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Looking for a way to use your critical thinking and communications skills to help improve the educational outcomes of foster children in Indianapolis?  Read on! 

Become a School Education Advocate to Effect Positive Social Change!

Did you know that approximately 75% of foster children in the United States are behind grade level?  Did you know that 67% of foster children will be suspended from school, and foster youth are twice as likely to drop out of school?  Did you also know that these poor educational outcomes can have long-lasting societal impacts, as 22% of former foster youth experience homelessness and 17% receive some form of public assistance?  Did you know that many former foster youth spend time incarcerated, and the unemployment rate for former foster youth tops 50%?  Do you wonder what you can do personally to combat these poor educational outcomes by ensuring that foster children have the resources, support, and opportunities they need for a healthy and productive future?

On September 14, 2011, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., the IndyBar School Education Advocacy Program will host a training in collaboration with FosterEd: Marion County.  The program is intended for attorneys, law students, and paralegals interested in supporting the educational success of children with special needs through lay advocacy.  The training will introduce the agencies, procedures and processes a volunteer will encounter when advocating for a child with special educational needs.  Education law and entitlement programs and rights will briefly be covered.  Volunteers will then be asked whether they would like to be added to FosterEd’s list of trained Education Advocates available to be paired with a foster child living in Marion County who has unmet special education needs.  In other words, simply attending the training does not obligate you to do anything further! 

Education Advocates will be asked to secure appropriate educational opportunities by building the capacity of the student, family, and caregiver through collaboration with the school system.  The commitment is flexible, depending on the issues at hand, but you should expect to spend at least a couple hours per week until the issues are resolved; some weeks will be more, some less.  This is an excellent opportunity for paralegals and law students to hone their communications skills, learn about special education law, be introduced to one of the myriad IndyBar pro bono projects, and have a real, positive impact on your community!

A complimentary live training will be held on Wednesday, September 14, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the IndyBar, 135 North Pennsylvania Street, Ste 1500.  For those who cannot attend the live training, DVD's will be available for check-out through the IndyBar.  Please register for the training at www.indybar.org.  Program volunteers must be members of the Indianapolis Bar Association (membership applications are also available at www.indybar.org) CLE will not be offered.

Please note that the Indiana Paralegal Association website will be down for scheduled maintenance on September 13, 2011 between 1:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Monica Dabio
Technology Director

Melody Schulz of Bose McKinney was sworn as Education Director on August 17th at IPA's monthly meeting.  We are pleased to have her join the Board of Directors.  The Education Director works closely with area schools who have paralegal courses. She will also be taking over the paralegal shadowing project. 

Indianapolis, Indiana – July 2011 – The Indiana Paralegal Association, Inc. (“IPA”) held its annual swearing in and awards ceremony at the Columbia Club on Wednesday, July 20. Featured guest, Jeffry A. Lind, President of the Indiana State Bar Association, provided the IPA with the honor of conducting the swearing in ceremony of the newly elected officers and directors.

The officers and directors of the IPA serve on the Board of Directors. The Board consists of four officers and twelve directors. These sixteen paralegals volunteer their time to serve a one‐year term. During their term, the officers and directors swore to represent the IPA’s members’ interests to the best of their skills and abilities. The newly elected officers and directors are:

OFFICERS:
President ~ Pamela Retherford, Bingham McHale LLP
Vice President ~ Diana Miller, Hovde Dassow & Deets, LLC
Secretary ~ Brenda Johnson, Bingham McHale LLP
Treasurer ~ Julie Johnson, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP

DIRECTORS:
Continuing Legal Education ~ Heather Schuyler, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP
Ethics ~ Lauren Jones ~ Jones Wallace LLC
Fundraising ~ Arlene Morris, Lewis & Kappes, PC
Job Bank ~ Angela R. White, Cantrell Strenski & Mehringer LLP
Marketing & Public Relations ~ Teri Tegeler, Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC
Membership ~ Nichole Miller, Bingham McHale LLP
Monthly Meetings ~ Valerie Bloom, Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC
Newsletter ~ Tammy Froelich, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP
NFPA Primary Representative ~ Edna Wallace, Whitham Hebenstreit & Zubek, LLP
Parliamentarian ~ Kathy Thurston, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, PC
Technology ~ Monica Dabio, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, PC

AWARDS
Each year, the IPA presents awards to honor its’ members who have displayed exceptional abilities and who puts their many virtues to work to better the organization. Four awards were presented at the ceremony.

 Paralegal of the Year Award was awarded to Angela R. White of Cantrell Strenski & Mehringer LLP.

 Outstanding New Member Paralegal of the Year Award was awarded to Teri Tegeler of Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC.

 Outstanding Board Member of the Year Award was awarded to Pamela Retherford of Bingham McHale LLP.

 And, the Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Monica Dabio of Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, PC.

IPA Media Contact
Teri Tegeler
Marketing & Public Relations Director
Indiana Paralegal Association
Phone: 317‐686‐3141
Email: marketing@indianaparalegals.org

For the Indiana Paralegal Association, Inc. ~ Officer & Director Swearing in & Awards Ceremony announcement, please click here.

NFPA is seeking candidates to fill the following positions on the Ethics Board, for terms to begin on August 1, 2011:

NFPA voting Members:  2 positions Both are one-year terms
Non-NFPA Members:  3 positionsOne-year term – 1 positionTwo-year term – 2 positions
The duties and responsibilities of Ethics Board members are set forth in the Procedures Manual, Section 10.0E, as copied below:

10.0E   DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:            
NFPA may be asked to provide its opinion or interpretation of the NFPA Model Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, the NFPA Model Disciplinary Rules and respond to related inquires from members, paralegal non-members, and other individuals and entities.  The general charges of the Ethics Board are twofold.
          1.   The Ethics Board shall respond to questions and matters involving ethical conduct, obligations, utilization and/or discipline of paralegals            
          2.   The Ethics Board shall identify and respond to ethical issues on which interpretations or advice should be generated.

The procedures for selection are set forth in the Procedures Manual, Section 10.0C, a copy of which is set forth below: 

10.0C  PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION:    Any individual interested in appointment to the Ethics Board should provide a resume and letter of interest to the Vice President and Director of Position and Issues.  It is recommended that non-NFPA members have demonstrated expertise in the area of ethics through published works, teaching experience, or other activities.  It is recommended that NFPA members have a minimum of five years experience as a paralegal as well as demonstrated activities in or knowledge of ethics and NFPA positions. NFPA members must be voting members.

The deadline for letters of interest and resumes is Friday, July 8, 2011.  Letters of interest and resumes should be sent to the Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues at VPPI@paralegals.org.  Please indicate in your letter of interest whether you are interested in a one-year term, a two-year term, or either term. The NFPA Board will make these appointments at the Summer Board meeting on July 23, 2011.

Robert S. Hrouda, RP
NFPA Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues

At the 2010 NFPA Convention, the delegates established an ad hoc committee to explore the possibility of changing the Department of Labor’s definition/designation of exempt/non-exempt status of paralegals.  The committee is working hard on this research.  As part of this research, they have developed the attached very brief survey (6 questions and a comment section).  In order to assist the committee, it would be greatly appreciated it if you took a couple minutes to complete the survey.  We also ask that you please forward this survey to members of your association so that they may participate.  All those who complete the survey have the chance to enter their name into a drawing for a $25 gift card.  On behalf of NFPA and the ad hoc committee, thank you for your time in responding to this survey.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CFHQSCMJF/
For more information on the Exempt/Non-Exempt issue, kindly visit the NFPA website at the following link. 
http://www.paralegals.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=800
 
Robert S. Hrouda, RP
NFPA Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues
NFPA - The Leader of the Paralegal Profession ®

IPA is accepting nominations for 2011-2012 IPA Officers and Board of Directors.  The positions listed below are open for nomination.  To submit a nomination, please send an email to elections@indianaparalegals.org with the name of the nominee and the position that person is being nominated for.  Please submit any nominations as soon as possible.  Nominations will close on May 31, 2011. 

Should you have any questions, please contact elections@indianaparalegals.org or president@indianaparalegals.org.

Pam Retherford, IPA President; Keira Curtis, IPA 2011 Elections Chair

Officers

President 
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer                                                           

Directors

Continuing Legal Education
Education
Ethics
Fundraiser
Job Bank
Marketing/Public Relations  
Membership     
Monthly Meetings
Newsletter Editor
NFPA Primary Representative
Parliamentarian
Technology  

Think you're not at risk? Think again!

The Attorney General's office is inviting you to REGISTER
for a FREE online webinar designed to minimize your risk of identity theft

Schedule of upcoming classes:*

Tuesday, May 24 @ 3:00 p.m. EDT click here to register
Tuesday, May 24 @ 6:30 p.m. EDT  click here to register
Thursday, June 9 @ 3:30 p.m. EDT   click here to register
Saturday, June 18 @ 1:00 p.m. EDT   click here to register
Wednesday, June 22 @ 1:00 p.m. EDT  click here to register

*New webinar classes will be added regularly.

The Indiana Attorney General's Office, in conjunction with the Indiana Bankers Association, is offering FREE webinar training sessions to help educate Hoosiers about identity theft in efforts of reducing the spread of this crime in our state. Participants of this free online training course will gain:

• An understanding of how the crime occurs to help thwart threats  
• Insight on ways ID thieves use the evolving technological landscape and other methods to perpetrate the crime  
• Techniques for spotting red flags and practical tips to avoid falling prey to them  
• The tools and knowledge to educate others about identity theft prevention

Identity theft takes on many forms, affecting victims with more than just financial loss. In some cases, victims have lost out on job opportunities or the approval of loans for cars, education or housing.  In rare cases, they have even been arrested for crimes they did not commit. Victims of medical identity theft may have erroneous patient data – that of the identity thief – in their medical records. The crime is widespread because the thieves are becoming savvier with the ways they collect and use personal information to commit crimes in victim's names. That is why it is critical to stay educated on this topic. 

Spread the word, not the crime

Participants of the identity theft training course will gain the knowledge and tools to help educate others about the prevention of this crime. You are encouraged to share the information you learn in this training program with friends, family or other members of your community. This can be accomplished with educational workshops, publishing information in newsletters or other mailings within your organization/affiliations, or by sharing helpful prevention tips or links to this web page via email or social networking sites. 

Click here for more information on identity theft

It's time to honor NFPA members, fellow paralegals and your associations!! 
 
Please remember to nominate your members and your own associations for NFPA awards.  Applications/Nominations are due July 1 for the following:

Association Pro Bono
Individual Pro Bono
Paralegal of the Year
Outstanding Local Leader
PACE Ambassador
William R. Robie Leadership Award
NFPA/Thomson Reuters' Scholarhips
 
You can find more information about all the awards in the attached brochure.
 
Also, remind your student members, or paralegal students you may know, to apply for the NFPA/Thomson Reuters' Scholarships.  The first place winner gets $3,000 to assist with tuition/books for their paralegal eduation, and the second place winner gets $2,000.  Both winners are also invited to the NFPA Annual Convention to accept their awards in person.  Here is the link for further information and the application form:  http://paralegals.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=804 
 
Please let me know if you have any questions or need the exact procedures for a specific nomination.
 
Theresa A. Prater, RP
NFPA Vice President and Director of Profession Development