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Indiana Paralegal Association (IPA) proudly announces that it will award its fourth annual scholarship for the National Federal of Paralegal Associates (NFPA®)’s Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE^TM).  Applications for the IPA PACE^TM Scholarship are currently being accepted beginning April 15, 2011. 

Click here for more information.

I am pleased to announce that the NFPA Board of Directors has appointed Jessica Swedenhjelm, RP, PaCP as Vice President and Director of Membership to complete the term which expires in October 2011.
 
Congratulations Jessica !
 
Tracey

Tracey L. Young, RP
President
National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc.

NFPA has received notification that all of the webinars offered by CT Corporation have now been approved for CLE credit by the Indiana State Bar Association.

Check out the latest list of upcoming webinars at http://ct.wolterskluwer.com/events-calendar.

The following awards will be presented at the NFPA Annual Convention in Minneapolis in October. The deadline for award nominations and scholarship applications is July 1, 2011. Click here for the fyler or check out www.paralegals.org  for more information.

William R. Robie Leadership Award
Association Pro Bono Award
Individual Pro Bono Award
NFPA Outstanding Leader Award
NFPA Paralegal of the Year Award
PACE™ Ambassador Award
PACE Scholarship
and NFPA/Thomson Reuters Scholarships

I am very pleased to announce that the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE) Candidate Handbook and online registration for the Saturday, June 11, 2011 pilot test are now available at www.paralegals.org The pilot test will be held at 12 locations across the country. Seating at each test site is limited so if you are eligible and want to take advantage of the reduced fee, register early. The fee for the pilot test is $65. Please be sure to review the candidate handbook thoroughly before initiating the online registration.

The pilot test is a paper/pencil version of the exam and will be hand scored. Scores will be released by PES no later than August 1, 2011. Candidates who successfully pass the exam will earn the CORE Registered Paralegal (CRP) credential.

Suellen K. Honeychuck, RP
NFPA Vice President and Director of Paralegal Certification

Due to the resignation of the Indiana Paralegal Association (“IPA”) PACE Ambassador, this Section Chair position is now open. If you are interested in filling this position,please notify me by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, 2011.

The Pace Ambassador must be an RP and duties generally include promoting the PACE Exam for the experienced paralegal, and the upcoming PCC exam for newer paralegals, along with promoting the professionalism of paralegals. The ambassador should be willing to assist others in setting up study groups and helping with the entire process of becoming an RP. This will also include public congratulatory recognition of new RPs.

IPA will be sending the new PACE Ambassador to a training conference on Saturday afternoon, April 30 and Sunday morning May 1st in Cleveland, OH.

Brenda Johnson
IPA Secretary
secretary@indianaparalegals.org

It's that time again -- NFPA is happy to announce that the 2011 Thomson Reuters' Scholarship Application is available at http://www.paralegals.org/associations/2270/files/2011content/2011_Thomson_Reuters_Scholarship_Application.pdf
 
This year's essay topic is:
“The economy has had a strong impact on the practice of law. As a paralegal student, who will soon be graduating, describe the current legal job market in your community, and how your paralegal education can give you an advantage in securing paralegal employment.”

The scholarships are $3,000 and $2,000, and include a stipend for the winners to travel to the 2011 Annual Convention to be personally recognized by NFPA and Thomson.

Theresa A. Prater, RP
NFPA Vice President and Director of Profession Development

Edenhub.com, an online vehicle for coordinating a national community of professionals involved in e-discovery, wants NFPA members to know about a free online webinar: Elements of Electronic Discovery, on March 17, 2011, at 4 pm Eastern, 3 pm Central, 2 pm Mountain and 1 pm Pacific. This program is approved by the Washington State Bar Association for 1 hour of CLE credit; therefore RPs do not need to submit to the NFPA CLE coordinator for approval.

Here's the link: http://www.edenhub.com/training.html

Simply scroll down to March 17 and click on the word "Register".

The Spring Meeting of the Family Law Section will be held on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, beginning promptly at 3:00 p.m., at the Hamilton County Courthouse, Court Administration Office on the 3^rd Floor.  The Honorable William J. Hughes has graciously agreed to provide us with a tour of the courthouse and will speak to us in the historic courtroom to discuss such things as what he looks for as a judge in Marital Settlement Agreements, Financial Declarations, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, as well as modifications. 

You are welcome to invite your supervising attorney(s) to attend with you.  However, registration is on a first come-first serve basis through the IPA website.  Please note that registration will be limited to 30 attendees and will close on March 8th, so please register as soon as possible.