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To see the latest issue (March - April 2012) of our Bi-Monthly Newsletter, Findings and Conclusions, click here.
If you are not yet a current member, click here to join today! ($85 a year regular, $40 a year for students). WSPA's Bi-monthly Newsletter Findings and Conclusions is one of the key benefits of Membership.
Hope you were able to attend the 2012 WSPA Spring CLE! An enthusiastic audience of paralegals and paralegal students attended the 2012 Spring Continuing Legal Education Program at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle on Friday, April 27th. This year's Spring conference consisted of eight, 90-minute long Continuing Legal Education sessions, an awards luncheon, and an ample exhibitor area with 9 great exhibitors.
Many thanks to our terrific CLE session speakers, Gower Talley of Naegeli Trial Technologies, Elizabeth Bowman, Innovatively Organized, Scott Haddock, Edmonds Community College, Dr. Scott Moser, Thrive Natural Family Medicine, Jay Jenkins,T-Scan, Noah Wick, Prolumina, Donna Ziegler, Davies Pearson law firm. Special thanks go to Donna Ziegler, WSPA Marketing Chair who lined up many of our 2012 exhibitors, Brenda Cothary, WSPA President and Spring CLE Chair, and to volunteers Sarah Eisenhauer, and Janenne Rutherford who handled the registration and check-in table, handed out CLE completion certificates, and many other details too numerous to mention.
WSPA would like to thank the many fine Exhibitors and Vendors that participated at the 2012 Spring CLE program. Their participation and financial support helps stretch our resources so that we were once again able to offer a number of scholarships to paralegal students to attend this year's program.
The current definition of a Paralegal used by WSPA and NFPA is as follows:
"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."
The American Bar Association definition is as follows:
"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."
The current definition of "legal assistant/paralegal" replaces the definition adopted by the ABA Board of Governors in 1986. It adds the term "paralegal" since the terms "legal assistant" and "paralegal" are, in practice, used interchangeably. The term that is preferred generally depends on what part of the country one is from. The current definition streamlines the 1986 definition and more accurately reflects how legal assistants are presently being utilized in the delivery of legal services.
WSPA would like to thank its generous Sponsors for their support! If your organization would like to learn more about becoming a Sponsor of WSPA, and getting recognition on both the WSPA web site and in our newsletter Findings and Conclusions, click here for more information.
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Current WSPA Members can now take advantage of several new Job Search resources and Videos found on our Members Only pages. Log in using your Members User Name and Password from the WSPA Home Page, then select the "Resources" Tab Drop Down menu == >> Jobs == >> Job Search Tips & Tools (only visible to logged in current members.) Forgot your User Name or Password? Click on the "Forgot login?" link and information will be instantly emailed to your email address on record.
Are you on Facebook? Have you joined the WSPA LinkedIn Group yet? Expand your Networking opportunities through these two services!
LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.
The WSPA LinkedIn Group is directed at both current and prospective members of WSPA and their friends who want to keep up to date with the latest paralegal happenings! Announcements of interest to paralegals and other members of the Washington State legal community will be shared on the LinkedIn site. Once you join the group you can read or post discussion questions, learn about upcoming events of interest and more! (More reasons to join at http://press.linkedin.com/about). Do you need some help getting started on LinkedIn, or are you unsure how to find the WSPA Group? Download our FREE brand new WSPA/LinkedIn User Guide here!
Are you on Facebook? Find the Washington State Paralegal Association on Facebookand become a Fan today!
WSPA provides its members with many benefits. Click on the image for more information. 
