Member NewsSince
its inception back in 2001, the Heartland Association of Legal Assistants has
been a leading state paralegal organization in helping to raise the bar for paralegals
in the Greater Kansas City area. One example is HALA's having been the first state
paralegal organization to offer FREE one-year HALA memberships to paralegals newly
graduated from a qualified paralegal program in the area. Around the first of
March of each year, HALA's Student/School Liaison contacts paralegal program Facilitators
in the Greater Kansas City area and reminds them that their May (and the immediate
previous December) graduates qualify for the free one-year paralegal graduate
membership to HALA. Why is the HALA organization being so generous? The
purpose of HALA's free one-year graduate membership is to give new paralegal graduates
in the area the opportunity to "try out" the HALA paralegal organization
-- free of membership charge -- for an ENTIRE membership year, taking advantage
of interesting dinner meeting programs (CLE units provided), networking with your
peers, job bank opportunities, seminars, and many more features. HALA's membership
year begins May of the current year through April of the following year. Access
the "Membership Info" at the upper left hand side of this web page and
follow the steps to determine your qualification for this free offer. COME
JOIN US and share in the fun of our exciting organization! Prior
News Excerpts reprinted with permission from the May 2008 issue
of The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association: At a Board of Governors
meeting in September 2006, representatives from the KBA Paralegals Committee requested
approval to form a task force to study voluntary state certification of paralegals.
The Board approved the formation of [a] task force, which consists of practicing
attorneys, paralegals, and paralegal educators from across the state, having different
backgrounds, qualifications, and interests, all of whom are members of the committee.
The Task Force has developed a proposed plan for KBA Voluntary Certification
of Paralegals. Under the plan, an individual would have to meet educational and
training requirements in order to apply for certification. After successfully
completing the screening process, the applicant would have to pass a written examination
to be developed and administered by a Paralegal Certification subcommittee. Upon
successfully passing the examination, the applicant shall be awarded paralegal
certification by the KBA. To be certified, a paralegal would have to maintain
associate membership in the KBA. In addition, any certified paralegal would have
to fulfill annual continuing paralegal education requirements to maintain certification.
It is envisioned that this program can be self-funded through the collection
of fees and administered by the Office of the KBA Executive Director. A
Paralegal Certification Board would oversee the certification process and it is
contemplated that the Board would be established and appointed by the Kansas Supreme
Court. Certification under this program would be totally voluntary.
It would not differentiate between services performed by certified paralegals,
noncertified paralegals or nonlawyer employees. There is concern in the
profession that anyone can call himself or herself a paralegal or legal assistant
without formal education or training. Application of this terminology to
certain persons may be misleading. As such, state certification in
Kansas would serve to: (1) develop and maintain professionalism among paralegals,
and promote the delivery of high quality legal services in Kansas; (2) promote
education, training, and high ethical standards among paralegals; and (3) distinguish
certified paralegals from other legal staff and provide employers with an objective
measure of experience and accomplishment. In February 2008, members of the
Task Force presented the proposed plan to the Board of Governors. The Board
approved the plan in principle. Accordingly, the Board of Governors is now
seeking public comment from attorneys regarding a paralegal certification program
as described above. ___________________________________ The transcript
of oral argument in Richlin v. Chertoff, the U.S. Supreme Court case on
recoverability of paralegal time in attorney fee awards under the Equal Access
to Justice Act, has been uploaded to the Court's website which may be found at
www.supremecourtus.gov/ NALA
President Tita Brewster, ACP, and Past President Vicki Kunz, ACP (2002-04) were
among the spectators for the March 19 oral arguments. NALA filed an amicus brief
in this case -- which many of you will recall is the second time the association
has been represented in the Supreme Court. On June 2, 2008, the U.S. Supreme
Court issued an opinion on the issue of recoverability of paralegal fees. The
Court held that a prevailing party may recover paralegal fees from the government
at prevailing market rates, under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The decision
is very supportive of the paralegal profession, and the work of paralegals. It
also cited the Missouri v. Jenkins precedent setting decision in which the Court
found paralegal time may be included in attorney fee awards under the Civil Rights
Act. The Court's decision is posted on the NALA web site - links to it may be
found on the NALA home page and the News & Articles page. Read it and tell
others about this important development! NALA is indeed the leading
paralegal association with the interests of its members and our profession as
our number one priority. We should all be proud! About
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