OF President’s Message

As I write this message it is still quite cold here in the Northeast. This coming weekend we move the clocks ahead one hour, and with that, we gain a full hour of daylight. That means the promise of spring is just around the corner. I have this picture in my head of a children’s movie. It is a time-lapsed scene of a spring thaw where a frozen blue creek starts to trickle as the budding leaves begin to bloom a deep green on the trees and colorful flowers peek out over the banks of the creek. Oddly detailed I know! But, this happens to me whenever I think of “spring thaw”. I can’t help but think that I truly must have seen this in a cartoon or movie.

As we begin to emerge from hibernation and welcome spring those tasks we have been putting off don’t seem so daunting. There is a renewed sense of energy with the change of the season and lengthening hours of sunlight. It is this renewed energy that I am hoping to tap into as I tell you about just a few of the volunteer positions available within the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA®)

NFPA® is a volunteer driven, grassroots organization whose mission is to promote a global presence for the paralegal profession and leadership within the legal community. Our core purpose is devoted to advancing the paralegal profession. Every member of the Board of Directors (BoD) is a full time paralegal who believes in this mission and purpose. We also rely on a small army of volunteers. People just like you who believe in the advancement of the paralegal profession and want to assist NFPA® in furthering this mission and purpose.

One of the many areas in which NFPA® stands out is in our advocacy for the profession. When a paralegal organization reaches out to NFPA® for support in seeking regulation our Director of Positions and Issues (DPI), Beth Bialis, RP®, NYSCP®, assisted by her Regulation Coordinator will prepare and submit a statement in support of the regulation being sought. Along with advocacy, the

DPI oversees our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Ethics Board, and Government Affairs Committee.

Another member of the BoD is the Director of Profession Development (DPD), Theda M. Yandell, RP®. As the DPD Theda addresses the future growth and expansion of the profession and oversees NFPA’s continuing legal education of paralegals. She also oversees our ABA Approval Committee, ABA Pro Bono Committee, Access to Justice Committee and Education Standards Committee.

Our Director of Certification, Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP®, oversees and manages the administration of NFPA’s two certification exams, the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam® (PCCE®) and the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam® (PACE®). Lisa works with the Paralegal Certification Standards Committee addressing any issues related to paralegal certification and our Assurance of Learning program (AoL). The AoL uses our PCCE® exam to test the standard knowledge base for entry-level and early career paralegals. Paralegal programs nationwide use it as an exit exam or assurance of learning tool.

If you find yourself thinking that you might like to hear more about any of the committees I mentioned above, or perhaps are now considering that you might have a little time to assist us in furthering our mission, please reach out to any one of us (emails listed here) and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Director of Positions & Issues: positionsdir@paralegals.org

Director of Profession Development: professiondevdir@paralegals.org

Director of Certification: certificationdir@paralegals.org

President: president@paralegals.org

Enjoy the warmer weather!

Publisher: National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc.

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