Paralegal Division News

2026-2027 President-Elect

Maria Sturdy

In February 2026, the Board of Directors announced its election of Maria Sturdy
as the 2026-2027 President-Elect of the Paralegal Division.

Maria Sturdy is a Paralegal working under the direction of Chris and Michelle Jones at Jones & Jones in Longview since 2012.  Jones & Jones specializes in Employment Law and Personal Injury. Before coming to Longview, Maria worked for Michael G. Carroll Law Firm in Tyler. Maria graduated Magna CumLaude with her Associate Degree in Applied Science with emphasis in Paralegal Studies from Tyler Junior College.

Maria has been a member of the Paralegal Division since 2015 she has served as the District 14 Director from 2022 -2026. She has also served as the Treasurer from 2023-2026. Most recently, she has been elected as the President-Elect for 2026-2027.

Maria has been member of the Northeast Texas Association of Paralegals (NTAP) since 2013 and has served in a variety of roles over the years: President, 1^st Vice-President, 2^nd Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer for the association. She was honored to receive NTAP’s Paralegal of the Year award in 2017 and 2023. Maria is also a member of the Texas Bar College.

Maria and her husband Bill have 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 1 great grandson.  Maria enjoys cooking, gardening, painting and camping.

Have you been thinking about joining the Paralegal Division?  Well, through February 25, 2026 you can join for 1/2 price:  https://txpd.org/membership/new-member-application/

There is no better time to join!

Members joining between December 1 and February 25 (Pro-Rated Time Period) join the Division for half price and will be members through the end of the membership year, which is May 31.  Active and Associate members will be required to obtain the mandatory CLE hours for renewal, 6 hours of CLE, 1 of which must be legal ethics.  Two of the six hours can be satisfied with self-study or pro-bono, neither of which can replace the legal ethics requirement.  So, depending on when you join you will have between 3 and 6 months to complete your CLE requirements for renewal.

The Paralegal Division (PD) of the State Bar of Texas is proud to sponsor an Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award.  Its purpose is to promote the awareness of pro bono activities such as those defined by the State Bar of Texas, and to encourage PD members to volunteer their time and specialty skills to pro bono projects within their community by recognizing a PD member who demonstrates exceptional dedication to pro bono service.  Paralegals are invited to foster the development of pro bono projects, to provide assistance to established pro bono programs, and work closely with attorneys to provide unmet legal services to people with low incomes. This annual award will go to an individual PD member, who performed the pro bono service(s) in the State of Texas, and has volunteered his or her time and special skills in providing uncompensated services in pro bono assistance to their community.  The recipient of the award will be announced at the Paralegal Division Annual Meeting Luncheon, his/her expenses to attend the Annual Meeting Luncheon will be incurred by the Division, and a profile of the individual will be published in the Winter issue of the Texas Paralegal Journal.

The nomination form can be found here:  2026 Exceptional_Pro_Bono_Award_Nomination_Form