2021 Reflections and Moving Forward
By Another year of unprecedented times has caused the council to experience some transitions in its members whose terms have not yet expired. I am pleased to announce that Yazmeen Gadalla will serve as Interim Treasurer and Kimberly Johnson will serve as an Interim Council Member for the remainder of the year. Jennifer Gaff has been nominated by our Nominations Committee to fill Yazmeen’s Council Member Seat, which is set to be officiated during our next council meeting.
With those announcements, we will have three council member vacancies in 2022. Nominations to fill the vacancies of the unexpired terms will be held at our annual meeting. Members interested in joining the council may submit their nominations to [email protected].
It is hard to believe I am already halfway through my tenure as the Paralegal Division Chair. When the year began, I announced that my overall goals for the council and division were inclusivity, transparency, and the implementation of activities to continue to advance the excellence of the Paralegal Division. Many thanks to the Executive Council and Council Members for helping to accomplish those goals.
Below is an outline of the activities we have accomplished through our Council Committees thus far:
Executive Council
In the spirit of transparency, our approved Council Meeting Minutes for the remainder of the year will be posted on the Paralegal Division Community Discussion Board for our general members to stay up to date on the work of the Paralegal Council.
Bylaws
Our bylaws have not been amended since 2012. The Council has worked on and approved proposed amendments to submit to the Board of Governors for approval at its January 20, 2022, meeting. Upon approval, the Bylaws will be introduced to our members at the May 6, 2022, annual meeting.
Continued Paralegal Education
We facilitated two one-hour lunchtime webinar series with over 100(+) attendees by live webcast and on-demand. Our in-person Annual Meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 6, 2022, in Wrightsville Beach. We are continuing to monitor and adhere to the association and statewide pandemic protocols.
Pro Bono
We continuously look for opportunities where we can be of service to our communities through pro bono public service projects. Currently, we are scheduled to host an Expungement Clinic in February 2022 and a Driver’s License Restoration Clinic on March 17, 2022. Members interested in participating should be on the lookout for registration details via email. In the future, we would like to identify projects in the practice areas of family law, education, human trafficking, and housing. Paralegal Pro Bono reporting is underway in conjunction with the NCBA Pro Bono Committee’s Paralegal Pro Bono Award.
Membership, Scholarship, and Student Committees
Throughout the year, we focus on ways to give back to our division members and provide networking opportunities. We held a virtual paint and sip and yoga class. A Virtual Escape Room event is scheduled for January 11, 2021.
The two premier pass giveaway winners in the summer were Karen Bowman and Candi Riggs. The Student Outreach Committee provides a Summer and Fall Tuition Reimbursement Scholarship. Applicants must write an essay to be considered for the award. In the summer of 2021, we awarded $250 to five students: Kelsea Dahlen, Bonnie Keen, Anna Stamp, R. Tyler Perez and Hannah Dara. The Council decided in to increase the award amount in the fall to one larger scholarship. Ircar Munoz, of Surry County Community College, was the winner of our Fall Student Tuition Reimbursement Scholarship of $750.
Communications
Our new co-chairs are Yazmeen Gadalla and Katie Riddle. The communications committee is always in need of volunteers to contribute to our blog (in the footer below, read more about how you can contribute to the blog). Members are also encouraged to utilize the suggestion box to provide insight and feedback to Council. This year, with the help of Alicia Mitchell-Mercer, we created a grievance box for members to submit any issues, problems or concerns that need to be addressed by the Chair or the Council. Click any of the links to be routed to the appropriate webpage.
Diversity and Inclusion
We have a few projects in the works that the committee is attempting to finalize in the coming months, so stay tuned.
Shawana Almendarez
2021-2022 Chair of the Paralegal Division
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The Paralegal Division Blog is managed by the Division’s Communications Committee. Via the blog, the Communications Committee provides information written by attorneys, paralegals, and other experts designed specifically for paralegals in the areas of substantive law, ethics, technology, paralegal practice advice, and more. If you are interested in signing up to submit a blog post on a future date, you can do so here. When you are ready to submit a blog post, you can do so by using this form.
You may also wish to participate in the Division by using our virtual suggestion box to submit suggestions/ideas to the Division Council, nominating a paralegal for Paralegal Spotlight, or completing the Paralegal Spotlight Questionnaire if you are nominating yourself. If you are interested in volunteering with the Communications Committee, please contact the Communications Committee Chair at [email protected]. If you are interested in joining other division committees, you can review a list of committees and sign up here.