National Association
of Legal Assistants
1516 S. Boston
Suite 200
Tulsa, OK 74119

918-587-6828
fax: 918-582-6772

E-mail:  nalanet@nala.org

Click on the following areas to go directly to the discussions about these member programs:

• 2008 NALA Convention News - Bylaw Amendments - Passed!
   Officers Announced

• Directory of Board Members

• Members Only Area - includes links to FACTS & FINDINGS on-line and the NALA Conference Center

• Information re NALA registration of CP certification mark

• 2008 NALA Annual Report 

• Official Notices

• NALA Bylaws

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NALA Annual Meeting News - 2008

NALA Membership Adopts Bylaw Amendments
ALL Directors Now Elected by ALL Members

• Click here to read the former and new language of bylaws adopted by the membership during the 2008 NALA Annual Meeting, August 1, 2008.

Background
During its meeting on March 1, the NALA Board of Directors considered proposed amendments the NALA bylaws Article IV Directors and Article X Committees and Their Duties.

With these amendments, the Board of Directors recommended two changes in NALA procedures. The first was the method of electing members to the NALA Board of Directors. The second related to the requirements of members of the NALA Professional Development Committee.

Method of electing NALA Regional Directors. The prior procedure provided that NALA active members elect one member of the NALA Board of Directors who is located in their geographic region. The method of election was by mail ballot and results were announced during the NALA annual meeting of members. This procedure had been in effect since NALA was formed. There was one amendment to the procedure recently which allowed that if there is only one candidate for the director position, a ballot is not required and the candidate is automatically declared a director of the corporation.

The NALA Board of Directors recommended a change to this procedure for many reasons, including:

• NALA voting members should have a voice in the election of all members of the NALA Board of Directors, not just the national officers and one member of the Board of Directors.

• All members of the NALA Board of Directors make decisions for the entire membership.

• The needs of NALA members are not geographically based.

• NALA does not have a regional structure. NALA is a nationally based, individual membership organization.

• Candidates for the NALA Board of Directors should have an opportunity to address the NALA membership in person and members should have an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.

The amendment did not change the requirement that candidates for regional director must work in or reside in the geographic region for which they are seeking election, nor does it recommend a change in the term of office. While the NALA Board of Directors recognized that the needs of NALA members are not geographically based, the Board believes it is important to maintain a diverse geographic representation on the board. As a national organization, NALA representatives are often asked to speak to NALA affiliated associations and other law related groups. It is helpful that board members are dispersed throughout the US to help with these requests. With reference to the two year term, the board did not believe a change in this was necessary and the fact that board members have staggered terms helps the board maintain its on-going work.

Professional Development Committee. The amendment to the description of the PDC in the NALA bylaws was to delete this sentence: “No member shall be reappointed for a successive term except that a member appointed to fill an unexpired term may be reappointed for a successive full term.” The PDC was the only committee in NALA in which members are prohibited from serving successive terms. The board considered that it may be helpful to the on-going projects of the PDC to allow successive terms, particularly if the PDC is involved in the launch of new programs, such as the LEAP program this year.

2008 Annual Awards . . .below are descriptions of the recipients of the 2008 NALA membership awards.  Consider those you work with and your colleagues for nominations for the 2009 awards.  The nomination forms may be found on the NALA Forms page.

Congratulations!
Recipients of the 2008 Awards

Click on the following links to open an article summarizing the award recipients of the 2008 NALA Annual Convention:

2008 Founders Award
Amy Howe, Esq.

2008 Affiliated Associations Outstanding Contribution Award
Cathy L. Davis, ACP
Alabama Association of Paralegals, Inc.

Congratulations to the recipients of the
2008 NALA Affiliate Awards

Jennifer Gibbs
Los Angeles Paralegal Association

Dennis Nakata
Orange County Paralegal Association

Florida
Ken Blanning
Central Florida Paralegal Association

Cindy L. Houston, CP
Northeast Florida Paralegal Association

Georgia
Jaylen Fenton Katzman, ACP
Southeastern Association of Legal Assistants

Nevada
Patricia L. Alstatt, ACP
Nevada Paralegal Association

Christine M. Saito, ACP
Sierra Nevada Paralegal Association

 

Oklahoma
Deborah L. Overstreet, CP
Oklahoma Paralegal Association

Terri Cooper, CP
Tulsa Association of Legal Assistants

Tennessee
Sheila L. Williams, ACP
Smoke Mountain Paralegal Association

Texas
Mona Hart-Tucker, CP
Northeast Texas Association of Paralegals

Virginia
Doreen H. Hall, CP
Tidewater Paralegal Association

West Virginia
Wendi Ellis, CP
Association of West Virginia Paralegals

Cynthia Lowther, ACP
Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia

NALA Board of Directors

The NALA Board of Directors consists of elected officers (terms are one year) plus members elected from nine regions of the country. These directors serve on the national board for a term of 2 years. The regional directors and states within the regions are:

Region 1 Kathleen Bonelli, CLA New Jersey	Region 2 Dorothe Howell, ACP Maryland	Region 3 JoAnne Sorrentino, CP Florida
New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania	West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina	Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi
Region 4 Elizabeth Nellis, ACP Oklahoma	Region 5 Cheryl M. Snider, ACP Ohio	Region 6 Janie M. Boswell, ACP Nebraska
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas	Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio	North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri
Region 7 Patricia H. Allred, ACP Utah	Region 8 Annette R. Brown, ACP Montana	Region 9 Joan Wiley, ACP Nevada
Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming	Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana	California, Nevada, Hawaii
National Officers for the 2008-09 year
President Linda Wolf, ACP Dallas, Texas	First Vice President Karen McGee, ACP Shreveport, Louisiana	Second Vice President Sharon Werner, ACP Taylor, Michigan
Secretary Ann Atkinson, ACP Omaha, Nebraska	Treasurer Kelly A. LaGrave, ACP Lansing, Michigan
As provided in the NALA bylaws, in addition to the regional directors and officers, the voting members of the board of directors include members appointed by the President and ratified by the board members: Linda Hess, ACP, of Omaha, Nebraska NALA Certifying Board Chairman Vera Long, ACP of West Palm Beach, Florida NALA Advanced Paralegal Certification Board Kathleen H. Miller, ACP, NALA Continuing Education Council, Irvine, California Kimberly J. Houser, ACP, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania NALA Professional Development Committee Jill Francisco, ACP, Huntington, West Virginia NALA Affiliated Associations Director (Elected by affiliated associations) The NALA Executive Director (a staff position) is a non-voting member of the board.

Official Notices

Several notices are published for NALA members in FACTS & FINDINGS throughout the year.  These generally concern the election procedure, annual meeting procedure, or other association business.  Please check this frequently to stay up to date with your association. Forms are also listed on the NALA Forms page.