May-June 2011 WSPA Newsletter

M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 1

Findings & Conclusions 1

Findings & Conclusions

Presidents’ Cornerby: Brenda Cothary

I am incredibly honored and humbled to be elected WSPA’s President for the 2011-2012 year. Following in the footsteps of WSPA’s extraordinary past presidents who, collectively, have demonstrated a true commitment toward building WSPA to its present status, is exciting and frightening at the same time. As your president, I am committed to continuing the work of past presidents as well as furthering the mission of the Association: to enthusiastically support and promote the paralegal profession in Washington State.

I have been a WSPA member since 2001 and have held several roles with WSPA and NFPA, including Vice President of Membership, South Puget Sound Chapter Director, NFPA Primary Representative, and NFPA Legislation Chair. In volunteering at the local, state, and national level I have seen great pride and commitment to our profession. I am

honored to be a part of such a strong and dedicated community.

I would like to thank all of WSPA’s officers, directors, chairs, liaisons, and other volunteers for their hard work and commitment to the organization. Without their time, dedication, experience, and enthusiasm, WSPA would not be what it is today. I would encourage anyone who wishes to grow personally and professionally to volunteer in some capacity with WSPA. We have roles available for everyone. As a wife, mother,

paralegal, and volunteer, I understand that everyone has commitments and varying levels of availability. There is a place in WSPA management for anyone who is willing to step up and accept the challenge. I encourage and challenge you to be an active participant in the growth of your profession.

As I stated previously, I will continue to promote and support the paralegal profession in Washington State. I hope to bring you improved and increased member benefits. I hope to continue enhancements to the WSPA website (www.wspaonline.org) to make your web experience more convenient and simple.

I hope to post Board meeting minutes on the website for member review and provide notice of Board meetings far enough in advance in order for members to attend. I think transparency of the organization is imperative. I encourage anyone who has questions or comments about WSPA or its m a n a g e m e n t t o c o n t a c t m e ([email protected]). I also hope to provide new member benefits to enhance you professionally and personally. I will have an open line of communication with you to keep you apprised of developments in the profession. WSPA will continue to provide quality continuing education

(continued page three)

Our Mission: To enthusiastically support and promote the paralegal profession in the State of Washington.

President’s CornerAfter what seems like an interminably long and soggy winter, springtime in the Northwest is a widely anticipated and much welcomed time of year.

WSPA AwardsPage 3

Chapter ReportsPage 4

Military Page

Page 8Pro Bono Page

Page 11

Update on PCC ExamThe members of this Committee wish to take this opportunity to report to the NFPA® membership on the progress of taking the PCC Exam from a dream to a reality. Page 9

Cloud ComputingCloud computing’s redeeming feature is that it helps law firms trim IT costs while requiring minimal in-house technology expertise.Page 10

CLE Wrap-UpOver 75 enthusiastic paralegals and paralegal students attended the 2011 Spring Continuing Legal Education Program at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle on Friday, April 22nd. Page 11

A Bi-Monthly Newsletter Volume 26 Issue 3 May/June 2011

2011 WSPA President Brenda Cothary

http://www.wspaonline.org

http://www.wspaonline.org

mailto:[email protected]


F I N D I N G S & C O N C L U S I O N S

2 Findings & Conclusions

Administrator

Administration Services, Inc.PO Box 58530Seattle, WA [email protected]

Officers

PresidentBrenda [email protected]

Vice-PresidentMembership & AdministrationSue Beichley

[email protected]

Vice-President Professional Development

Brian [email protected]

SecretarySarah [email protected]

Treasurer [email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentBrian Haberly RP

Management Directory

NFPA Representatives

NFPA Primary RepresentativeSue [email protected]

Secondary RepresentativeJeanenne [email protected]

PACE [email protected]

Directors

East King Co. DirectorMary [email protected]

Northwest Director Jennifier [email protected]

Seattle DirectorJosh [email protected]

Snohomish Co. Chapter Director Sue [email protected]

South King [email protected]

South Puget SoundMisty [email protected]

Director Marketing & Vendor RelationsDonna Ziegler

Director At-Large, [email protected]

Committee Chairs

CLE Approval Committee ChairStephanie [email protected]

Job Bank Committee ChairJennifer [email protected]

Pro Bono CoordinatorJeanenne [email protected]

Newsletter Coordinator/EditorJay [email protected]

Legalman Coordinator Jeanenne [email protected]

[email protected]













































One of the highlights of the Spring CLE program is our 2011 Annual Paralegal Awards Luncheon and the recognition of WSPA's longtime supporters, via our Member Longevity Awards. After a delicious lunch and a few opening remarks, Brian Haberly and Brenda Cothary presented the awards this year.

In 2011, WSPA was proud to recognize the following six members on their 5 years of continuous membership in the association: Holly Ashinhurst, Lori Atiyeh, Amedee Black, Sandra Darling, Kimiko Kasazaki-Riley, and Janet Olejar. Our five year members each received a certificate and a special WSPA 5 year pin.

We were proud to recognize three, 10 year-long WSPA members: Brenda Cothary, Terri Ann Marvin-Crowe, and Theda Yandell. Our 10 Year

Members each received a certificate, a pen, and a lovely WSPA letter opener to proudly display at their desk. We were especially pleased to recognize one 15 year member this year, Tai Trong Pham. Tai was unable to be with us for the luncheon, but was recognized by the audience with a warm round of applause. Tai's gifts, including a special golden engraved business card holder, were delivered separately following the meeting.

Brenda Cothary next presented three special awards. First, Michelle Snow-Waltz ̧ our outgoing Northwest Chapter Director, was

named WSPA Volunteer of the Year for her many efforts on behalf of her

chapter, the association, and the Whatcom and Skagit Valley

Colleges that she has supported so

s t r o n g l y .

O u r 2011 Pro

Bono Paralegal of the Year was Rea Hagan.

Our Community Service Award recipient for 2011 was Misty

Carman.

New for 2011, T-Scan

Corporation teamed with the Association to present not one, but two Paralegal Student Scholarship awards! The WSPA/T-Scan $250 Student Scholarship was awarded to Cecilia Martin of Edmonds Community College. The WSPA/T-Scan $500 Student Scholarship was

awarded to Jerri S. Corbett of Highline Community College. WSPA would like to thank Scott

Tamfer, Owner and Chief Operating Officer of T-Scan for their generosity!

Following the Awards ceremony, Theda M. Yandell, RP, NFPA Region 1 Director and WSPA Past President, led an Officers Induction ceremony for the incoming officers and directors. It was a day that will be long remembered by all those present!

WSPA AwardsTeach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

— Buddha



(Presidents’ Corner Con’t from page one)

opportunities to enhance your skills and abilities. Please contact me if you have any suggestions for enhancing your membership experience. WSPA is one of the largest associations in the West region of NFPA. I hope to continue to recruit new members and retain existing members to continue to grow our organization, increase our knowledge base and develop new leaders.

There are several states exploring paralegal regulation/certification/licensure. Based upon previous work with the Practice of Law Board in Washington State, I believe it is imperative that we stay apprised and involved in regulation efforts. We also must stay involved with efforts to ease the access to justice crisis through community service, pro bono, and other volunteer efforts. We are responsible for shaping the direction of the profession. Your voice can be heard through WSPA and NFPA efforts to enhance the profession, increase our responsibilities as capable members of the legal community, and grow professionally through continuing education opportunities.

I anticipate this to be an exciting and challenging year for me. I am up for the challenge, but I hope you hold me accountable as your president. I want WSPA to be the best it can be. Through the efforts of our management, volunteers, and members, I believe we can reach new personal and professional goals. I can’t stress enough that I encourage you to contact me with your comments, concerns, praises, criticisms, suggestions, etc. I am here to serve you and I want your voice to be heard. Here’s to a great year!

My Last President’s Cornerby Brian Haberly, WSPA President

This is the last President’s Corner column that I have the honor of writing. After three consecutive years of service as your association President, I am very pleased to turn over the reins of leadership of your Washington State Paralegal Association to Brenda Cothary, whose term of office as WSPA President begins on June 1st, 2011.

Brenda was most recently our At-Large West Director, and she brings over 10 years of WSPA membership to the post, including more than 8 years in leadership positions at both the Chapter and State level. I’m confident she will do a great job in her new role! Please give her your support, and send her a note of congratulations and encouragement (email: [email protected]).

I will continue in service to WSPA as your newly elected Vice President of Professional Development. I hope to be able to provide you, our members, with the types of programs for your personal development that will take your career to the next level. I hope that you will feel free to contact me directly with your questions and suggestions as to how WSPA can best meet your needs in this regard (email me at: [email protected]).

During my time as your President, WSPA celebrated many successes, including celebrating our 35th anniversary of existence, holding some of our largest Spring and Fall Continuing Legal Education seminars in our history, and continuing our unbroken string of successful and well received Annual Career Nights and Paralegal Student Dinner programs. We continued and expanded our partnerships with several of Washington’s instate paralegal educational programs, and several of your current and former WSPA leaders now serve as Community Advisory Board members for these same programs.

Our reputation and recognition continues to grow regionally and nationally. Our website was redesigned a couple of years ago, and proposed enhancements to both our online membership services and our website are underway as I write this column, with a planned introduction date by summer or fall 2011. Our popular newsletter, Findings and Conclusions, moved from a printed, paper version to an easy to read “page turning” electronic version to be more earth friendly and to save printing and postage costs.

Our growing list of sponsors and exhibitors have helped stretch our resources, and permitted WSPA to provide numerous student scholarships to our CLE programs. All WSPA members owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors, many of which have supported us year after year! Please support them and thank them for support us!

Our Social Networking sites, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, each continue to grow in popularity,

with many paralegals finding us for the first time on one of these sites, with many of those converting into regular paid memberships over time.

Many of WSPA’s past leaders have gone on to participate in national paralegal issues. Theda Yandell, who served as President immediately prior to my term, is now serving as your NFPA Region 1 Representative and working with several west coast NFPA affiliates.

More recently, WSPA, in conjunction with Highline Community College, agreed to serve as one of the 12 pilot test hosts for the newly developed Paralegal Core Competency (“PCC”) exam. Washington State holds the honor of having the most applicants sign up for the June 11 pilot exam of any test site in the country!

In so many ways, serving as your President has fulfilled a vision I've had for the profession I both practice and cherish. I was proud to become a PACE Registered Paralegal during my first term in office and I would encourage each of you to sit for the PACE exam or the new PCC exam. It has been a privilege to serve in a capacity so reflective of my passion.

The Washington State Paralegal Association is in it for the long term--our future depends not on me nor on any one person, but on the strength of the organization and the urgency of our work. WSPA and your leadership team are strong and well positioned for success in the years ahead.

Our officers, directors, and committee chairs have been hard at work on improving our internal systems and developing our strategic plan. But we can only be as successful as you, our members, make us.

There is still much, much more work to be done to ensure that we will have a strong and growing Paralegal Association for decades to come. (continued next page)

Brian Haberly, Outgoing WSPA President







Findings and Conclusions is the official publication of the Washington State Paralegal Association and is published six times per year.

(Presidents’ Corner Con’t from previous page)

I am confident that WSPA will continue to grow and thrive with our newly elected 2011-2012 Board of Directors and Officers. We now have well-experienced, skilled management and staff in place. A new President will bring some fresh perspectives and new energy to the association, and I am confident that we will continue to increase our strength and influence in the years to come.

In the months to come, I invite your involvement as either an attendee or volunteer at our Fall CLE program, set for October 28, 2011 in Seattle. Governor Christine Gregoire has now proclaimed October 24-28, 2011 as Paralegal Week in Washington State! Let your employer know and make sure that they plan to send you to our Fall CLE seminar at the Washington State Convention Center (more details to be released as we get closer to that date).

I want to congratulate our incoming Board of Directors and Officers (detailed elsewhere in this issue) and to also thank the outgoing directors, officers and other volunteers who have contributed mightily to WSPA’s success during my 3 terms. Special thanks are owed to the following: Donna Ziegler, who just completed her term as VP of Professional Development and now moves into a new role as Director of Marketing and Vendor Relations where she has already shown a knack for getting things done; Kimiko Kasazaki, a two-term Treasurer, who helped bring our accounting records into the 21st century; Sarah Sawyer, our steady and always willing to help Secretary; and Jay Jenkins, our newsletter editor for his responsiveness, fresh ideas, and can-do attitude! Space won’t permit me to list all the many people who have donated time in service to the association. Please know that I have sincerely appreciated each and every one of you, and I hope that you will redouble your commitment to volunteer again in the coming year!

I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many fine paralegals and attorneys from all over the country. From these fellow legal professionals, I’ve learned far more than I’ve been

able to share! Thank you for your support and engagement over these last 3 years--and thank you in advance for your continued involvement in the Washington State Paralegal Association! If you haven’t yet contacted your local chapter director or one of your state leaders to see how you can help make WSPA even better than it already is, please do so today! I am living proof that if you give something back to your profession, and you will be repaid many times over!

NW Chapter Reportby Michele Snow-Waltz

The WSPA NW Chapter April brown bag CLE was held at the Elder Law Offices of Meyers & Avery. Our speaker was Virginia Tucker. Virginia teaches at the School of Library & Information Science at San Jose University and is the head law librarian for Whatcom County. She received the prestigious Liberty Bell Award in 2010 from the Skagit County Bar Association. Virginia has been a paralegal’s best friend for quite some time, and now she has co-authored the how-to manual “Finding the Answers to Legal Questions.” Virginia described the process of writing a book meant to be used by paralegals, paralegals students, and pro se litigants. The book can be ordered through Amazon.

On May 25 our Chapter Meeting was held at Cascade Pizza in Bellingham, Washington. We recognized our out-going chapter director, Michelle Snow-Waltz, and greeted our new chapter director, Jeniffier Provalenko. Jeniffier has put together a calendar full of activities for the remainder of 2011, and we are looking forward to the CLEs, chapter socials, and community volunteer opportunities she has planned. Keep checking the WSPA calendar for notices of upcoming events.

Michelle expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to serve as NW Chapter Director since 2009, and for those chapter members, WSPA officers, and other WSPA chapter directors who

have helped her to ensure that the NW Chapter continues to be a success and to thrive.

Thank you all. Michelle J. Snow-Waltz, RP®

East King County Chapter Reportby Josh Normand

For May, the East King County Chapter held its monthly meeting at the Panera Bread in Redmond. The featured speaker was Judi Maier, Esq. of Omnitek Systems Solutions, Inc. who spoke to the group about a “Less-Paper Office”. She recently attended the ABA Technology Show in Chicago and shared with us her lessons learned about going paperless. For example, the average law firm has between 10-19 copies of each document and it costs $20 to file one sheet of paper. There’s a cost factor involved with keeping hard copies of documents today that didn’t exist 10-20 years ago. It’s easier to scan documents into the drive and with the advent of the “Cloud”; it’s in everyone’s best interest to have as few “hard copies” of paper as humanly possible.

There were approximately 10 people attending this meeting, representing law firms and newer WSPA members. Additionally, I want to thank Mary Knight, incoming East King County Chapter Director, for her work and cooperation on this meeting and plans for the coming year. I will be taking her place as the Seattle Chapter Director of WSPA. We look forward to a great year of fun and rewarding chapter meetings and other events.

(Management Reports Continued Page Six)

Josh Normand, Seattle Chapter DirectorMichele Snow-Waltz, NW Chapter Director

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T-Scan Headquarters: 4200 23rd Avenue West Seattle, WA 98199

Offices Located in: Seattle, Portland, Boise, Spokane and Salt Lake City

Contact T-Scan: [email protected] or 800.285.1507

Record Retrieval Document Production Imaging

T-Scan Works for the Documents While you Work for the Client



Snohomish County Chapter Reportby Sarah Eisenhauer

As we come to the middle of the year, there will be a changing of the guards. I will be stepping down from the Snohomish County Chapter Director position and stepping into the Secretary position. It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to be a Chapter Director and bring information and continuing education to members and their guests.

Sue Holmstrom will be taking over as Snohomish County Chapter Coordinator. She is currently in the ITT Paralegal Program and will be graduating in August. She is really excited about this opportunity and is looking forward to meeting you at the next meeting.

The next meeting is being planned for around June 21st. Details will follow soon by email.

If you have a topic of interest that you would like to learn about or discuss, please feel free to contact Sue at [email protected].

Advanced Records and Information Management and Litigation Readiness Symposium Review

by Josh Normand

Contoural sponsored a Symposium on Advanced Records and Information Management and Litigation Readiness. Contoural is a Mountain View, CA- based company that provides consulting services to in-house legal departments, bringing together General Counsels, paralegals, records managers and IT professionals.

WSPA was well-represented with me, Brian Haberly, Barbara Parnell and Zoe, an intern at the Attorney General’s Office at UW, where Barbara works.

The three speakers were Mark Diamond, CEO and Founder of Contoural, who spoke about Getting Everyone On Board and Building Consensus across the Organization. Two note-worthy practices that Mark mentioned were, a) having a defensible deletion policy and b) giving users an option, move documents to where users can still see them.

The second speaker was Tom Mighell, Senior Legal Consultant, speaking on Satisfying the Courts and Regulators, Achieving Legal Compliance and Litigation Readiness. His main point was that an

organization needs both a paper and digital approach for good retention policies and schedules. Using an archiving system is much better than using backup tapes, for large organizations.

The third speaker was Greg Forest, Chief Technical Officer of Contoural, speaking about Applying Technology and Processes to Execute Change. Additionally, we had two panel discussions; the first was “What We Learned along the Way” what worked and what didn’t. The Second Panel was “What Customers Really Want from Technology” featuring managers from Iron Mountain, Dell, Recommind and ZL Technologies. Overall, it was a very worthwhile conference and I am glad that we were a co-sponsor of this Symposium.

Findings and Conclusions is the official publication of the Washington State Paralegal Association and is published six times per year. Letters to the Editor, articles, advertisements or correspondence should be submitted to:

WSPA Newsletter EditorP.O. Box 58530Seattle, WA 98138Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

All submissions are due the 20th of each odd numbered month for publication the following month. Articles may be submitted on disk in Word format or via Email.

ADVERTISING RATES:Dimensions Month to Month Pre-Paid One Year" " " (6 Issues)1/8 page" $ 50.00" 20% discount 1/4 page" $100.00 " 20% discount1/2 page" $150.00 " 20% discountFull page" $200.00 " 25% discountContact [email protected] for additional advertising information.

The Editor reserves the right to edit material for clarity, space or advertising.The articles published herein express the opinions of their authors and, unless expressly stated, do not necessarily reflect those of WSPA.Unless otherwise indicated, the authors of the submissions contained in Findings & Conclusions are paralegals. All reports, profiles, summaries, checklists, articles, or other submissions are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon for that purpose. All opinions expressed in any submission are the authors’ sole opinion and should not be taken as the opinion or position of the Washington State Paralegal Association.

Original items printed here are the property of WSPA. We ask that National Federation of Paralegal

Associations (NFPA) member associations who reprint articles from Findings and Conclusions, credit the article and provide WSPA with a copy as reprinted. Others may not reproduce original material for any purpose without prior, written consent of the WSPA Newsletter Editor.

Publication of any advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product/services offered. WSPA reserves the right to reject advertisement due to content or space considerations.

Unless otherwise indicated, the authors of the submissions contained in Findings & Conclusions are paralegals. All reports, profiles, summaries, checklists, articles, or other submissions are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon for that purpose. All opinions expressed in any submission are the authors’ sole opinion and should not be taken as the opinion or position of the Washington State Paralegal Association

Definition of a Paralegal – as defined by NFPA and WSPA

A Paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory or cort authority to perform this work. Substantive shall mean work requiring recognition, evaluation, organization, analysis, and communication of relevant f a c t s a n d l e g a l c o n c e p t s .

WSPA's Mission: To enthusiastically support and promote the paralegal profession in the State of Washington.

We are dedicated to the enhancement of the paralegal profession.

We strive for personal and professional development.

We will encourage increased utilization of paralegals to broaden employment opportunities statewide.

We advocate high quality paralegal educational programs in preparation for entry into the profession.

We hold our members to high standards by requiring 10 Continuing Legal Education credits per year to retain full voting status or to hold an office in the Association.

We will monitor proposed state and federal legislation affecting paralegals and will participate in the legislative and regulatory process to represent our Members' views.










HELP WSPA SUPPORT MILITARY PARALEGALS AROUND THE WORLD

! Calling all WSPA members! We have set a goal for 2011 to send 6 Military paralegal care packages to make life easier for those who have chosen to serve our country.

! We have been assigned a paralegal who is stationed at Guantanamo.

These soldiers work almost non-stop and can not just run to the store for a treat or something to read. Along with food hygiene and entertainment items, we include postcards from the Seattle area and current magazines for men and women.

Please help us with our goal by bringing your donations to the WSPA chapter meetings. You can also include a card to thanking them for their service and telling them a little about ourselves and where we live. Items will be collected, boxed and mailed to designated military base or ships every other month.If you would like to participate but are unable to bring an item to the meetings, contact me at the email below and we will arrange for pick up. You could also send a check to:

WSPAPO Box 58530

Seattle, WA 98138-1530Please make the check out to WSPA and indicate that the funds are for the military outreach program. This will help purchase phone cards or other items that we would like to include.WSPA is a founding member of the NFPA Military Paralegal Outreach program, which began in February 2006. We appreciate the members of WSPA for the strong support of this program!Any questions regarding this continuing project may be directed to Jeanenne Rutherford, [email protected]

Suggested Items:

Hygiene: Food:Antibiotic Ointment Single Serving Pasta LicoriceChapstick/lip balm/Carmex Ready to Heat Soups Sunflower SeedsSunscreen (Bull Frog is good) Lunchables Aqua DropsBug Repellent (with deet) Ramon Noodles GumFace cleaner Powdered Power-Aide/Gator-Aide/ Peanuts in a shellEye drops/Saline Koolaid/Tang Rice Krispy TreatsLiquid hand sanitizer/Baby wipes Granola Bars/Cereal Bars Snack CakesFoot/body powder (Gold Bond) Fruit Roll-ups Misc:Deodorant Raisins CondimentsShampoo/Conditioner Beef Jerky (no pork) Lemonade/Ice Tea MixTooth Brush/Toothpaste Applesauce Cough DropsNose spray/nose drops Fruit/Pudding Cups Stationery/envelopesHand/Body Lotion Cereal (individual Servings) Stamps/PensBand-aids, Mole Skin Chex Mix Dice/Travel GamesSoap Tuna Kits Individual Instant CoffeeMouth Wash Snacks: Books/MagazinesNail Clippers Hard Candy (no chocolate-it melts) Tylenol/IbuprofenDental Floss Snack Mix Allergy MedicineTums/Rolaids Chips/Cookies/Crackers/Microwave Ziploc BagsTylenol/Aspirin Popcorn/Pretzels Instant CamerasQ-Tips Pop Tarts RainX

TIPS FROM A SOLDIER'S MOM: • Send sauce packets (like Arby's sauce). I am told this can make any MIC's taste good.• Send cards and email/snail mail so soldiers can say thank you.• Holiday cards, photos and stories of the everyday things at home are priceless. • Some of the favorite letters are about walking the dog, the kids holiday show and local sports, even if it is not their family it helps you

know that life goes on.







UPDATE REPORT FROM THE PCC EXAM COMMITTEE TO NFPA® MEMBERSHIPThe members of this Committee wish to take this opportunity to report to the NFPA® membership on the progress of taking the PCC Exam from a dream to a reality.

The Committee also wishes to take this opportunity to thank all the delegates attending the 2010 convention for their approval of the contract with PES. As you will see after reading this report, their participation has been key in accomplishing our task much more quickly than some of us thought possible.

Job Analysis Task Force

In July 2010, in conjunction with staff at PES, a Job Analysis Task Force [JATF] was formed, which consisted of certain members from the PCC Exam Committee, together with paralegal representatives from different types of practice settings; paralegal educators; lawyers and two judges, all from different areas around the country. The group worked with Carla Caro and Pat Melendez from PES.

The purpose for having a detailed job analysis is to be able to create the foundation for a legally defensible certification exam. The exam is being designed to capture competencies and knowledge of the entry level candidate who meets the experience and requirements as adopted by the NFPA® delegates. There are three phases to the process: delineation of practice, validation survey and test specification development.

Delineation of Practice. The purpose of this phase is to construct a detailed content, or process, based description of practice, including the major performance domains, key tasks within the performance domains and the knowledge and skills required to perform those tasks. Information was gathered from paralegal programs, including 2-year, 4-year and certification programs. Also included was information on paralegal utilization in a variety of employment settings and various state regulatory schemes.

Validation Survey. This involved a validation of the description of practice through a survey of a representative sample of current practitioners, locally, nationally or internationally. Survey participants reviewed domains, tasks and KS [knowledge/skills] statements and rated them according to a set of validation scales specifically

designed for our program. This information was analyzed to refine the detailed description of practice and to identify any differences in practice related to professional or demographic variables.

Test Specifications Development. Results from the practice analysis were taken to develop a set of test specifications that are based on empirical evidence and subject matter expert judgments. Ratings from the validation survey were used to establish weightings for the various task and knowledge areas within the practice. A combination of the task and knowledge areas, together with their relative weightings are used to develop a set of test specifications and that determines the content of our exam.

The JATF has completed its work and the core domains have been established for the PCC Exam.

Exam Development

Item Writing - The next step in this process was the item [questions] writing. Those who participated in this process were PACE Registered Paralegals®, Certified Paralegals, paralegal educators, paralegal managers and lawyers, all with the assistance and guidance of PES staff. As has been pointed out many times in the past, PES is known for its high level of integrity and has a sound reputation as a leader in professional certification exams. The items covered the core competencies within the domains identified by the JATF during the initial test development phase and make up the exam test bank from which the actual exam will be constructed. At this point in time, we have approximately 1,000 such items.

For all those who participated in the item writing phase, the Committee expresses its thanks and appreciation, for without your assistance, the job would have been much more difficult. Also a special thanks to PES staff for having a program which allowed item writers to do this work online.

After all the items were submitted, a group gathered at the offices of PES on March 11th and 12th for the purposes of item review. Since there were a number of items in the test bank from previous sessions for updating the PACE® exam which had been designated as “entry level”, those items, in addition to the items recently submitted, were reviewed. Many thanks go out to Ann Price for her review prior to the meeting of items already in the test bank. The group was successful in reviewing all the new items submitted and almost all those items in the test bank that had not been reviewed. A 3-member team finished up the review of items in the test bank a week later.

Exam Construction - In this phase, the computers at PES select questions from the exam test bank in the appropriate proportion to the percentage points for each domain. Two such exams are constructed. On April 9th, and again on April 16th, a group met through the services of WebEx, with Vita Greco from PES to review the draft exams to ensure that questions are current with regard to core

competencies identified by the JATF. That process is now complete. By using WebEx, we were able to avoid travel, hotel and meal expenses, as well as not having to take off time from work. Being able to accomplish some of these tasks through these services made the process much easier.

It should be noted that this phase is conducted under strict security and accountability. The purpose of this review is to make certain that the questions are current with regard to the core competencies identified by the JATF and that one question does not inadvertently give away the correct response to another.

Setting the Pass Point - The next step involves a group actually taking the exam(s) from the perspective of the “minimally qualified” candidate based on the established criteria for eligibility. The two exams will be taken using two distinct methods. The two methods are employed independently and should converge with the same, or nearly the same, result. PES then takes the evaluators’ scores as a whole and uses state of the art computer technology to establish the pass point, or minimum score required to pass the PCC Exam. PES also weights each question as to value, as not all questions have the same value; some are worth more points than others. As yet, no date has been set for this step in the process.

Pilot [Beta] Testing - The final step is the pilot testing, which will help to ensure there are no problems with the exam. Pilot testing is taking place on Saturday, June 11th at 12 locations around the country. Applications for this paper/pencil pilot test are web based, and applications for the computer based exam will also be web based instead of paper. Once the beta testing is concluded the exam will be finalized by PES and provided to Prometric/Sylvan Learning, who provides the testing facilities at locations all across the country.

We on the Committee think it should be obvious to the membership that our faith in PES was well placed. Their computer based technology is allowing NFPA® to do this work much more efficiently and more quickly than any of us ever thought possible.

Study Manual - Initial work has been started on a study manual. It is the goal of the Committee to have it ready for purchase well in advance of the rollout of the exam, which, at this point, is scheduled for November 1, 2011.

If anyone has any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to ask. As always, the continued support of the membership for this project is greatly appreciated.

PCC Exam Committee Members



One of the more interesting articles in the April 2011 Issue of LTN is an article about cloud computing. Cloud computing’s redeeming feature is that it helps law firms trim IT costs while requiring minimal in-house technology expertise. Thanks to web-based applications, even small firm practitioners can have large law firm IT services, enabling them to compete with the larger law firms in their city.

Small law firms have many cloud-based business systems to choose from to run their daily operations. Some of these systems include: Microsoft Office Live Small Business, Google Apps for Business, IBM LotusLive Symphony and Zoho Business. For online document storage, options include Amazon Simple Storage Device and Dropbox.

It’s much more inexpensive for small law firms to use a cloud-based practice management system than a non-cloud system. Cloud-based practice management systems usually cost around $45 per month per user, period. For a five-lawyer firm, the cost will be around $2,700 per year. If the same firm were to purchase a traditional practice management

system, it would involve a significant investment of time and resources. We’ll examine one of these traditional systems.

Consumers of Gavel & Gown’s Amicus Attorney Small Firm Edition pay a one-time licensing fee of $499 for the first user and $399 for each of the next users, with a limit of 10 users. Maintenance (or tech support) costs $280 per year for the first user and $180 per year for subsequent users, with a three-year commitment. For the same five-lawyer firm, the licensing costs are $2,095 and maintenance costs are $1,000, with a total cost of $3,095, or about $400 more than the average cloud-based system.

In addition to the costs of the system and maintenance fees, other issues come up with the traditional practice management system. Andrew Adkins III, president of the Legal Technology Institute says, “There’s installation and integration- someone needs to integrate the system with the existing environment, such as Outlook, Adobe, and document management systems. Add to that configuration- someone needs to set up the system to work for the specific practice group, like transactional versus litigation. And training- for

lawyers, a half to one day; for support staff, one to two days.” That’s why small firms love products like Rocket Matter, a cloud system based in Boca Raton, Florida. All one needs is a web browser and Rocket Matter can be installed.

Despite some risks, such as unscrupulous vendors and backup of data issues, the cloud computing system is here to stay and a boon to small law firms.

Cloud Computing- Asset for Small Law Firms?

by Josh Normand

S E Q U O I A C L U B


CLE Wrap-Upby: Brian Haberly

Over 75 enthusiastic paralegals and paralegal students attended the 2011 Spring Continuing Legal Education Program at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle on Friday, April 22nd. This year's Spring conference consisted of eight, 90-minute long Continuing Legal Education sessions, an awards luncheon, and an ample exhibitor area with 7 great exhibitors.

Many thanks to our CLE session speakers, Troy Moody with Naegeli Trial Technologies, Janis Timlick, Unisearch, Scott Haddock, Edmonds Community College , Susan Poulsen, NW Medical Experts, Mary Bowman, Seattle University, Denny

O'Connor, Thomson Reuters/Westlaw, Patrick Inouye, Cascadia IP, and Kelley J. Sweeney, Liberty Mutual. Special thanks go to Donna Ziegler, our 2010-2011 VP of Professional Development who

lined up our many fine exhibitors, and to Brenda Cothary, who presented the WSPA member Longevity and Annual Paralegal Awards, and to

volunteers Sarah Eisenhauer, and Josh Normand who handled the registration and check-in table, handed out CLE completion certificates, and many other details too numerous to mention.

This year's CLE featured eight sessions covering the following topics: Secrets to Winning Your Trial; Ensuring your Attorney’s Success: Preparation/Handling of Defendant Client’s Deposition; Legal Writing, WestlawNext - Legal Research that Speaks the Same Language You Do: Human; Use of NRAI Online Legal Research Tools; Legal Ethics for Paralegals; Independent Medical Evaluations: What You Need to Know to get the Most from your Vendor; and Patent Claims Construction.

Attendees present for the full day earned 6.0 WSPA CLE Credits.

During our Annual Awards Luncheon, Theda Yandell, past WSPA President and our current NFPA Region 1 Representative, delivered a motivational speech and encouraged paralegals to get involved in their local association and consider volunteering on one of NFPA's many committees. 2011 Award winners are named elsewhere in this newsletter.

Thanks also to Jerri Corbett, who served as our Photographer and to our Exhibitors and Sponsors:

Law Dawgs; MEDRECS Records Expeditors; Naegeli Trial Technologies; Northwest Medical Experts; T-Scan Corporation; Unisearch; Bronze Level Sponsor: Physician Direct Services; Platinum Sponsor: Premiere Realtime Litigation Services. T-Scan also sponsored both a $250 and $500 Paralegal Student Scholarship award this year, for which we are most grateful! Thanks to everyone that made this year’s program such a success!

Pro Bono & Youby: Jeanenne Rutherford

Hello members! I am happy to be your new Pro Bono coordinator!

Congratulations to Rea Hagan WSPA 2011 Pro Bono Paralegal Award Winner!

Please let me know of your volunteer experiences! Here is what is happening!

Pro Bono Fair at Davis Wright Tremaine June 2011

Here is a great chance to learn about the different pro bono activities in the Seattle area!

Pro Bono Fair

Hosted by Davis Wright Tremaine

(1201 3rd Avenue, 22nd Floor)

June 30, 2011 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Speakers include: Mark Fordham, Director and Managing Corporate Counsel of Starbucks and KCBA Board President, Anne Kelley, Associate General Counsel and Chief of Staff for the Worldwide Sales Group, Microsoft Corporation, and Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.

The event is free, but please register at:

http://www.dwt.com/Events?find=419907

NFPA Pro Bono Conference:

This year the NFPA's Pro Bono Conference will be held on Friday, October 14, in conjunction with the NFPA Annual Convention in Bloomington, MN. . This event will be FREE to NFPA members! Watch this page for upcoming details. The Conference will include presentations by paralegals working on pro bono projects across the country, as well as information on how to start or enhance your association's pro bono efforts. Further program information will be posted as it is available. Registration will be held in conjunction with registration for the Annual Convention. No charge for NFPA members; charge for non-members to be announced (continued page 11)

Brian Haberly, welcomes the crowd Mary Bowman talks on Legal Writing Scott Haddock spoke on Paralegal Ethics




(Pro Bono & You Con’t from Page 10)

Ongoing Pro Bono Opportunities

Housing Justice Project http/kcba.org/pbs/HJP.aspx

The HJP is a homelessness prevention program providing accessible volunteer-based legal services to low-income tenants facing eviction in King County.

NFPA Military Paralegal Outreach Program

This program provides support and comfort through care packages to our military counterparts serving overseas. These care packages include personal hygiene products, food, snacks, puzzles, books, magazines and games, and are sent bi-monthly. Bring donations to WSPA brown bags or contact me at [email protected]

Pro Bono services are defined as:

"Pro Bono Publico" means providing or assisting to provide quality legal services in order to enhance access to justice for persons of limited means; charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the legal needs of persons with limited means; or individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights.

Community Service is defined as:

Community Service” is defined as volunteer activities that would not meet the definition of pro bono, as adopted by the delegates in Resolution 99F-4 and is further defined as unpaid services that are volunteered by individuals to benefit an organization, community, or its institutions that are provided through the direction of a non-profit organization as defined under the Internal Revenue Code. The definition focuses on volunteer services that improve the quality of life for community residents, or to solve particular problems related to their needs.



Washington State Paralegal Association

Membership Application PO Box 58530, Seattle WA 98138 Membership Year 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011

WSPA Membership Application- Membership Application form page 1

Important: This form should be used only to apply for new membership. If you are a current WSPA member, please use the Membership Renewal form. You may also Renew and pay by credit card securely online at

http://www.acteva.com/GO/WSPA.

Applicant Name:

Mailing Address:

Daytime Phone: __________________________

Evening Phone: __________________________

Fax Number: ____________________________

Primary Email Address: Alternate Email Address for emergencies:

Employer Name & Address (if applicable):

Does your Employer pay for your Dues? Yes ____ No _____

Can we send a thank you note to your manager? If yes, supply Manager or Paralegal Supervisor name and email address:

WSPA Membership Categories

Type (Check one and submit the appropriate membership fee with your application. Make checks payable to WSPA. WSPA is a Washington

nonprofit corporation, Tax ID # 51-0140447):

! Voting Member - $100.00 - Any paralegal (see definition on reverse) living or working in Washington State holding an associate

or bachelors degree and at least 24 semester hours in paralegal studies, OR with minimum of three years experience as a paralegal as

defined by NFPA (see reverse). 10 CLE credit hours per year are required to maintain voting status when renewing voting membership.

! Non-Profit or Government Employee Member - $75.00 – Any individual eligible for voting membership who works for a

federally recognized non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization or a government agency (including armed forces).

! Student Member - $50.00 - Full-time student currently enrolled in a paralegal program & not eligible for voting nor associate

membership status.

! Associate Member - $100.00 – Any individual unable to meet the requirements of the above 3 membership categories.

! Sustaining Member - $200.00 - Any person, partnership, organization, or other entity interested in supporting the purposes of

the Association. PLEASE USE THE SEPARATE SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP FORM RATHER THAN THIS FORM.

Who referred you to WSPA? (Please be specific so that we can thank them!): ______________________________

Special Qualifications: ! PACE® Registered Paralegal ! LPO ! CLA (Certified Legal Assistant)

Chapter Affiliation(s):

! East King County ! Northwest ! Seattle ! Snohomish County ! South King County

! Spokane ! South Puget Sound ! Central Washington ! Other: _______________________

Check all areas in which you are willing to help:

! Chapter Activities ! Events (CLE's, Convention) ! Membership ! Newsletter

! Job Bank Admin. ! Other:_______________________________________________________________________

**Please visit our website at www.wspaonline.org to sign up for specific list servs. Please note that by participating in these list servs, you will receive regular e-mail updates and have the opportunity to participate in e-mail discussion of issues relevant to the list serv.**

WSPA Membership Application- Membership Application form page 2

Education: (check all completed)

! Assoc. Degree, Paralegal Studies*

! Assoc. Degree, Other

! Bachelor's Degree, Paralegal Studies*

! Bachelor's Degree, Other

! Certificate in Paralegal Studies*

! Master's Degree

! Other Postgraduate Degree

! Other: ____________________________

*Must include 24 semester credit hours (or equivalent) of paralegal specialty courses. See Bylaw 2.1.1 for credit hour requirements.

**If you are currently enrolled in a paralegal studies program, give:

Name of the school/program: __________________________________________________________________________

Location:_____________________________ Length of program:_______________________

Degree expected: Type:_________________ Month & Year:___________________________

Employment:

Number of years of experience as a paralegal _______.

Current status (Check all applicable):

!Employed full-time as a paralegal !Employed part-time as a paralegal

!Employed full-time, not as a paralegal !Employed part-time, not as a paralegal

!Full-time student in a paralegal program** !Part-time student in a paralegal program**

!Unemployed !Other: _________________________

Employer Type:

!Private Law Firm !Government Agency

!Public Service Agency !Self-employed/freelance/contract

!Corp. Legal Dept./Other Private Industry !Temporary Employment Agency

Practice Areas (check all areas in which you regularly practice):

!Admiralty/Maritime !Bankruptcy !Civil Litigation !Collection

!Commercial Torts !Contracts !Corporate/Business !Criminal

!Elder Law !Employment/Labor !Environmental !ERISA/Employee Benefits

!Estate Planning !Family/Domestic !Foreclosures !Government

!Intellectual Property !Land Use !Legal Technology !Malpractice/Professional Liability

!Personal Injury !Probate !Real Estate !Securities

!Tax !Workers Compensation !Other:__________________________________

Definitions Paralegal (NFPA Definition): A paralegal is a person qualified through education, training, or work experience to perform substantive legal work that

requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a

lawyer, law office, governmental agency, or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory, or court authority to perform this work. For additional definitions, requirements, and various other information, check our web site at http://www.wspaonline.org.

Signature:

I affirm that the information given in this application is true and correct and that I meet the requirements for the membership category indicated above.

Signed: Date:

Please mail your completed application and check made payable to "WSPA" to:

WSPA Membership Dept. P.O. Box 58530 Seattle WA 98138

Washington State Paralegal Association 2011 Membership Renewal Form PO Box 58530, Seattle WA 98138-1530 For the Membership Period of 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011

To file this Renewal Form with your check payment (payable to WSPA), Mail it to WSPA, P O Box 58530, Seattle, WA 98138-1530;

Questions? Please email for assistance to: [email protected]

Important: This form should be used only to renew a current or previous WSPA membership. If you are applying for a new WPSA membership, please Join Online at www.wspaonline.org. You may also Renew and pay by credit card securely online at http://www.acteva.com/GO/WSPA (Renewing Member option)

Member’s Name: WSPA Membership Number (if known):

Mailing Address:

!!!! Check here if this is an updated Mailing Address

Daytime Phone: Evening Phone:

E-Mail Address (primary):

E-Mail Address (secondary):

WSPA Membership (See below for definitions and requirements.)

Check one and submit the appropriate membership fee with your application. Make checks payable to WSPA.

WSPA is a Washington not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization, Tax ID # 51-0140447:

" Voting Member - $100.00 Employer Paid? "Yes "No

" Non-Profit or Government Employee Member - $75.00

I hereby certify that I qualify for voting membership by reason of education and/or experience, as described below. If I have previously been a voting member for a year or more, I further certify that I have met the CLE requirement for continued voting membership, and I have attached the necessary CLE Declaration.

Signed:_______________________________________________________________________________

" Associate Member - $100.00

" Student Member - $50.00

Definitions & Requirements

Paralegal (NFPA Definition): A paralegal is a person qualified through education, training, or work experience to perform substantive legal work that

requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a

lawyer, law office, governmental agency, or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory, or court authority to perform this work. Substantive shall mean work requiring recognition, evaluation, organization, analysis, and communication of relevant facts and legal concepts.

Membership Types – Voting Membership - $100: Any paralegal (see definition above) living or working in Washington with an associate or bachelors degree and 24

semester hours in paralegal studies OR having a minimum of three year’s experience as a paralegal as defined by NFPA. 10 CLE credit hours are required to maintain voting status when renewing membership after one full year as a voting member.

Non-Profit or Government Employee Member - $75.00 – Any individual working for a federally recognized non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization or a

government agency (including armed forces). Eligible to vote and hold office and is subject to the same requirements as other voting members (see above).

Student Membership - $50: Any student currently enrolled in a paralegal program & not eligible for voting nor associate membership status. Student

membership is limited to 4 years. Associate Membership - $100: Individuals not eligible for voting, nonprofit, governmental, or student membership. CLE Credits: 10 credits are required each year to renew as a voting member or a nonprofit or governmental member after one full year of voting

membership. Up to 15 unused credits may be carried over to satisfy the next year’s requirement. See bylaws and CLE guidelines printed on the web site of the Association (http://www.wspaonline.org).

May-June 2011 WSPA Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of May-June 2011 WSPA Newsletter