By Yazmeen O. Gadalla

Welcome, Paralegal Division members, to the new year! As we transition into a brand new calendar year, I would like to take a moment to thank you for being a part of our division and engaging with us. Our council and committee chairs have worked hard to bring quality endeavors to you thus far, and as we continue into 2023, we would like to continue to do so.

With that being said, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what our division has already managed to accomplish this bar year:

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By Sarah L. White

The holidays are fast approaching, and many of us are looking forward to holiday parties, delicious goodies adorning the breakroom counters, festive decorations, gifts, and more. However, it is not all fun, as the holidays bring an abundance of ethical concerns for the workplace. Below are some helpful tips and reminders going into the holidays.

Holiday Decor

Although there are no specific rules regarding holiday decor, there is an Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution that forbids Congress from establishing a state religion. Also, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals stated, “No holiday season is complete, at least for the courts, without one or more First Amendment challenges to public holiday displays.” Skoros v. City of New York, 437 F.3d 1 (2006).

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By the Communications Committee

This month’s Paralegal Spotlight is on Johana Sanchez, a Paralegal at Armendariz Law Office, PLLC.

Johana began her legal career in her native country of Venezuela, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Universidad de Carabobo and a Master’s degree in International Criminal Law from the Universidad Latino Americana y del Caribe. However, due to political and social issues, she made the decision to live abroad in Panama. This move led Johana to personal and professional growth, allowing her the opportunity to work as an assistant in a local family law firm, in addition to coursing (but not completing) an MBA at the Universidad Interamericana de Panama. Yet, she desired to continue her professional growth so she decided to move again, this time to the United States. She attended Campus Education Midtown in New York City and Taylor Business Institute in Chicago, places where she would learn English as a second language. Read more

By The Utilization Committee

North Carolina Regulatory Reform Update

It has been two years since the State Bar’s Subcommittee to Study Regulatory Change had its first meeting on June 4, 2020, to study various types of regulatory reform (e.g., limited licensing, court navigators, regulatory sandbox).

Highlights:

• On June 3, 2021, the Bar’s Subcommittee Studying Regulatory Change voted to recommend that the Bar create a separate ad hoc committee to lay out a plan for limited licensing.
• On July 15, 2021, the Executive Committee approved an ad hoc committee to develop a limited licensing plan. However, no action was taken on that vote. After that date, the Regulatory Subcommittee continued its work of exploring a regulatory sandbox and other initiatives.
• On January 7, 2022, Chairman Mark Henriques completed the Subcommittee’s final report on its work over the past 18 months. He presented this report to the Issues Committee on January 19, 2022, with continued discussion on April 20, 2022, and July 20, 2022. The report includes the following recommendations:
  1. Pursue a Limited License for Nonlawyers/Paraprofessionals
  2. Pursue a Regulatory Sandbox
  3. Recommend a Court Navigator’s Program to the Administrative Office of the Courts
  4. Refrain from Pursuing Alternative Admission to the Bar at this Time
  5. Explore Necessary Changes to Permit Alternative Business Structures and Fee Sharing with Nonlawyers
  6. Explore the Possible Liberalization of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Statutes

Read the report to learn more. Read more

By Yazmeen O. Gadalla

Hello to all of our wonderful Paralegal Division members! It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as your 2022-23 Paralegal Division Chair. I would like to introduce you to this year’s officers:

Yazmeen Gadalla, Chair

Yazmeen Gadalla is a North Carolina Certified Paralegal currently employed at Hendren, Redwine & Malone, PLLC as a Bankruptcy Paralegal. Prior to joining Hendren, Redwine & Malone in 2020, Gadalla was employed with Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P. from 2019 to 2020, assisting start-up corporate clients with the formation of corporations and other business-related matters. Gadalla was also employed by Waldrep LLP from 2017 to 2019, where she provided essential support to their health care and bankruptcy practices, regularly assisting the attorneys with a wide variety of business bankruptcy matters in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 12 proceedings. As a paralegal at Hendren, Redwine & Malone, Gadalla focuses on Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcies and state court matters. Gadalla is the current Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Paralegal Division and serves as co-chair on the Communications, Long-Term Planning, Membership and Scholarship Committees. Gadalla holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, cum laude, from North Carolina State University, as well as her paralegal certificate from the Guilford College Paralegal Program.

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