NIPA member, Lori Wagner, RP, IRP, of Burt, Blee, Dixon, Sutton & Bloom, LLP, was awarded the 2015 Affiliate Member Award by the Affiliate Membership Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association at its award luncheon on October 7, 2015. NIPA would like to congratulate Lori and thank her for all of her hard work over the years to benefit paralegals at the local, state and national levels.
Thank you Summit City Reporting for sponsoring NIPA's August Social at Club Soda featuring Wine & Canvas. We had a challenging project this year that really pushed our creativity to the limits. What a great way to rejuvenate and connect with friends!
The Honorable Francis Gull of the Allen Superior Court spoke to NIPA members at the June luncheon. Judge Gull shared her thoughts about Allen County's instrumental roll in the development of jury rules that gave jurors more privacy and added the benefits of note taking and questions during trial. Allen County has also been a leader in its use of a mobile service for jury duty information that answers questions for potential jurors by text or email. Judge Gull went on to discuss her experiences with Allen County's Drug Court and Veteran's Court that provides a chance for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health to have access to services and support to help them change their lives. NIPA is honored to have had Judge Gull speak at its June luncheon.
Be sure to see the May issue of Res Gestae for updated information from the Indiana Bar Association about the plan for paralegal registration and the requirements. Additional information is also available to NIPA members in the members only section of our website.
Fort Wayne, IN – The Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association held its annual meeting on May 19, 2015 during which the 2015 Board of Directors election results were announced along with the recipient of the 2015 Paralegal Recognition Award.
NIPA is pleased to announce that its 2015 Board of Directors will consist of the following individuals: Beth Hill, President; Alex Jokay, Treasurer; Marie Lucas, Secretary; Cindy Witters, Education Chairperson; Sarah Cantrell, Event Coordinator Chairperson; Jennifer Mahoney, News & Website Chairperson; Lori Wagner, RP, Primary Representative; Julie Krider, Public Relations Chairperson; and Tonya White, Job Bank Chairperson.
The Paralegal Recognition Award is presented annually to a NIPA member who has made outstanding contributions as a paralegal in his or her firm/company, to the Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association, and/or the community. NIPA is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2015 Paralegal Recognition Award is Jennifer Mahoney. Jennifer was presented with this award due to her outstanding work and long hours devoted to the development of NIPA’s new website and the weekly e-news announcements. NIPA is grateful to Jennifer for her exceptional contributions to the paralegal community. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience as a paralegal. She is a graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Legal Administration. She is currently employed as a litigation paralegal at Beckman Lawson, LLP. Prior to her position as News & Website Committee Chair, Jennifer served as NIPA's Education Chair and Treasurer.
NIPA will support the Ontulili Literacy Project at its 2015 Annual Meeting to be held on May 19th. Florence Mugumbi will share her experience growing up in a village in Kenya and the lack of basic school materials for children. It is the mission of the Ontulili Literacy Project to build a library to benefit children and promote continued education by providing basic literacy materials.
The ISBA Board of Governors approved implementation of an ISBA program for paralegal registration. The target date for registration is mid-to late summer, 2015. A special thanks to Judge Edward Najam, IN Court of Appeals, David Jones, Evansville attorney and Susan Jacobs and Tom Pyrz, ISBA., for all their hard work, patience and guidance during this long process. Congratulations to Indiana Paralegals
NIPA will be holding elections for board members for the 2015/2016 Membership Year. THANK YOU Mindy Gregory of Haller & Colvin for serving as our Nominations Chair. Please use the nomination form below to submit your nominations to Mindy. Feel free to nominate yourself for any position you are interested in filling. Positions are open to all NIPA members. Nominations are due by April 10th!
NOMINATION FORM
DESCRIPTION OF OPEN POSITIONS
VICE PRESIDENT- Coordinate the lunches for the monthly meetings, collect the reservations and money. Assist with the Annual Christmas party and the seminar snacks.
TREASURER - Maintain the financial records of the corporation, write checks and balance the check book.
EDUCATION - Coordinate the speakers for the monthly luncheons and the seminar.
EVENTS COORDINATOR - Plan all NIPA special events (i.e. Christmas party and Annual Meeting) and assist the other board members in planning the seminars.
NEWS AND WEBSITE- Develop, revise and maintain the website content to include all NIPA activities; monitor the association email; and send bi-weekly News and Website to members.
PRIMARY REPRESENTATIVE- Liaison between NIPA and NFPA. Keep up to date on issues at the national level. Attend the national convention in the fall and the region meeting in the spring.
PUBLIC RELATIONS- Promote good will between the organization and the public including keeping the press informed of all NIPA activities.
ADVERTISING - Securing sustaining members and sponsors.
ASSOCIATE STUDENT REP- Stays in contact with the paralegal programs at the local universities.
PRO BONO CHAIR - Promotes and coordinates programs whereby volunteer paralegals can assist attorneys and/or legal assistance agencies in pro bono case programs.
JOB BANK- Maintain the resumes of the members. Contact employers as to jobs that are available and coordinate those jobs with our members.
Each year, NIPA recognizes a paralegal who has made outstanding contributions as a paralegal to an employer, to NIPA, and/or to the community. Do you work with a paralegal who has made a difference in your work place? Do you know a paralegal who donates time and talent to the community or who you think has helped to make NIPA an organization that supports its members? Take the time to make a nomination for the 2015 Paralegal Recognition Award and help NIPA recognize the efforts of our members.
NIPA
Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association
info@niparalegal.org