Fall 2016

On Friday, June 24, 2016, PPA held its annual Tailgate and Pirate Game. This year the tailgate was sponsored by Harris Investigations and those who attended were treated to hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, baked beans and corn, along with all the fixin's. There were also fabulous desserts, all catered by The Cooked Goose from Oakdale.

It was a beautiful night as we watched the Pirates end their losing streak by beating the LA Dodgers by a score of 8-6. It was also a Free Shirt Friday!

Thank you to Harris Investigations for sponsoring the tailgate and their continued support of PPA. And to Monique Luck and her social events committee for organizing this event.

It was a great night and we are looking forward to next year! Let's go Bucs!!

Inside This Issue President’s Message ................ 2

Paralegal Day 2016 ................. 2

PPA General Meetings ............ 3

CLE Certificate Pending .......... 3

Keystone Alliance .................... 3

Entry Level Opportunities ........ 4

Mobile Videoconferencing .... 5

Continuing Education .............. 5

The Future ................................. 7

NFPA Updates .......................... 8

Spring Education Conference 10

PPA Contacts ............................ 13

Flyers NDS Anniversary Celebration

Paralegal Day Proclamation

PPA Conference Save the Date

PPA Social Networks Find us on LinkedIn Join us on Facebook

PPA’S ANNUAL PIRATES GAME TAILGATE Christine Boyd

FALL EDUCATION CONFERENCE Our Fall Education Conference is scheduled for

Thursday, October 6, 2016 at the Reed Smith Conference Center. Sessions will be begin at 12:00 p.m. with an

ethics presentation. Reservations forms can be found at our web site: www.pghparalegals.org

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Cindy Wirtz, President

I hope all my fellow paralegals had a great summer despite the 90+ degree temperatures, high humidity and the endless construction!Navigating the city streets has been challenging! Despite it all, the PPA kept on going over the summer starting with our annual Pirates tailgate and game on June 24. On July 26 wecelebrated Paralegal Day at the Rivers Club and on July 31 we hosted the Keystone Alliance summer meeting at the Rivers Club. Picturesand articles of these events are featured in this issue. The next few months will be filled with more exciting PPA events as well. Mark your calendars, our Fall Conference will be held onOctober 6, from 11:30 to 4:30 at Reed Smith. The registration flyer will be posted on our website, www.paralegals.org. Our last twoGeneral Meetings for 2016 will be on October 19 and November 16. At the November General Meeting, our election for the 2017 Boardof Directors, will be held. Rounding out the year is our holiday luncheon in December. Now is the time to begin selecting candidates for the 2017 PPA Board: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, Keystone Primaryand Secondary Representative, NFPA Primary and Secondary Representative and Board member. I strongly encourage all PPA membersto consider either nominating a person for one of these positions or better yet, get involved and asked someone to nominate you! I realizethat it may seem as if serving on the Board is a big time commitment, but it really is not. Board meetings are held on the second Thursdayof the month from noon to 1:00 at the ACBA, in the Koppers Building. As a Board member, you would also be required to chair or co-chair a committee. Again, not too time consuming. Please give some serious thought to serving the PPA or nominating a member whoyou think would be an asset to our organization. If you would like to discuss serving on the PPA Board, please do not hesitate to contactme by telephone or email. I certainly hope to see all of you at these events in the coming months. Be sure to check our website for updates and more events. As always, please feel free to contact any of our Board members with questions or suggestions. Cindy Wirtz cwirtz@pollockbegg.com (412) 471-9000

PARALEGAL DAY 2016 Christine Boyd

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016, about 30 paralegals enjoyed a nice lunch at the River's Club to celebrate Paralegal Day. There weremany door prizes given away and great raffle items as well.

We would like to thank the following who donated either a door prize or a raffle item:

Planet Depos, Network Deposition Services, Marjorie Peters Court Reporting, Litigation Solutions, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, CherMorgan and Stephanie Barber.

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Thank you also to Bobbi Cramer and her committee for organizing this luncheon!

We hope to see you again next year!

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On Saturday, July 30, 2016 the Pittsburgh Paralegal Association amember association of the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associationhosted the summer meeting of delegates from paralegal associationsthroughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These associationsinclude: Pittsburgh Paralegal Association, Central PennsylvaniaParalegal Association, Lancaster Area Paralegal Association, ChesterCounty Paralegal Association, York County Paralegal Association,Montgomery County Paralegal Association, Philadelphia ParalegalAssociation and Delaware County Paralegal Association. Both PPA'sPrimary Delegate (Stephanie Barber) and Secondary Delegate (DianaRoth) were in attendance, along with PPA's President Cindy Wirtz andtwo of the Pittsburgh Paralegal Association's Board Members.Discussion was held on the importance of the Pa.C.P. Programspecifically Keystone's continuance with certifying Pennsylvaniaparalegals. Certification is important in any career. It gives a "pop" to aresume. It also shows that the paralegal has elected to learn more aboutall areas of law and to also hone in on a specialty of choice. In the wordsof Steve Martin, "Be So Good They Can't Ignore You." Our discussionscontinued in paralegals being professional, articulate, reliable, adaptable,

KEYSTONE ALLIANCE OF PARALEGAL ASSOCIATIONS SUMMER CONFERENCE Mianne L. Besser, NFPA Director, Region II

loyal, ethical, assertive, and goal oriented. We have also voted to have an on-line payment service for renewals and/or new applications ofthe Pa.C.P. Certification Program. This will be a 90-day test run and hopefully we can be able to continue this service. Keystone will beusing "LawPay." LawPay caters to lawyers and are endorsed by 42 bar associations, including the ABA. LawPay is similar to PayPal.

Continued on Page 7

PPA GENERAL MEETINGS PPA's April General Meeting was a review of our recent By-Law changesand updates. Thanks to those who came out to hear the changes. All votingmembers will be receiving an email to vote on whether or not the boardshould approve the new bylaws. May’s General Meeting was sponsored by Signature Information Solutionsand they were represented by Vic Lisotto. Eric Weinheimer, Esquire ofOld Republic spoke on "Authority to Sign". The June General Meeting was postponed due the Penguins VictoryParade. We are working on rescheduling Dr. Duke Thomas and hispresentation on Spinal Injuries. Our August General Meeting was on Estates and Guns and was presentedby Benjamin Johns, Esquire. Those in attendance learned about the variouslaws the govern guns in estates and what happens after someone dies andthey owned one or many guns. The lunch was sponsored by NetworkDeposition Services.

CLE CERTIFICATE PENDING PPA will be posting all Keystone Alliance approvals for any seminars on our website. If you attend a PPA seminar and your CLEcertificate says "pending" for Keystone Approval, you will be able to print out the Keystone approval for that seminar and attach it to yourcertificate when submitting it for your Pa.C.P. application or renewal. There will be a link to the approvals in the Member Center.

May General Meeting From left to right: Eric Weinheimer, Esquire, from Old Republic Insurance (speaker), Christine, Diana, Victor Lisotto – Signature Information Solutions (lunch sponsor), and Scott Wucher from Old Republic Insurance

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NAVIGATING THE FIELD: A GUIDE TO ENTRY LEVEL PARALEGAL OPPORTUNITIES Cindy Wirtz, President, PPA All of your hard work and studying has paid off, you have graduated, obtaining your paralegalcertificate or degree. Now, time to land your first paralegal position!

Over the past few years, the PPA has had an increase in student membership which is terrific! After all,the purpose of our organization is to “promote the professional development and continuing educationof paralegals”. We are here to help all paralegals, regardless of where you are in your legal career. Oneof the most often asked questions we receive from students, is how to go about landing their firstparalegal position, particularly when they do not have legal work experience. The following is a list ofsuggestions to help you achieve that goal.

Start with your college or university’s career services department. Having a good placement rate is just as important to aschool as their enrollment numbers. Being able to quote a high placement percentage to a prospective student is a greatsales tool. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease so do not be shy! Keep in contact with the career servicesdepartment on a regular basis and check their online job postings daily.

If you haven’t already done so while attending school, make sure you join the PPA upon graduating. The membershipapplication can be found on our website, www.paralegals.org. The networking opportunities alone is priceless. Attend allGeneral Meetings and introduce yourself, particularly to the attorneys presenting the CLE that day. There are alwaysseveral PPA Board members in attendance at the General Meetings. Introduce yourself to us and pick our brains! Neverhesitate to send us an email.

Membership in the PPA allows you access to our job bank which is also on our website. The PPA will post any paralegalposition at no cost to an employer.

Sign up with a legal placement agency. Pittsburgh has several agencies and generally there is not a fee to sign up. TheAllegheny County Bar Association has a legal placement department. Make sure you contact the ACBA and visit theirwebsite daily, www.acba.org as they post many legal positions daily.

Post your resume with the various online employment search engines such as Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, andZipRecruiter.com.

When drafting your resume, be sure to list membership in the PPA. The PPA is a respected, well-known organization inthe legal field.

Volunteer work is a great way to obtain experience. The PPA lists volunteer opportunities for paralegals in our weeklyemail blasts. Listing your volunteer work on your resume shows prospective employers that you have initiative, you aregiving your legal career 110%!

Do not apply for only paralegal positions. If the job posting says legal assistant, apply. You can always ask at theinterview whether there is room for advancement to paralegal. Remember, sometimes you just need to get your foot inthe door!

Finally, do not dismissparalegal positions in areasother than Pittsburgh.Unless relocating is not anoption for you, moving toanother city to obtain aparalegal position thatwould be a great fit foryou, does not mean that itis permanent. You canalways move back homeafter you gain valuableexperience.

I wish all of you seeking employment, thebest of luck and again, do not hesitate tocontact me if I can be of assistance!

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In the old days, attorneys had no choice but to travel to take out-of-state depositions. Many litigators were frequent fliers who spent moretime in airline lounges than in depositions. In the more recent past, they had the option of heading to the nearest videoconferencing (VC)location (a conference room in their own firm if they were lucky), and taking the deposition that way. There were a few occasionalhurdles – getting the witness to agree to travel to a videoconferencing site on their end (sometimes great distances in rural settings) andhigh costs, especially after hours – but it was still a huge leap forward in terms of time and cost savings when compared to travel. In 2014,advances in technology have led to the next step and the new normal in terms of out-of-town depositions: mobile videoconferencing. Mobile videoconferencing is an umbrella term that refers to the use of an Internet connection and a webcam-enabled computing device(desktop, laptop, iPad, smartphone, etc.) to conduct real business in a virtual meeting space. It allows you to conduct a deposition or otherlegal proceeding over any Internet connection from the comfort of your home or office, eliminating the need for travel. Not only do younot have to travel to the witness location, you don’t even have to travel to the videoconferencing site. Because you don’t need to use expensive videoconferencing equipment in someone’s office, mobile videoconferencing can be much morecost effective than traditional videoconferencing. If you consider yourself tech savvy enough that you can connect to the depositionyourself, without needing to pay for a technician, you can save even more money. However, many vendors will offer the services of atechnician at a nominal or zero cost to ensure that the proceeding goes off without a hitch. Another consideration is the number of people in attendance at each location. If you will be attending by yourself from your office thenyour laptop or iPad will be sufficient. On the other hand, if co-counsel and opposing counsel are going to be in the room as well, you maywant to opt for the technician with a television. They will feed the laptop through their portable TV (usually 22-32”) to make it very easyfor everybody in the room to see without having to crowd around the device. You can share exhibits directly through the videoconference if you have them in a digital format. You have the ability to share your entirescreen or just one specific document at a time. This eliminates the need to either fax or ship your exhibits to the witness, saving bothmoney and paper. A mobile videoconference can take place anywhere you have Internet access, allowing much more flexibility than a traditionalvideoconference. Conducting a deposition via mobile videoconference is just one application. Another example is having an expertwitness appear at your trial remotely, saving them time and saving you money. You can have a TV set up in court and have them connectwhen you’re ready. This scenario has also been used to allow a bedridden witness to attend a trial from their own home. Mobile videoconferencing is currently being utilized by many mediation firms to keep mediations from having to be rescheduled justbecause one or two important witnesses are not able to appear. This keeps more mediations on the books and benefits all parties. Whetherbeing used for depositions, mediations or trial, the goal is the same: greater efficiency. Technology is constantly evolving to make every aspect of our lives easier, and the legal world is no exception. Mobile videoconferencingtakes the latest technology and applies it to a part of our lives that is costly and time consuming. Having it as another tool in yourlitigation toolbox will save you time and money and therefore make you a more efficient litigator. Written by Jeremy Dineen, Video & Trial Services Manager at Planet Depos, a worldwide litigation support firm.

USING MOBILE VIDEOCONFERENCING TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY

IT’S A GIRL! Congratulations to PPA Keystone Secondary Representative

Diana Roth and her husband, Michael, as they welcomed

Elizabeth Marie Patton on June 10, 2016.

She weighed 7lbs 13 oz.

Mom and baby are doing well.

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In 1986 the American Bar Association (ABA) resolved to support the concept of mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) for all active lawyers. They further resolved to urge all states to adopt an MCLE program and assisted in developing guidelines to aid the states in creating their own programs1

According to data retrieved from the American Law Institute1, all but five states and the District of Columbia have some sort of MCLErequirement program in place. The reporting periods range from one to three years and the required amount of credits range from 10 to15 MCLE’s per year. It is interesting to note that the only state with a large discrepancy in the amount of MCLE credits required is Hawaii, with only 3 MCLE credit hours per year.

The five states without any form of MCLE requirements are: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and South Dakota.

A credentialed paralegal is required to complete CLE requirements and report said CLE credit to maintain their credential. A non-credentialed paralegal, although not required to do so should attend CLE programs to further their own professional development.

What exactly qualifies for CLE? The course must be substantive in nature OR based on a skill a legal professional may require. Forexample, a software class on Microsoft Word, although helpful will not qualify for CLE. Change that class to legal specific software such as LexisNexis, Casemaker, etc. and now it will qualify for CLE credit. A class on proofreading a document is not substantive in nature, but a class on proofreading LEGAL documents with LEGAL terminology and phrases commonly used in said LEGAL documents willqualify. Remember the LEGAL in Continuing Legal Education and you can’t go wrong.

There are many ways to obtain CLE. Thanks to the ever evolving advances in technology one no longer has to leave the comfort of their office or their home to attend online courses, webinars and even teleconferences. NFPA offers a wide array of quality, CLE webinars at member/non-member rates. They can be found on the NFPA Website (http://www.paralegals.org/) under events and selecting the eventscalendar. Be sure to be signed in when registering if you want the member discount. If you like the idea of networking with likemindedindividuals you should check out your local paralegal association’s calendar of events. They usually sponsor one, two or several CLEs per year and are usually at a member discount also.

When a credentialed paralegal applies for their CLE credit it is important to include evidence of attendance. A receipt of payment for aclass is not proof that you attended, it is merely proof of payment. The sponsor of the class usually presents a certificate of attendance upon request. If you attended in person that will be easy, they will more than likely provide the certificate at the end of the session.Webinars and teleconferences are a little trickier. They may give out codes throughout the webinar so that you can then submit the codes as proof that you were present for the entire session. At that time they will provide you with your certificate of attendance. If you are not sure when the certificate will be awarded, please ask. It is important if you want to receive the credit from your credentialing entity.

Another important piece of your request for credit is whether or not it was preapproved. If so, that is usually indicated on the e-mail, pamphlet, or flyer you received prior to signing up. It is beneficial to keep that as proof that it was preapproved. When you submit for credit you will want to submit that along with your proof of attendance. If you attended something not preapproved, you will need to provide backup information as to why it would qualify. If an outline or agenda was provided, please hold on to that to submit along withyour proof of attendance. Another key piece of information is the speaker or speakers. A short biography will need to be provided. The person evaluating the course will need to determine that the speaker was in fact qualified to present the course. NFPA does not ask for allof this information to be difficult, rather to insure that it is adhering to a high standard of quality when approving the CLE.

If you volunteer for your local paralegal association and have a program to submit for approval please keep the above information in mind when submitting your request and remember to provide the length of the program, a breakdown (outline format works well) and thespeakers biography. Simple as that.

Remember that if at any time you are not sure if something qualifies or how to go about requesting CLE please reach out to the NFPA Vice President, Director of Profession Development (VPDPD) or the CLE Coordinators for answers and/or advise.

Might there be a CLE topic you are interested in but haven’t seen it advertised locally? Reach out to your local association and ask them if they could set one up. Do you have a suggestion for a speaker? By all means, refer them to your local association to do a program. The attorneys will earn MCLE credit with their local bar associations for preparing and presenting CLEs so it is a win/win.

____________________________ i http://search.americanbar.org/search?q=ABA+Model+Rule+for+Continuing+Legal+Education+with+Comments&client=default_frontend&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&site=default_collection&output=xml_no_dtd&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&ud=1&getfields=gsaentity_aba_collection iihttps://www.ali-cle.org/MCLE-Information

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION: EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW Josie A. Estes, NFPA Region V Director

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Keystone (Continued from Page 2) Job sharing information was also discussed among the paralegal associations of all counties in light of the changing dynamics of our economy, paralegals may be moving to other portions of the state. Discussion was also held as to the importance of having other Pennsylvania state paralegal associations created and joining Keystone in furthering the importance of the paralegal professional. We have also agreed to share each other's newsletters, CLE conferences and seminars and speaker information, fundraising ideas, banquet and holiday celebration suggestions. This also would include the very important "pro bono" program and volunteering to help other people and charities in each of our respective geographical areas. Our next meeting will be the Fall Meeting and will be hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Paralegal Association. Remember as a member of the Pittsburgh Paralegal Association you are also a member in the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations with statewide representation. Keystone is dedicated, as is the PPA and other member associations, in representing the paralegals of Pennsylvania. Your voice counts! If you need any additional information please do not hesitate to contact myself, Stephanie Barber, PPA's Primary to Keystone and Diana Roth, PPA’s Secondary to Keystone. Both of us are more than willing to help a PPA member or anyone interested in the paralegal profession to learn more about the paralegals in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Stephanie Barber, Pittsburgh Paralegal Association’s Primary Delegate to Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations

THE FUTURE OF THE PARALEGAL PROFESSION: WHERE ARE WE HEADED? Dana Martinez-Jones, ACP

When people think of paralegals, they picture a person in a law office working for an attorney. Even those in our own profession have thesame image come to mind. However, there is more to a paralegal career than just working at a law firm—there are several ways to utilizeyour paralegal degree, certification, and experience. To borrow an old expression, you just have to think outside the box or, in this case, thelaw office. Did you know that there are a plethora of alternative paralegal career options that can give you an even more rewarding careerpath given your personality and other skills? Were you aware that there is legislation in some states for non-lawyers to provide limited legalservices? With this knowledge, there is a way to get out there and explore all your options. According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor & Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, the employment of paralegals andlegal assistants is projected to grow 17% from 2012 to 2022. The handbook states that this is faster than the average for all otheroccupations.1 The definition of “paralegal” can vary from website to website, but also from State to State. Nationally, the American BarAssociation (ABA) defines it as “a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer,law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which alawyer is responsible.” Two national paralegal associations, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and National Association of LegalAssistants/Paralegals (NALA) have a similar definition to that of the ABA. But, consider Google’s definition of “paralegal”: “noun 1. aperson trained in subsidiary legal matters, but not fully qualified as a lawyer. Adjective 1. of or relating to auxiliary aspects of the law.”Under the definitions provided by the ABA, a paralegal not working directly under the supervision of an attorney could find her/himselfpotentially accused of the unauthorized practice of law (UPL). Is there a future for paralegals wherein they can use their skills and not beaccused of UPL?

Continued on Page 9

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NFPA UPDATES Anne Newcomer, RP, Pa.C.P., PPA NFPA Primary Representative

NFPA SPRING REGION MEETING

PPA’s NFPA representatives, Anne Newcomer and Monique Luck, traveled to Baltimore, Maryland over the weekend of April 2, 2016 to attend the Spring Region IV Meeting. The Maryland Association of Paralegals hosted the event which took place at the offices of Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area. In attendance were about twenty paralegals from nine different paralegal associations throughout the mid-Atlantic region including PPA’s own Donna Huntermark who is the NFPA Region IV Director. Robert Hrouda, former NFPA President and current NFPA Board Advisor also attended.

The meeting began early at 8:30 am to accommodate several CLE speakers later in the day. We started by providing at least one idea to increase membership in local paralegal associations. Next we welcomed Christine Pham, Esq. Ms. Pham spoke on “Conflicts of Interest and What is Privileged.” This ethics presentation was followed by Raymond Hein, Esq., Deputy Bar Counsel at the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland. Mr. Hein and his colleague spoke on “Certification, Regulation and Ethical Boundaries for Paralegals.”

We progressed along with the meeting agenda and received a recap of the 2016 NFPA Winter Board Meeting. One of the hot topics from the Winter Board meeting was certification exams. NFPA has contracted with a new certification exam provider, Prometrics. NFPA is working with Prometrics to update PACE. Other goals on the horizon are to get both PACE and PCCE accredited.

PPA members have probably noticed by now that the NFPA website is a little different. This is because NFPA contracted with a new management company this spring. The new management company is working to improve the website. All NFPA members are encouraged to report problems they have with the site or suggestions for improvements. PPA members should forward their concerns to Anne or Monique. Speaking of the website, did you know that each board member, each coordinator, and each association prepares bimonthly reports? These reports are then compiled into “NFPA Inside Reports” and are available to every NFPA member. Go to the Member Sign-in page and enter your login and password. Under the Members Only tab, select Inside NFPA. Right now, reports for July 2016 are posted along with reports as far back as January 2015!

During the next few hours the attendees discussed ways for the NFPA Board to improve transparency, the responsibilities of the NFPA delegates, the responsibilities of the Region Directors, how to promote NFPA to the local associations, CLE trends, possible candidates for the 2016 NFPA Board elections, and fund raising to offset the costs of travel and convention fees for those attending the annual convention and policy meeting, possible agenda topics or by-law changes for the next convention, and other matters on the agenda for the day. Also of note, NFPA’s publication, The National Paralegal Reporter is looking for paralegals to submit articles for publication. The next deadline is November 15, 2016 for the Spring 2017 issue. The theme for that issue is Title 9 Sex Discrimination with subtopics of Campus Rape, Workplace, Transgender, and Children’s Roles. If you have an idea for an article, please contact Anne Newcomer, Monique Luck or Donna Huntermark. You can find our email addresses on the PPA website membership directory.

Last but not least, PPA will host the Spring 2017 Region IV meeting. PPA is excited to host the delegates and show off our beautiful city. More details will follow in the New Year.

NFPA SUMMER BOARD MEETING

The NFPA Summer board meeting took place on Saturday, July 16, 2016 via Go To Meeting. PPA’s Monique Luck participated in the conference call. Here are some of the highlights.

The 2017 Joint Conference will be held April 28 – 30, 2017 at Duane Morris’ offices in NYC, in Times Square and hosted by the New York City Paralegal Association. The VP and Director of Membership is looking for new member benefits for NFPA. She and the VP and Director of Profession Development are working together to develop association membership webinars.

Continued on Page 11

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There is always a need for pro bono work, by both attorneys and paralegals. There is also a need for access to justice for every citizen ofour country. Today, more than ever, there is a growing need to “close the justice gap” for access to this justice and for representation.The rich can usually afford attorneys and the poor are provided opportunity for justice through pro bono services; but what of those whofall into the low- and moderate-income category? This is quite a need that really must be filled. By last count, roughly 12 different statesare exploring, or have already instituted, programs to answer this question, to fill this need, by offering affordable legal access to helpmeet the needs of those unable to afford the services of a lawyer. One such program has already begun. In Washington State, Admission to Practice Rule (APR) 28 (Washington Supreme Court Order#25700-A-1005) was adopted in June 2012. Washington is being watched closely by the nation, but other states are ready to emulatethis idea to offset the staggering statistics regarding access to legal services. According to “a 2003 Civil Legal Needs Study, nearly 88%of low income” individuals in the State of Washington are not able to afford to utilize an attorney and end up handling their issues ontheir own—with some detrimental results. Therefore, APR 28 was adopted and put in place to “provide a regulatory framework foreducated and experienced paralegals to obtain a limited license to practice law in approved practice areas.”1 The Supreme Court of Washington adopted the Limited Legal Technician Rule which allows regulation and education for paralegals topractice law (albeit very limited) in the areas approved by the Court. This allows paralegals to use their skills to provide services in thearea of “family law, housing, consumer law, and other basic needs.” The Court is certainly aware of the necessity to protect the public,but the public has a definite need for access to the legal system. Under APR 28, specific qualifications and education are laid out beforean LLLT license can be attained after ensuring the paralegal for this field has been vetted by several criteria such as:

(1) a minimum associate level degree, (2) 45 credit hours of core curriculum in legal studies from an ABA approved program,and (3) attended practice area courses developed by or in conjunction with an ABA approved law school. However, as stated,the ability to practice is very narrow and limited to the following:

• Informing clients of procedures and the course of legal proceedings, • Providing approved and lawyer prepared self-help materials, • Reviewing documents and exhibits from the opposing party and explaining them to clients, • Selecting, completing, filing, and serving approved and lawyer prepared forms and advising of their relevance, • Advising clients of necessary documents and explaining their relevance, and • Assisting clients in obtaining necessary documents.

The WSBA established its LLLT Board “to hammer out the details about this new profession, including regulations for professionalconduct, exam procedures, continuing education requirements, and disciplinary procedures.”1 Interestingly, this idea has been tossedaround since as early as the 1990s in states such as California (1990) and Oregon (1992).1 In all, research has yielded over a dozenstates interested in or implementing a program similar to WSBA’s LLLT, namely, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois,Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and Oregon. So what does that mean for paralegals? The courts and bars of the states referenced above have come to recognize the value paralegalsbring to the legal system; thus the research in how to fully utilize “paralegals as part of efforts to close the access to justice gap in theUnited States.”1 Paralegals have been highly valued by their attorneys for years and now are being recognized for the well-trained non-lawyers that they are. These forward-looking states, and some firms/attorneys, have come to see paralegals as an underutilized resourcefor helping the average citizen with their legal needs. The most recent state to imitate Washington’s “economically viable model” in aneffort to “improve access” for all to the court system is the State of Utah. In December of 2015 it was announced that, “A new kind ofparalegal is coming to help Utahns navigate the court system!” The Utah Supreme Court approved a new legal profession entitled Limited Paralegal Practitioner: LPP.1 This professional, similar toWA’s LLLT, is expected to have more training as well as added responsibilities over that of a “normal paralegal, but … not quite alawyer.” Utah expects this LPP “to have either a law degree or an associate degree with a paralegal certificate.” They will also need tobe experienced as a paralegals and “complete further courses in their practice area.” Further, they are limited in the services that they areallowed to provide to those in need. They are expected to help ease the burden of the courts by assisting clients with forms, providingrepresentation in certain mediated areas, negotiations and help with settlements of legal issues. However, the line is drawn at thecourtroom door since the LPP is not allowed to represent a client in the court. It is exciting to see the paralegal profession given the respect it has come to deserve. It has been jokingly asked, “Do you want to see theattorney, or the paralegal who does the real work?” All kidding aside, attorneys are vital to our legal system. It is these strong attorneysthat have helped push for programs to help the public and utilize the valuable person(s) they already have in their offices. Attorneysoffer great services and their paralegals have learned much under them. However, as is being acknowledged by many states, it is time

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The Future (Continued from Page 7)

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for the paralegal profession to expand and become an avenue for all people to have full access to the justice system. It is time to re-thinkthe role of the paralegal; time to utilize the knowledge, skills, and assessments so many experienced and practiced paralegals possess.While some state bars are reluctant to consider this untapped mine, the American Bar Association has addressed this new expansion oflegal services. In 2014, Steve Crossland, an attorney in Cashmere, WA, plainly states that rather than see these new programs (LLLTs and LPPs) as athreat to an attorney or law firm’s practice, it should be seen as a golden opportunity to bring in business that, but for these newparaprofessionals, they would not otherwise have seen. Some firms in Washington State are pushing to have their paralegals get licensedas LLLTs in order to expand their business.1 The other states mentioned above are watching WA closely, as did Utah, and are poised tostrike up their own versions. The forward-looking attorneys of those states also acknowledge that having paralegals willing to take on thisadvancement to their careers could mean more business for their firms. It would stand to reason that an entirely new client base would bereached. The common, ordinary citizen will be able to have their day in court without the need to pay the higher attorneys’ fees that mustbe charged. Rather than feel that attorneys are being threatened by the new paraprofessional role, many understand that if this section ofthe public were already availing themselves of an attorney’s services, there would be no need for consideration of the broadened role ofthe paralegal and programs such as the LLLT and LPP. With so much happening in the legal community, now is an exciting time to be a paralegal, a paraprofessional. The future looks bright!For those who work in states where these programs have yet to be considered, it could be awhile before your states’ Bar considers theseprograms, but one day something similar just might, nay, could happen. Will you be ready? 1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Paralegals and Legal Assistants, at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm 2 Jennings, Thea (2013). Improving Access to Justice. Facts & Findings/Career Chronicle, Volume XL Issue 4, pages 10-11. 3 WSBA. Washington State Bar Association. Legal Technicians. Limited License Legal Technician Program. (2016) http://www.wsba.org/licensing-and-lawyer-conduct/limited-licenses/legal-technicians 4 McKinley, Sands. “Legal Technicians Across the US” Web blog post. On the Future of Law. June 5, 2015. © 2016 5 Mongue, Robert E. “The Empowered Paralegal”. Web blog post. A Blog for and about Professional Paralegals and the Paralegal Profession. The Empowered Paralegal.com (2015). 6 Miller, Jessica. “A new kind of paralegal is coming to help Utahns navigate the court system.” The Salt Lake Tribune Dec. 4, 2015. www.sltrib.com. Web. 14 Mar. 2016 7 Crossland, Steve. “Restore Access to Justice Through Limited License Legal Technicians.” GP Solo. May/June 2014: Law Practice 2020. A publication of the American Bar Association. Vol. 31 No. 3

The Future (Continued from Page 9)

SPRING EDUCATION CONFERENCE PPA's Spring Education Conference was held on May 3, 2016 at the Conference Center at Reed Smith. There were a lot of great speakers and topics such as Employment Law, Bankruptcy and Technology. Unfortunately, our Environmental Law speaker was ill and unable to attend, but she has agreed to do her presentation at our Fall Education Conference. Our ethics speaker was Amy Coco, Esquire who spoke on "What do we do with the client's stuff – Best practices for file management". Thank you to all who attended. And thank you to Cal U who sponsored breakfast and lunch at the seminar.

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The VP and Director of Certification has drafted a timeline for the PACE update. She is looking for volunteers to assist in writing new exam questions and to update the review manual. They are looking to deploy the new PACE exam in June 2017. The Treasurer reported that NFPA seems on track for income this year.

Did I already mention that the National Paralegal Reporter is looking for authors? Here are the rest of the Reporter themes through Spring 2018:

Summer 2017 Issue a) What is a paralegal?

The Paralegal profession where it started and where is it going?

Non-traditional Paralegal Roles. b) Highlight on homeowner/property laws.

Fall 2017 Issue Health Insurance and Life Insurance and your rights

a) Wellness: Not just fitness, mindfulness, etc. b) Paralegal assistance program, stress, substance abuse. c) Being a Paralegal doesn't necessarily mean you have to be

sedentary. How fitness can help boost your energy and work product.

Winter 2017 Issue Diversity in the legal field

a) Gender b) Ethnicity c) Sexuality d) Age e) Religion f) Background g) Upbringing h) Generation i) Region of the country

Spring 2018 Issue Focus on Ethics

a) Attorney-Paralegal relationships. b) How you can make working for a "tough" attorney a learning

experience. c) Ethics and how the attorney's actions affect you the paralegal.

If you would like to see more detailed notes from this meeting, please contact Monique Luck.

PREPARING FOR 2016 NFPA ANNUAL CONVENTION AND POLICY MEETING

PPA’s Primary and Secondary NFPA delegates are gearing up to attend the 2016 NFPA Annual Convention and Policy Meeting in Burlington, Vermont from October 20, 2016 through October 23, 2016. All NFPA members are invited and encouraged to attend the Annual Convention. Don’t forget, as a PPA member, you are also a member of NFPA and the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations. We are pleased to announce that two PPA members, Donna Huntermark and Monique Luck have accepted nominations for NFPA board positions. Donna Huntermark is running for the position of Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues and Monique Luck is running for the position of Region IV Director. PPA wishes Donna and Monique good luck for the elections.

Many PPA members have not had the opportunity to attend the annual convention and may be asking, “What happens?” The convention begins with a full day of CLE classes on various topics. Members have the option of registering for the CLE classes or opting out as they are not mandatory and are an additional fee. Most years, the Keynote Address takes place on the Thursday luncheon. This year, due to a schedule conflict, the Keynote Address is on Friday and the Keynote Speaker is Governor Howard Dean, M.D.! Thursday’s luncheon is the Coordinator Appreciation / Networking Luncheon. Various workshops are also occurring Thursday and then to top it off, the NFPA Board Meeting takes place in the evening.

Fridays are the Region Meetings where the delegates discuss current issues in their associations, other NFPA issues, the slate of candidates running for Board positions, and pros and cons of each agenda topic or proposed bylaw resolution. During the day, the delegates meet the candidates nominated for Board positions during a Q&A session where the nominees field questions from the delegates. Fridays are capped off with a social event. This year it is dinner, entertainment, and socializing at the Sunset Ballroom.

Saturday and Sunday are the Policy Meeting. The Policy Meeting is a formal meeting requiring business attire. The NFPA board is seated before all the delegates. The delegates from each association credentialed to attend the Policy Meeting are seated together, and then each association is assigned seats in alphabetical order or reverse alphabetical order (the order is switched from one year to the next). Items on the agenda for the first day of the Policy Meeting include introductions of board members and special guests, recognition of certified paralegals, a memoriam, association roll call, the annual convention report, the State of the Federation Address, a report on the Thursday evening Board Meeting, a call for nominations, statements from the Board nominees, Board elections and announcement of election results, Strategic Planning Committee Report, reports or presentations from ad hoc committees created during past conventions, and then presentation, debate, and voting on agenda topics or bylaw changes. NFPA is a grass roots organization that is changed and governed by the members from the bottom up. Associations and individuals can propose changes to the organization through agenda topics or bylaw changes. This is the meat and potatoes part of the Policy Meeting. Saturday’s luncheon is the Awards Luncheon. Individuals and associations are nominated earlier in the year for awards including student scholarship, certification exam scholarships, the Certification Ambassador Award, the individual and association pro bono awards, Paralegal of the Year, Local Outstanding Leader. Award, and the Honorable William R. Robie Award. Saturday evening is usually the Region dinners where members from each region dine together – usually to let off steam from a long day at the policy meeting.

Continued on Page 12

NFPA (Continued from Page 8)

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Sunday’s policy meeting is much of the same as Saturday’s. The Treasurer presents the budget and the delegates vote on its adoption. There is a presentation where the current convention host organization “passes the torch” to the host organization for the next year’s convention and yes, there is an actual foam torch. Once all the agenda topics and bylaw changes are debated and voted on, the meeting is almost over, but not before the installation of the new Board of Directors. You might think that the annual convention ends then, and for many it does, but the new Board of Directors meet again that entire afternoon and evening. They also meet again on Monday for a Board retreat.

Here is a brief synopsis of this year’s agenda topics and proposed bylaw changes.

Agenda/Discussion Topic 1 was submitted by associations in Region V. Let’s call this the Legal Assistant v. Paralegal Agenda topic. This topic recommends “that the membership/delegates to the 2016 Annual Convention in Burlington, VT take time to discuss as a body this important topic and determine a plan to address how NFPA can proactively promote the paralegal profession going forward.” “Whether this means that an ad hoc committee be created, or a permanent task force or we need to direct the Board to create a new updated position statement on the subject, we can’t determine the best course of action at this time.” The writers of this topic want to open a discussion amongst the delegates and possibly recommend that the term legal assistant no longer be synonymous with paralegal and to determine the best way to do this.

Bylaw Resolution No. 1 was submitted by the VP and Director of Membership and the Board of Directors. It is a housekeeping type of bylaw change to provide clarification of membership categories. From the resolution: “Description: These proposed Bylaw Amendments to Article III, Membership, update the NFPA’ s membership categories to reflect the current needs of the Federation and its members, as well as proposing corresponding amendments to Article IV, Dues, in consideration of the revised classes.” PPA normally supports housekeeping bylaw resolutions.

Bylaw Resolution No. 2 was submitted by the Philadelphia Association of Paralegals and co-sponsored by several other associations, including PPA. From the resolution, “Current Situation: Currently when members of the Board enter into a telephonic Executive Session, the Leaders are not given any specific reason for the Executive Session. The sponsoring associations believe that since Section 7.8(a) sets forth only seven (7) specific matters which allow the Board to enter into a telephonic Executive Session, that when Notice is given of the telephonic Executive Session under Section 7.7, at least (1) of the specific matters under Section 7.8(a) should also be indicated. Currently when a notice of meetings by telephone is given, or when a special meeting is needed, whether or not the notice has been within ten (10) days, five (5) days or twenty-four (24) hours, notice has been sent to members of the Board and Leaders. The sponsoring associations believe that should continue and would like to see Section 7.7 updated to reflect this.” This resolution will lead to further board transparency and communication to members.

Administrative Topic 1 requests the establishment of board dispute resolution and bullying procedures.

Administrative Topic 2 requests the delegates discuss adding Regulation Coordinators to the Leadership directory. As this submission states, “Benefits: The purpose of having the Regulation Committee Coordinator’s contact information is to allow networking between individual associations and the NFPA Regulation Review Coordinator and Committee. This will make updating the Regulation by State document much easier by designating one person in each association as a contact person, similar to Certification Ambassadors.... This discussion topic would also align with the NFPA Board’s mission to allow transparency between NFPA and the local associations.”

And finally, here is the entire list of candidates (as of Wednesday September 7, 2016):

President: Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP, FRP Valerie Wilus, RP®, Pa.C.P.

Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues: Lori Boris, RP®, MnCP Donna Huntermark, RP®, Pa, C.P

Vice President and Director of Paralegal Certification: Juanita (Nita) Serrano, RP®, FRP

Secretary and Director of Operations: Cherylan Shearer

Region I Director: Ronell Badua Thomas Holmes, RP® Linda Odermott, RP®

Region II Director: Mianne Besser

Region III Director: Lori Wagner, RP®, IRP

Region IV Director: Monique Luck, Pa.C.P Kim Martel

Region V Director: Josie Estes

ABA Representative: None Submitted

As always, if you have any questions about national affairs or NFPA, please contact PPA’s NFPA representatives/delegates, Anne Newcomer at atn@muslaw.com or Monique Luck at elmo333@comcast.net.

NFPA (Continued from Page 11)

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Officers President Cindy Wirtz cwirtz@pollockbegg.com Vice President Christine Boyd, Pa.C.P Clb1217@comcast.net Treasurer Roberta Cramer rcramer@dfllegal.com Secretary Cherilynn Morgan cmorgan@grblaw.com Representatives NFPA Primary Anne Newcomer, RP. anewcomer@grblaw.com NFPA Secondary Monique Luck elmo333@comcast.net Keystone Alliance Primary Stephanie Barber barber@zklaw.com Keystone Alliance Secondary Diana Roth, RP. Droth006@gmail.com Directors: Lakeisha D. Barker barker@zklaw.com

Virginia Baumgardner Virginia.baumgardner@limbachinc.com Jeannie Botti jbotti@grblaw.com Michael Vertullo mvertullo@webblaw.com Deb Wallman dwallman@reedsmith.com

Jeremy Zahler Jeremy.zahler@gmail.com

Committees Awards Jeannie Botti jbotti@grblaw.com By-laws Diana Roth Droth006@gmail.com Marketing/Membership Admin Anne Newcomer, RP anewcomer@grblaw.com National Affairs Anne Newcomer, RP anewcomer@grblaw.com Parascope Deb Wallman dwallman@reedsmith.com Monique Luck elmo333@comcast.net Nominations Cherilynn Morgan cmorgan@grblaw.com Pro Bono Cindy Wirtz cwirtz@pollockbegg.com Special Events Monique Luck elmo333@comcast.net Student Liaison Virginia Baumgardner Virginia.baumgardner@limbachinc.com Social Media Lakeisha D. Barker barker@zklaw.com

Coordinators CLE coordinator Virginia Baumgardner Virginia.baumgardner@limbachinc.com Job Bank Roberta Cramer rcramer@dfllegal.com Vendors Christine Boyd, Pa.C.P Clb1217@comcast.net Web Site Christine Boyd, Pa.C.P. Clb1217@comcast.net Specialty Sections Animal Law Stephanie Barber barber@zklaw.com Monique Luck elmo333@comcast.net Estates & Trusts Roberta Cramer rcramer@dfllegal.com Family Law Cindy Wirtz cwirtz@pollockbegg.com Litigation Stephanie Barber barber@zklaw.com Real Estate Technology/IP Christine Boyd, Pa.C.P. Clb1217@comcast.net Workplace Law Christine Boyd, Pa.C.P. Clb1217@comcast.net

Pittsburgh Paralegal Association 2015 Contact List

Pittsburgh Paralegal Association P.O. Box 704

Pittsburgh, PA 15230 www.pghparalegals.org

Save the Date! Pittsburgh

Paralegal

Association FALL CONFERENCE October 6, 2016

12 00 – 4:30 PM

REED SMITH CONFERENCE CENTER

225 FIFTH AVENUE

Pittsburgh PA 15222