HISTORY OF
THE PARALEGAL DIVISION OF
THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS

<< Previous   1986 - 1987    Next >>

An attorney/legal assistant dinner, a project of the Public Relations Committee, was held in Amarillo with approximately 96 individuals attending. Mock grievance procedures were continued by the Ethics Committee, with most districts participating.

The long-awaited Attorney's Guide to Practicing with Legal Assistants, prepared by the Legal Assistants Committee of the Bar and the Division, was published and available for sale by the Bar.

The Chair Pro Tem began the development of a Procedures Manual for directors, officers, and committee chairs by requesting input from directors and committee chairs.

The Board, the Legal Assistants Committee of the Bar, and paralegal educators met for Forum V in Dallas. The program included a presentation on the "Changing Nature of Law Office Economics-The Impact on Legal Assistants" and a panel discussion on "Legal Assistant Education-The View from the Employment Office."

Following additional reports of the Professional Development Committee regarding voluntary certification, the Board authorized the creation of a Task Force to continue the work of the Committee. The Task Force was comprised of three legal assistants, one attorney, and one attorney-educator. The Task Force was charged to review the reports and recommendations of the Professional Development Committee, to solicit the services of an attorney to identify and answer legal issues raised, to design a Request for Proposal, and to select a maximum of three independent consultants, to whom a Request for Proposal would be submitted. A Request for Proposal would also be submitted to NALA. In September, the Task Force presented an in-depth report in which it recognized important legal issues to be addressed and recommended that the Division obtain a comprehensive legal opinion on such issues before further action was taken. Pursuant to this report and the receipt of legal opinions from the Division Attorney, the Board resolved to go forward with a Texas voluntary certification examination to be developed and administered under the auspices of the Division and that, in developing such examination, some recognition would be given to those Texas legal assistants who had achieved the CLA designation. The Board allotted another $25,000.00 for future expenses to implement a certification program.

The Professional Development Committee updated its listing of educational programs in Texas offering legal assistant training and made it available to attorneys and legal assistants requesting the same.

The Chair Pro Tem continued work on the development of a Procedures Manual for directors, officers and committee chairpersons.

Mock grievance procedures were continued by the Ethics Committee with most districts participating. The Public Relations Committee sponsored attorney/legal assistant dinners in El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin with the assistance of local legal assistant and bar associations. Additionally, the Public Relations Committee was responsible for designing and selling Legal Assistant Division jewelry items which were made available to the membership.

Division membership totaling 1,682 was reported at the Annual Meeting held in Corpus Christi. The Division, with the assistance of local/national associations, again sponsored an exhibit booth. Gerry Malone with Hildebrandt & Associates conducted a leadership training seminar and certificates of appreciation were presented to committee chairs and sub-committee chair at the Annual Meeting luncheon in recognition of their work on behalf of the Division. The bylaws were amended to adopt the definition of legal assistant as adopted by the Board on June 19, 1986, and by the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association in February 1986. This definition was also adopted by the Bar Board on October 4, 1986.

 

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