherryhomes, CLA
Vick, Carney & Smith, L.L.P).
Weatherford, Texas
Marketing
Nan Gibson
Short * Jenkins * Kamin, L.L.P.
Houston, Texas
Public Member
Frank S. Hinnant
The Marker Group, Inc.
Houston, Texas
Board Advisor
Ellen Lockwood, CLAS, RP
President – Paralegal Division – State Bar of Texas
Clear Channel WorldWide
San Antonio, Texas
Meeting Planner
Norma Hackler, CMP
Executive Director – Paralegal Division
Austin, Texas
Online CLE
Pam Horn
TBLS Board Certified – Civil Trial Law
AMD
Austin, TX
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