DEDICATED TO EDUCATING PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY

Transcription

1 THE SAN DIEGO PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION PRESENTS ITS ANNUAL BRIDGING THE GAP EDUCATION CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO EDUCATING PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY JOIN SDPA Saturday, April 18, :30 am 2:30 pm Miramar College I-100 I Building Black Mountain Road, San Diego, Up to 3 Hours of CLE

2 2015 BRIDGING THE GAP SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Registration Breakfast and Coffee sponsored by DTI 9:00 a.m. 9:20 a.m. Welcome & Introduction, Keynote: Sara M. Lutz, CP Litigation Institute (Room I-101 A&B) 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Legal Research presented by Dana Corcoran of Lexis Nexis * 10:45a.m. 11:30 a.m. Legal Writing presented by Emily Morissette, Esq.* Basic Skills Institute (Room I-108) Recruiter Panel ** Carly Simms Cliff Emison Jessica Demuth Alternate Career Panel ** Theresa Banerjee Stacy Silver Sara M. Lutz, CP 11:45 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Lunch Sponsored by US Legal Support Networking/Vendor Presentation & Raffles/Door prizes 1:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. General Ethics presented by Deborah Orlik Esq.* Generalist Institute (Room I-110) Panning for Gold,, Advanced Information- Gathering Skills for Legal Professionals presented by Gregg Relyea, Esq.* Mediators, Lawyers and Clients OH MY! Mediation Ethics presented by Hon. Susan P. Finlay, Ret. * 2:35p.m. 3:00 p.m. Closing/Networking * MCLE-APPROVED or MCLE PENDING **Panelists subject to change without notice Paralegal students are not required to maintain MCLE credits. NO REFUNDS FOR NON-ATTENDANCE. From South County or East County Take 15N or 163N from 805S or 8W Exit Carroll Canyon Road Turn Left at Carroll Canyon Rd. Turn Right onto Black Mountain Road Turn Right on Miramar College Drive Turn Left into Parking Lot DIRECTIONS & PARKING North County Coastal Take 5S to 56E to 15S North County Inland take 15S Exit Carroll Canyon Road Turn Left at Carroll Canyon Rd. Turn Right onto Black Mountain Road Turn Right on Miramar College Drive Turn Left into Parking Lot MAP:

3 Event > Parking > DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.

4 REGISTRANT INFORMATION Name: Firm/School Name: Address: Telephone No.: Address: SDPA Member: Yes No If yes, circle one: Associate Student Sustaining Voting REGISTRATION FEE: Please circle one: Non-student $30 Student $20 BEFORE 4/11/15 Please circle one: Non-student $40 Student $30 AFTER 4/11/15 Please circle the tracks you will be attending. Circle only ONE class during each breakout session. Litigation Institute (Room I-101 A&B) 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Legal Research presented by Dana Corcoran of Lexis Nexis * Basic Skills Institute (Room I-108) Recruiter Panel ** Carly Simms Cliff Emison Jessica Demuth Generalist Institute (Room I-110) Panning for Gold, Advanced Information- Gathering Skills for Legal Professionals presented by Gregg Relyea, Esq.* 10:45a.m. 11:45 a.m. Legal Writing presented by Emily Morissette, Esq.* Alternate Career Panel ** Theresa Banerjee Stacy Silver Sara M. Lutz, CP Mediators, Lawyers and Clients OH MY! Mediation Ethics presented by Hon. Susan P. Finlay, Ret.* * MCLE-APPROVED OR MCLE PENDING **Panelists subject to change without notice. Paralegal students are not required to maintain MCLE credits. NO REFUNDS FOR NON-ATTENDANCE. SPACE IS LIMITED! WALK-INS ARE ON A FIRST COME-FIRST SERVE BASIS. PLEASE REGISTER AND ENSURE PAYMENT IS POSTMARKED BY APRIL 11, To register, complete and mail this registration form with check or money order to: San Diego Paralegal Association 501 W. Broadway, Ste. A-220 San Diego, CA (619) Or visit us online at to select your tracks and pay for registration. Please make checks payable to San Diego Paralegal Association and indicate BTG in the memo line. Registration effective only after payment is confirmed. For event or registration questions, please contact programs@sdparalegals.org.

5 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES (in alphabetical order by last name) Theresa Banerjee, MBA Theresa Banerjee holds a Master s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and holds a Bachelor s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University. She received her Paralegal Certificate in Litigation from the University of San Diego. Ms. Banerjee is a Senior Privacy & Security Compliance Consultant IV at Kaiser Permanente, where her primary responsibilities includes managing a voluminous amount of Privacy & Security Investigations, as well as managing other high priority compliance initiatives and providing consulting to Health Plan stakeholders and customers. Theresa comes from a diverse employment background to include a litigation paralegal and regulatory compliance administrator. Theresa is an active member of the San Diego Paralegal Association and Health Care Compliance Association. Dana Corocran (LNG-HBE) Dana has worked for LexisNexis since She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Before joining Lexis, Dana worked as a Television News Producer. Over the 10 years Dana has spent with Lexis, she has worked closely with clients to ensure they receive the full benefit of their subscription and has become a trusted advisor to her accounts. In Dana s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young sons. She also likes time spent outdoors and going to the gym. Jessica Demuth Jessica Demuth is a Director with the Solutions Practice Group of Major, Lindsey & Africa's Los Angeles office. She specializes in the recruitment of legal talent attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals on the West Coast for a variety of opportunities including substantive project-based consultant work as well as permanent placements. Prior to joining MLA, Jessica was a Director of Recruiting for a global talent solutions company where she assisted corporate and law firm clients with contracting solutions, talent management and ediscovery. She was responsible for the full recruiting cycle, involving both client and candidate, and was in charge of staffing and managing legal document review projects throughout the West Coast, including Colorado, Utah and Texas.

6 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES (cont d) (in alphabetical order by last name) Clifton Emison Clifton O. Emison, received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of New Mexico and his law degree from National University School of Law. Mr. Emison is a Paralegal Supervisor with the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender, where he has been employed for 20 years. In addition to working with the Public Defender s Office, Mr. Emison is an adjunct faculty member at Kaplan College, San Diego where he teaches Criminal Justice and at UCSD Extension Paralegal Program where he teaches Introduction to the Legal System. Mr. Emison has taught both Paralegal and Criminal Justice courses for the last 8 years. Mr. Emison is also a licensed private investigator and a current member of the UCSD Advisory Board. Mr. Emison also has an active role in recruiting and training Paralegal Interns at his office. Hon. Susan P. Finlay (Ret.) Hon. Susan P. Finlay (Ret.), has been a part of the legal community for over 30 years and retired from the Superior Court in March of She sat on Assignment in Domestic Violence and Family Law Courts as a member of the Assigned Judges Program, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California until December She also served on the Advisory Committee to the Chief Justice for the Assigned Judges Program until December 2011 and the State Domestic Violence Task Force from She is a former Director of Education for the Center for Problem Solving Courts and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. From experience, Judge Finlay knows what happens in family court. She has the strong desire to assist families through divorce mediation, and other family conflict. She also does private judging A true problem solver, her experience and compassion count. Sara M. Lutz, CP Sara M. Lutz, CP is a senior litigation paralegal at the Walt Disney Company. She recently moved into this position after working for Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as a litigation and IT paralegal for the San Diego office, handling insurance litigation, personal injury, employment law, products liability, and malpractice cases. She started her career working in the construction defect and insurance litigation world, and continues to handle personal injury, employment law, and workers compensation matters in-house with Disney for the Disneyland Resort legal team in Anaheim. She has been working as a paralegal for over eight years and is very dedicated to the profession. She graduated from USD with her Paralegal Certificate, and holds a Bachelors Degree from SDSU in Political Science. She became a Certified Paralegal through a voluntary examination by the National Association of Legal Assistants/Paralegals, and has earned the right to use the designation CP. She has been an active member with the SDPA since 2008 holding positions such as Secretary, VP of Membership, and Treasurer, and has chaired the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations ( CAPA ) Primary, and Newsletter Editor sections of SDPA. She is currently the Newsletter Editor for CAPA, and was elected as Vice President of Policy of CAPA for the term.

7 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES (cont d) (in alphabetical order by last name) Emily Morissette, Esq. Emily Lynch Morissette is currently the Paralegal Program Director and Assistant Professor at Southwestern College, which specializes in immigration law. She has twenty-three years experience in law, both as a paralegal and attorney. Partner of her own law firm, she has written two books: Personal Injury and the Law of Torts for Paralegals and Business Law and Organizations for Paralegals. She enjoyed teaching at the University of San Diego Paralegal Program for approximately nine years and at Grossmont-Cuyamaca as well. She is a supervising attorney for the California Certified Legal Secretary examination, sponsored by Legal Secretaries Incorporated. Deborah Orlik, Esq. Deborah Orlik, Esq. is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of Law. Ms. Orlik was a legal receptionist, legal secretary, paralegal, and paralegal supervisor before becoming a lawyer. Ms. Orlik has worked as a law clerk with the State Bar of California. She also has worked at a variety of law firms and is a former paralegal instructor. She wrote the first text book dedicated to professional responsibility for paralegals and legal assistants in the 1980 s. The first textbook, Ethics for Legal Assistants is now Ethics for the Legal Professional in its 8th edition published by Pearson Publications. Gregg Relyea, Esq. Mr. Relyea has mediated and arbitrated for more than 20 years. He has published numerous articles about mediation, arbitration, neutral-fact finding and other aspects of dispute resolution and is a frequent lecturer on these subjects. In addition, Mr. Relyea teaches mediation, arbitration and dispute resolution at the University of San Diego School of Law (USD), University of San Diego (UCSD) and California Western School of Law.

8 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES (cont d) (in alphabetical order by last name) Stacy Silver Stacy Silver is a Senior Paralegal at Latham & Watkins, in both the Environmental, Land & Resources and Litigation Departments. She has more than 20 years of substantive expertise working on complex, high profile, multi-plaintiff and defendant environmental, mass tort and product liability matters, handling all phases of litigation from inception through trial and post-trial. Stacy started at Latham & Watkins in 1995 as a Paralegal Assistant, then progressed through the tiers of paralegal within the firm to finally reaching her goal of promotion to Senior Paralegal in With each case, matter, project, task and responsibility Stacy assumed, she viewed every one of them as an opportunities to increase and develop her knowledge, skill-set, experience and value all fundamentals of being a great paralegal. Carly Simms obtained her BA in English and Film Studies from Ohio State University and moved to San Diego in With a background in retail and sales, Ms. Simms felt that recruiting was a great fit and joined Special Counsel Information Governance (formerly TRAK Records and Library) as a recruiter focusing on records, library and information governance placement in the Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and Denver market. In January 2015, Ms. Simms moved divisions and joined Special Counsel as Placement Director. In her new role, Ms. Simms focuses on direct hire recruitment for legal support staff in San Diego.

9 ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW? CALIFORNIA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION PARALEGALS (a) "Paralegal" means a person who holds himself or herself out to be a paralegal, who is qualified by education, training, or work experience, who either contracts with or is employed by an attorney, law firm, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity, and who performs substantial legal work under the direction and supervision of an active member of the State Bar of California, as defined in Section 6060, or an attorney practicing law in the federal courts of this state, that has been specifically delegated by the attorney to him or her. Tasks performed by a paralegal include, but are not limited to, case planning, development, and management; legal research; interviewing clients; fact gathering and retrieving information; drafting and analyzing legal documents; collecting, compiling, and utilizing technical information to make an independent decision and recommendation to the supervising attorney; and representing clients before a state or federal administrative agency if that representation is permitted by statute, court rule, or administrative rule or regulation. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a paralegal shall not do the following: (1) Provide legal advice. (2) Represent a client in court. (3) Select, explain, draft, or recommend the use of any legal document to or for any person other than the attorney who directs and supervises the paralegal. (4) Act as a runner or capper, as defined in Sections 6151 and (5) Engage in conduct that constitutes the unlawful practice of law. (6) Contract with, or be employed by, a natural person other than an attorney to perform paralegal services. (7) In connection with providing paralegal services, induce a person to make an investment, purchase a financial product or service, or enter a transaction from which income or profit, or both, purportedly may be derived. (8) Establish the fees to charge a client for the services the paralegal performs, which shall be established by the attorney who supervises the paralegal's work. This paragraph does not apply to fees charged by a paralegal in a contract to provide paralegal services to an attorney, law firm, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity as provided in subdivision (a). (c) A paralegal shall possess at least one of the following: (1) A certificate of completion of a paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association. (2) A certificate of completion of a paralegal program at, or a degree from, a postsecondary institution that requires the successful completion of a minimum of 24 semester, or equivalent, units in law-related courses and that has been accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization or approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. (3) A baccalaureate degree or an advanced degree in any subject, a minimum of one year of law-related experience under the supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of California for at least the preceding three years or who has practiced in the federal courts of this state for at least the preceding three years, and a written declaration from this attorney stating that the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks. (4) A high school diploma or general equivalency diploma, a minimum of three years of law-related experience under the supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of California for at least the preceding three years or who has practiced in the federal courts of this state for at least the preceding three years, and a written declaration from this attorney stating that the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks. This experience and training shall be completed no later than December 31, (d) Every two years, commencing January 1, 2007, any person that is working as a paralegal shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics and four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in either general law or in an area of specialized law. All continuing legal education courses shall meet the requirements of Section Certification of these continuing education requirements shall be made with the paralegal's supervising attorney. The paralegal shall be responsible for keeping a record of the paralegal's certifications. Provided courtesy of the San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA) DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.

10 ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW? CALIFORNIA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION PARALEGALS (CONTINUED) (e) A paralegal does not include a nonlawyer who provides legal services directly to members of the public, or a legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant as defined in Section 6400, unless the person is a person described in subdivision (a). (f) This section shall become operative on January 1, It is unlawful for a paralegal to perform any services for a consumer except as performed under the direction and supervision of the attorney, law firm, corporation, government agency, or other entity that employs or contracts with the paralegal. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a paralegal who is employed by an attorney, law firm, governmental agency, or other entity from providing services to a consumer served by one of these entities if those services are specifically allowed by statute, case law, court rule, or federal or state administrative rule or regulation. "Consumer" means a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, or public entity (a) It is unlawful for a person to identify himself or herself as a paralegal on any advertisement, letterhead, business card or sign, or elsewhere unless he or she has met the qualifications of subdivision (c) of Section 6450 and performs all services under the direction and supervision of an attorney who is an active member of the State Bar of California or an attorney practicing law in the federal courts of this state who is responsible for all of the services performed by the paralegal. The business card of a paralegal shall include the name of the law firm where he or she is employed or a statement that he or she is employed by or contracting with a licensed attorney. (b) An attorney who uses the services of a paralegal is liable for any harm caused as the result of the paralegal's negligence, misconduct, or violation of this chapter A paralegal is subject to the same duty as an attorney specified in subdivision (e) of Section 6068 to maintain inviolate the confidentiality, and at every peril to himself or herself to preserve the attorney-client privilege, of a consumer for whom the paralegal has provided any of the services described in subdivision (a) of Section The terms "paralegal," "legal assistant," "attorney assistant," "freelance paralegal," "independent paralegal," and "contract paralegal" are synonymous for purposes of this chapter (a) Any consumer injured by a violation of this chapter may file a complaint and seek redress in any municipal or superior court for injunctive relief, restitution, and damages. Attorney's fees shall be awarded in this action to the prevailing plaintiff. (b) Any person who violates the provisions of Section 6451 or 6452 is guilty of an infraction for the first violation, which is punishable upon conviction by a fine of up to two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) as to each consumer with respect to whom a violation occurs, and is guilty of a misdemeanor for the second and each subsequent violation, which is punishable upon conviction by a fine of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) as to each consumer with respect to whom a violation occurs, or imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be ordered by the court to pay restitution to the victim pursuant to Section of the Penal Code An individual employed by the state as a paralegal, legal assistant, legal analyst, or similar title, is exempt from the provisions of this chapter. NOTE: AB 1761 was codified in 2000 as Business and Professions Code Section 6450, et seq. and became effective January 1, Provided courtesy of the San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA) DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.

11 CALIFORNIA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION PARALEGALS SELF TEST Circle the best answer. 1. Under Section 6454, paralegal and legal assistant are not synonymous terms. T F 2. Under Section 6454(d), the mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) requirements Include two hours of legal ethics and two hours of general or a specialized area of law T F every four years. 3. Business and Professions Code Section 6450, et seq. were codified on January 1, T F 4. Paralegals are not required to certify MCLE with their supervising attorney. T F 5. An individual employed by the state as a paralegal, legal assistant, legal analyst, or Similar title, is exempt from the provisions of this chapter. T F Answers: 1. F 3. T 5. T 2. F 4. F Provided courtesy of the San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA) DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.

12 PARALEGAL MCLE TRACKING CHART California Business & Professions Code Section 6450(d): Every two years, commencing January 1, 2007, any person that is working as a paralegal shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics and four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in either general law or in an area of specialized law. All continuing legal education courses shall meet the requirements of Section Certification of these continuing education requirements shall be made with the paralegal's supervising attorney. The paralegal shall be responsible for keeping a record of the paralegal's certifications. Date MCLE Course Description No. of Hours General Law/Specialized Area of Law (minimum 4 hours required) Compliance Period: Legal Ethics (minimum 4 hours required) Compliance Period: Total: I,, hereby certify to, my supervising attorney, that I have completed the MCLE requirements in legal ethics and general/specialized law as mandated by Business and Professions Code Section 6450, et seq., for the period specified above. Dated: Signature: Provided courtesy of the San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA) DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.

13 For Office Use Only: Date Rec d: CC#/Ck. # Amt. $ NAME: HOME ADDRESS: MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FIRM NAME & ADDRESS: Gender: Male Female HOME PHONE: ( ) WORK PHONE: ( ) HOME FAX: ( ) WORK FAX: ( ) PERSONAL ADDRESS: I PREFER TO RECEIVE MY AT HOME. WORK ADDRESS: I PREFER TO RECEIVE MY AT WORK. Please me Employment Listings and Career Resources updates. YES NO Please me Project and Event updates. YES NO I am interested in the volunteering for the committee. Certification(s): Area(s) of Law Currently Working In: Paralegal School/Program: or Grandfathered or Attorney affidavit Years as a Paralegal: How did you hear about us: School Internet Referred by a Friend Other MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS ( ) Voting Membership $75.00 Voting members are paralegals as defined by B&P Code 6450(c), and must be currently employed full-time. Voting members are eligible to hold office, make motions and vote. Please attach copy of a declaration from your supervising attorney or your office administrator. ( ) Associate Membership $70.00 Associate Members are persons who do not meet the criteria of a voting member and/or who is an attorney, secretary or legal administrator. Associate members are ineligible to hold office, make motions or vote. Please attach a copy of your Paralegal Certificate, if applicable. ( ) Student Membership $30.00 Student members are current paralegal students or persons who have recently graduated from a paralegal program within the last year. Students are ineligible to hold office, make motions or vote. Please attach a copy of your matriculation or enrollment confirmation letter from the director of paralegal program. ( ) Sustaining Membership $ Sustaining members are businesses or law firms. Sustaining members are ineligible to hold office, make motions or vote. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. SIGNED DATED Please mail this Membership Application with requisite proof of eligibility and check or money order to: San Diego Paralegal Association 501 W. Broadway, Ste. A #220 San Diego, CA To pay by credit card, please provide the following information and to membership@sdparalegals.org: Name on Card: Card Type: Visa MC Discover American Express Card No.: Card Expiration Date: CCV:

14 Membership Benefits Networking Job Bank MCLE PARALEGALS GENERALLY A legal assistant or paralegal is 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 a lawyer is responsible. ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistants, Excerpt from California Business and Professions Code 6450(b): [A] paralegal shall not do the following: Provide legal advice; Represent a client in court; Select, explain, draft, or recommend the use of any legal document to or for any person other than the attorney who directs and supervises the paralegal; Act as a runner or capper, as defined in Sections 6151 and 6152; Engage in conduct that constitutes the unlawful practice of law; Contract with, or be employed by, a natural person other than an attorney to perform paralegal services; In connection with providing paralegal services, induce a person to make an investment, purchase a financial product or service, or enter a transaction from which income or profit, or both, purportedly may be derived; or Establish the fees to charge a client for the services the paralegal performs, which shall be established by the attorney who supervises the paralegal's work. Questions? Contact us! 501 West Broadway, Suite A-220 San Diego, CA info@sdparalegals.org (619) MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS Qualification requirements for the classes of SDPA membership are as follows: Voting: Must be currently employed fulltime as a paralegal working under the supervision of a licensed attorney, who has been an active member of the California State Bar Association, and: completed an ABA-approved paralegal education training program; completed a paralegal program (or received a degree from an accredited post-secondary institution), requiring a minimum of 24 semester units in lawrelated classes; received an undergraduate degree from a four-year college and have a minimum of one-year law-related experience working under the supervision of a licensed attorney, who has been an active member of the California State Bar Association for at least the preceding three years; or received a high school diploma or GED and have a minimum of three years of law-related experience working under the licensed attorney, who has been an active member of the California State Bar Association for at least the preceding three years. Associate: Must (a) be currently enrolled in a paralegal education training program, or (b) have graduated from a paralegal education training program, but not yet employed as a paralegal. Student: Must be currently enrolled in a paralegal education-training program. Sustaining: Any individual, corporation, law firm, or other entity interested in supporting and furthering the goals and purposes of SDPA. A sustaining member receives SDPA's monthly newsletter, invitations to monthly dinner meetings and their name will be published monthly with the sustaining member names in SDPA's newsletter. In addition, the sustaining member may choose either (a) a ten-minute presentation of their company at one dinner meeting, or (b) provide a short article describing their business for publication in one issue of SDPA's newsletter. JOB BANK SDPA maintains a Job Bank Bulletin Board in which prospective employers, including law firms, corporations, businesses, government offices and those employment agencies who are sustaining members are able to post current job opportunities. Members can log into the site to view and respond to these leads. Job openings are posted for a 30-day period of time unless otherwise requested by the employer. Job Bank s and Alerts are sent every Thursday night. Additionally, you can receive special alerts to immediately notify you when new leads arrive in the job bank. MCLE SDPA offers various paralegal oriented MCLE each year. Members are entitled discounts on these programs and priority seating. As paralegals, we're responsible for keeping up with our continuing legal education. SDPA seminars are a great way to fulfill you requirements while supporting your organization that supports you. PRECEDENT NEWSLETTER Bi-monthly Timely and relevant to the paralegal field ON-LINE COMMUNITY Find SDPA on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

15 Questions about SDPA? Please contact: San Diego Paralegal Association ABOUT SDPA Chartered in 1977, SDPA (formally known as the San Diego Association of Legal Assistants) works to serve the paralegals working within San Diego county. We are governed by a Board of Directors and Officers who are elected each year by our voting membership. Members include, San Diego paralegals and case assistants employed in law firms, corporations, banks and administrative agencies. SDPA also maintains a non-voting membership of paralegal students, vendors and other entities interested in the development and enrichment of the paralegal profession. MISSION STATEMENT The San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA) is a non-profit organization established for the purpose of promoting the paralegal profession through awareness, education and public service. Most notably, SDPA achieves these goals by working with state and national affiliates to address the challenges facing the paralegal profession; offering Continuing Legal Education programs; and advocating involvement in pro bono clinics, community outreach programs, and local government. SDPA aims to inspire the best in individuals and create leadership opportunities for those willing to take their careers to the next level. SDPA encourages all paralegals to take an active role in their profession by committing to selfimprovement and fostering collegiality among their peers. DEDICATED TO EDUCATING, PROMOTING, AND STRENGTHENING THE PARALEGAL COMMUNITY.