Take a minute to catch up on the latest news and happenings regarding the Paralegal Division.

Join the next group of Paralegal Division leaders

Would you like to be more engaged in the future success of the Paralegal Division? Are you looking for an opportunity to grow your leadership skills? One way is to serve on the Paralegal Division Council.

The deadline to apply for a position on the Paralegal Division Council is Thursday, Feb. 28. Find the application here and submit to Debbie Harris.

The Council has general supervision and control of the affairs of the Division in accordance with its Bylaws. The Council will meet five times during the year and participates in a leadership retreat in August. Currently, we are seeking to fill four Council Member positions to serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2019 and ending June 30, 2022. If you, or someone you know, would like to serve as a Council member, please submit your application to Debbie Harris at [email protected]

The application deadline is February 28, 2019. Apply today: https://ncbar.org/media/759060/pd_nominationsquestionnaire2017.doc

Paralegal Division Survey Coming Soon

The Paralegal Division Survey Committee is preparing a series of surveys to collect data on education, salary, benefits and other topics relevant to the profession. The Division hopes the results will be beneficial to Division members in their professional advancement/development and as a way to educate and advance the paralegal profession as a whole. The more responses we receive, the more helpful this survey will be to our paralegal community.

This short survey should take about 5 to 10 minutes. Your responses to the survey are completely anonymous.

NCCP Digital Badge Now Available

You may have received Joy Belk’s latest email on announcements from the Board of Paralegal Certification. Certified NC paralegals now have the option of using a digital badge that publicizes your status as a certified paralegal. The NC Board of Paralegal Certification encourages certified paralegals to use the badge professionally and/or personally. Some examples of usage are signature blocks, websites, business cards, email signatures, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc. Keep in mind that you must have an active status as a NC certified paralegal. If your certification lapses or your status becomes inactive, you cannot use the badge. Click on the links to view the png file and jpg file.

Paralegal Volunteer Opportunities

FEMA Appeals Clinics

Due to multiple requests, the NC Pro Bono Resource Center has added a Jones County Clinic on March 6 at 4 p.m. at the Lenoir Community College Campus in Trenton, NC. To volunteer for either the Morehead City or Trenton clinics, please visit the link below. https://goo.gl/forms/cEvsnhEK6Ftdk76e2

Wills for Heroes Clinics

March 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Duke School of Law. Paralegals, Legal Assistants, and Paralegal Students can sign up as Notary and General Volunteers https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wills-for-heroes-clinic-at-duke-university-school-of-law-sign-up-to-volunteer-tickets-52921241859
March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Campbell School of Law. Paralegals, Legal Assistants, and Paralegal Students can sign up as Notary and General Volunteers https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wills-for-heroes-clinic-at-campbell-school-of-law-sign-up-to-volunteer-tickets-52921591906

Hurricane Florence Clothing Drive Update

The Division received an overwhelming response of numerous professional clothing item donations from across North Carolina and outside the state. We are ready to begin distributing donations. Now we need the Division’s help in getting the word out. We have a sign-up form for those in need to provide us with some basic information including contact information and clothing sizes. The information we collect will only be used for matching donations with the individuals in need and to help us track the number of people we have been able to help. Please share the following sign-up link to anyone you know who may be in need of professional clothing items: https://goo.gl/forms/f2lcPbRkjq7Oibyo2

SAVE THE DATE: Paralegal Division Annual Meeting

Registration is now open for the 2019 Paralegal Division Annual Meeting and CPE. The event is being held May 3 in Winston-Salem, NC, with a reception on the evening of May 2nd. The CPE Committee is excited to announce North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls will be our ethics speaker!

Paralegal Division Chair Leslie Pegram will hold the Division’s Annual Business Meeting immediately following the first general session. Please note member participation is needed to approve Council Member and Officer nominations. We will also honor the winner of the Distinguished Paralegal Award.

Stay tuned for more details! We hope to see you there!

Blog Contributors Wanted

We want YOU to contribute to our blog! The Paralegal Division is seeking paralegals to contribute to our online NCBA PD blog. Articles can be about anything related to the paralegal profession, such as educational, personal, ethics, mentorship, etc. We just ask that the topic is related to the paralegal field. Interesting topics include, but are not limited to:

Veteran affairs and military law
NCBA Volunteer experiences
Legal resources you find helpful
Noteworthy laws or cases you’ve come across
Work-life balance/wellness
Technology and practice management tips

To sign up, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c44adac29abf49-thesoapbox or email [email protected].

Mollie Schwam contributed to this column.

February 27, 2019/by Paralegals