2006 Annual Meeting Paralegal Division
From Path Finders to Trail Blazers: 25 Years and Still Standing
Michele Boerder, CLA
25th Anniversary Chair, Paralegal Division
Such was the theme for the Division's June Annual Meeting and 25th
Anniversary celebration held in Austin in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of
the Division and the State Bar of Texas. More than 160 persons attended the 2006
Annual Meeting Luncheon, and the program included reflections from the past with
emphasis on "how far we've come."
Special guests included persons who were instrumental in creating the
Division 25 years ago, including Tom Hanna (former Executive Director of the
State Bar), who is credited with the initial idea of a Division; and Bob Towery
(former Attorney with the State Bar), who is credited with the implementation of
that idea. Both Messrs. Hanna and Towery gave presentations during the luncheon.
They reminisced about the early days of the Division and shared their
recollections about the beginning of the Division. Mr. Towery told the attendees
that helping form the Division was one of the most memorable projects of his
career.
The audience enjoyed many laughs and even shed a few tears as it took the
path down memory lane, and was shown photographs set to the 1981 hit song
"Chariots of Fire." (The Division was created by the State Bar in
1981.) Justice Linda Thomas, who was key to the implementation of Texas Board of
Legal Specialization (TBLS) voluntary specialty examinations for paralegals,
congratulated the Division and it's members on the number of TBLS certified
paralegals now in Texas. Sandy Hardin, former State Bar of Texas coordinator for
the Division, also praised the Division for its progress and accomplishments of
the past 25 years.
A number of past chairs/presidents attended the meeting and were recognized
during the luncheon. Although not all could attend, all were recognized:
Kathryn King Richards (Coleman), Chair ~ 1982-1984
Elaine Peeples, Chair ~ 1984-1986
Cindy Mankus, Chair ~ 1986-1987
Jan Soderman, Chair ~ 1987-1988
Cathrue Benoit, Chair ~ 1988-1990
Michele Boerder, Chair ~ 1990-1991
Sharyn Aust Smith, Chair ~ 1991-1993
Debra Crosby, Chair ~1993-1995
Sally Andress, President ~ 1995-1996
Melanie Villarreal, President ~ 1996
Wendi Rogers, President ~ 1996-1998
Jim Buchanan, President ~ 1998-1999
Lisa Sprinkle, President ~ 1999-2000
Javan Johnson, President ~ 2000-2001
S. Kristine Farmer, President ~ 2001-2002
Rhonda Brashears, President ~ 2002-2003
Melissa Sherman, President ~ 2003-2004
Kim J. Cantu, President ~ 2004-2005
Ellen Lockwood, President ~ 2005-2006
The Division's first Chair (a predecessor to today's President position)
Kathryn King Richards (Coleman) told the audience about the first Division Board
of Directors, the first Annual Meeting, and the efforts to organize the new
Division.
Ellen Lockwood, 2005-2006 President of the Paralegal Division, read the
Purpose Statement of the Division: "The purpose of the Division shall be to
enhance paralegal's participation in the administration of justice, professional
responsibility, and public service in cooperation with the State Bar of
Texas."
President Lockwood noted the accomplishments the Division has made that
support its Purpose Statement, including:
Financial responsibility;
Name Change: Paralegal Division, State Bar of Texas;
Change in the definition (approved by Division members and the State Bar Board
in 2005);
Amendments to the definition w to further define who is called a
"paralegal" (Approved by the Bar Board in April, 2006);
Continued publication of the Texas Paralegal Journal magazine;
An informational website with resources and a searchable state-wide CLE
calendar as well as the first online CLE offered by a paralegal association;
Completion of a salary survey, including members of local paralegal
organizations;
The Division's second annual overseas trip, to Paris in 2006;
Another successful CLE - Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar, ("TAPS" -
formerly "LAU");
Live CLE in the Division districts and enhanced communication with Directors;
Ambassador presentations across the state, at no cost to the associations to
whom they made presentations;
Leaders of the Division participation in the Bar's Council of Chairs meetings,
serving on the Board of Directors of the College of the State Bar, and serving
on the Supreme Court's Task Force to Expand Legal Services Delivery; and
Division members may apply for associate membership in the Pro Bono College of
the State Bar.
President Lockwood said, "The Division continues to lead our profession
in Texas and throughout the nation. We are proud to be a Division of the State
Bar of Texas, and we are proud of our continued focus on ethics,
professionalism, and knowledge of our field. We celebrate our past while looking
forward to a future too fabulous to imagine. The Division leaders of the last 25
years have always set their sights high, never believing we could not accomplish
our goals. All the Division is, all we have accomplished, and all we have yet to
accomplish, is because of the utilization of our greatest resource: our
volunteers. This is our strength and our purpose. The many volunteers who have
gone before, the current volunteers, and those to come are what make our
organization a success."
As part of the Annual Meeting, awards for the 2005-2006 Division year were
presented to the following:
Cecile Wiginton, CLA (Midland): Exceptional Pro Bono Award
Kim Cantu, CLA (Dallas): Award of Excellence
Patti Giuliano (San Antonio) and Carolyn Goff (Galveston): Chair of the Year
Debra Crosby (San Antonio): Special Award
Caro Dubois, CP (Austin): Special Award
Thanks to Legal Directories Publishing, and its sponsorship, a commemorative
anniversary coffee mug with the Division logo was given to all luncheon
attendees.
Also provided during the Division's Annual Meeting were two tracks of CLE.
One track consisted of presentations to prepare for the NALA exam, and the other
focused on electronic litigation including trial presentation, E-discovery rules
and a case law update. The CLE presentations were provided to attendees on CDs,
as were the Division's annual reports.
The conclusion of the Division's 25th Anniversary year celebration will take
place during the Division's annual Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar
("TAPS") scheduled for September 20-22, 2006 in Addison, Texas at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel. The anniversary celebration will be concluded during the
evening social on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 with a final toast to everyone
who has been a part of the Division for the past 25 years. The evening will be a
traditional "Silver Anniversary" celebration held at The Delaney
Vineyards in Grapevine, Texas.
PD Annual Meeting 2006 - Austin, TX
Thank you very much for your sponsorship of the Division's Annual Meeting
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary!
Below is a list of all of the sponsors of this great event:
Case FileXpress www.casefilexpress.com
Copy Sense www.copysense.com
Courier Depot www.courierdepot.com
Digital Discovery Solutions www.digitaldiscoverysolutions.com
Esquire Deposition Services www.esquiredeposition.com
Haynes Boone, LLP www.haynesboone.com
Hughes Luce, LLP www.hughesluce.com
Information On Call www.informationoncall.com
LexisNexis CourtLink www.lexisnexis.com
Litigation Resources Inc. www.lri-texas.com
Litigation Technology Consulting, Inc. www.ltci-austin.com
National Legal www.nationallegal.org
Reliable Document Retrieval LLC No website - 512.416.8415 (Austin)
RLS Legal Solutions www.teamrls.com
Rydman Records & Reporting www.rydmanrecordretrieval.com
Scarab Imaging www.scarabimaging.com
Southwest Airlines www.southwest.com
Team Legal www.teamlegal.net
Team Litigation Company www.teamlit.com
Texas Star Document Services www.texasstardocs.com
The Exhibit Company www.theexhibitcompany.com
The Medleh Group www.themedlehgroup.com
US Legal Support www.uslegalsupport.com
|
