NALA Volunteer Spotlight - Lisa M. Stone, ACP
In each monthly newsletter, an outstanding NALA volunteer will be featured in the NALA Volunteer Spotlight. This spotlight will include the volunteer’s professional achievements and fun facts about them. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to get to know your fellow NALA members on a more personal level!
 
In this month’s spotlight, we would like to introduce Lisa M. Stone, ACP, who has been a NALA member since 1996. Please click here to read March’s Volunteer Spotlight!

Founders’ and President’s Awards Nomination Deadline – April 1
Only TWO WEEKS remain to submit nominations for both the Founders’ Award and the President’s Award. Nominations are due no later than April 1, 2021.
 
The purpose of the Founders’ Award is to recognize extraordinary or outstanding contributions to the growth and future of the paralegal profession, which impacted or affected the paralegal profession in a positive manner for a significant period of time.
 
The purpose of the President’s Award is to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of NALA members and their contribution to the future of the paralegal profession.
 
To learn more about nomination criteria, who can submit a nomination, and the details of each award, please visit the NALA website by clicking here. Nomination forms can also be downloaded from this link.

⭐️ Rising Star Award Winner –
Julianne Di Benedetto
NALA member Julianne Di Benedetto of Illinois has been selected as the 2021 Rising Star Award recipient! Congratulations, Julianne!
 
The Rising Star Award is given to an individual who has been a paralegal for less than five years who exemplifies the following criteria: leadership; personal commitment; promotes NALA to the legal community; models high ethical conduct; and recognizes leadership/engagement efforts.

⭐️ Volunteer of the Year Award Winner – Kimberly G. Tillman, CP
NALA member Kimberly G. Tillman, CP, of Alabama has been selected as the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award recipient! Congratulations, Kimberly!
 
The Volunteer of the Year Award is given to an individual who has been a paralegal for at least five years who exemplifies the following criteria: leadership; personal commitment; promotes NALA to the legal community; models high ethical conduct; and recognizes outstanding volunteer contributions.

Last Day to Declare Your Candidacy – NALA Board Elections 2021
TODAY is the last day to submit declaration of candidacy forms to run for NALA office!
 
Open board positions include the following: Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two At Large Director positions. For a detailed explanation of each role, please click here.
 
All candidates must complete a Declaration of Candidacy form and provide a high-resolution photograph to NALA. You can submit this form electronically to pvanstraten@nala.org, or by mail, no later than March 15, 2021 (postmarked or received). Declarations received after the deadline will not be accepted.

You can download a Declaration of Candidacy form by clicking here.

Paralegal Brief - Customizable for YOU!
Did you know that you can customize the new Paralegal Brief to fit your personal preferences? You can control how often you receive a Paralegal Brief newsletter (daily or weekly), as well as the subject content you receive.
 
If you have already signed up for Paralegal Brief, you can manage your preferences by scrolling down to the bottom of the Paralegal Brief newsletter and click “manage your subscription.” Or you can simply go to paralegalbrief.com. Sign in to your account, click on the drop-down arrow next to your name on the homepage, and click “Subscription.” On this page you will be able to choose from three options regarding the newsletters: Daily, Weekly, and/or Resources: Webinars, eBooks, White Papers. You can also choose subjects that interest you by clicking on the “Interests” tab and personalizing your newsletter content by concepts, industry, state source and year.
 
If you have not signed up for Paralegal Brief, it is as simple as clicking here and creating an account! Paralegal Brief is a completely voluntary resource with the choice to unsubscribe or change preferences at any time.

NALA Affiliated Association Awards – Upcoming Deadlines
Have you heard that NALA has prestigious awards specifically for NALA Affiliated Associations? The NALA Affiliated Associations National Achievement Award and the NALA Affiliate Awards give NALA Affiliated Associations the unique opportunity to honor outstanding affiliate members on a national level, as well as be featured during the NALA Conference & Expo. Do you know someone who goes above and beyond, dedicating time and energy to the betterment of an affiliated association? Now is your chance to help them get the recognition they deserve. We encourage you to contact your association to submit a nomination.
 
**When submitting nominations for both award categories, please ensure that the person nominating, as well as the nominee themselves, fit the nomination eligibility criteria.
 
The purpose of the NALA Affiliated Associations National Achievement Award is to recognize the achievements and contributions of an individual affiliate member, a committee of an affiliated association, or of an affiliated association itself that have a national and long-lasting impact. The deadline to submit nominations for this award is April 1, 2021.
 
The purpose of the NALA Affiliate Awards is to recognize members or committees of affiliated associations for their contribution to the goals and programs of the nominating affiliated association. The deadline to submit nominations for this award is May 1, 2021.
 
Nomination forms and more information about each award can be found by clicking here.

Congratulations to NALA CEO Vanessa Finley, MBA, CAE!
We are proud to announce that NALA CEO Vanessa Finley, MBA, CAE, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation! The CAE is the highest professional credential in the association industry.
 
To be designated as a CAE, an applicant must have experience with nonprofit organization management, complete a minimum of 100 hours of specialized professional development, pass a stringent examination in association management, and pledge to uphold a code of ethics. To maintain the certification, individuals must undertake ongoing professional development and activities in associations and nonprofit management. The CAE program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
 
Ms. Finley worked incredibly hard to achieve this exceptional designation. Congratulations!

March DEI – Women’s History Month
Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? To commemorate this special month, two NALA members wrote exceptional articles in honor of this annual celebration.
 
In this month’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion article, NALA member Adrienne D. Berry, CP, wrote an intriguing article about not only the history of Women’s History Month, but also an in-depth discussion about the contributions of women to our society, as well as a list of “thank yous” to impactful women – both inside and outside the legal field. To find out more about how “Women Shine Extra Bright in March,” please click here to read Berry’s article.
 
NALA member Jennafer N. Persinger, ACP, wrote an insightful article about the importance of women inspiring and mentoring other women. Not only does she share about the influential women in her life who helped her become the person she is, she challenges all women to learn from the great women in their lives, and in turn, become that woman for others. To read the entire article, please click here.

Miller Trust Essentials
March 16  |  1 p.m. CT   |  CLE: 1
A Miller Trust is a special type of trust that adjusts a person's income downward, usually in an attempt for the individual to retain eligibility for certain types of governmental benefit programs. Most often, these trusts are used for the purpose of establishing eligibility for the Medicaid program. This webinar identifies if a Miller Trust is needed and details the steps to set one up.

Effectively Lead Your Remote Team
March 23  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE: 1  |  NON-SUB
The health of your team and company will flourish or be damaged by how you communicate. In this webinar, attendees will learn:

• The common struggles with leading remote teams
• Four principles to help lead remote teams more effectively
• Tools to help build trust and influence while working remotely

Utilizing Realtime Reporters
March 31  |  12 p.m. CT   |  CLE: 1
This webinar addresses the question, "Why Utilize Realtime Reporters?"

• Understanding court reporter certifications:
  • Registered Professional Reporter
  • Certified Realtime Reporter
• Benefits of scheduling a realtime court reporter:
  • Instant feed of testimony
  • Ability to scroll back in transcript during proceeding
  • Rough draft provided after proceeding
  • Searchable content for assistants
  • Ability to stream text
• Connecting to live feed:
  • Technology requirements to connect to realtime feed
  • Equipment necessary to connect to realtime feed
• Live Demonstration
• Cost/charges for realtime services
• The latest technology:
  • Live realtime court reporter versus recording technology (artificial intelligence)
  • Instant searchable worldwide web information, i.e., Court Cloud

Drafting and Amending Commercial Leases
April 7  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE: 1 
This webinar presents the nuts and bolts of drafting and amending commercial real property leases. Examine how the medical, economic and social aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected landlords and tenants in the commercial real estate market. Discussions will include:

• Types of commercial real estate leases
• Typical provisions in a commercial lease
• Drafting a lease and lease amendments
• Current challenges to commercial landlords and tenants due to the pandemic
• Anticipated long-term trends in commercial leasing following the return to “normal” 
   

CP Exam Reminders:

Studying for the Knowledge Exam? The 2020 CP Review Course Bundle may also interest you. It consists of the following review courses:

• Civil Litigation
• Contracts
• Corporate & Commercial
• Criminal Law
• Essay Writing
• Estates
• Ethics
• Real Estate and Property 
• US Legal System

If you are studying for the Skills Exam, you may review some sample questions and answers from our website:

• Sample Essay 1
• Sample Essay 2
• Sample Essay 3

The February 2021 Skills Exam was a success! Over 100 examinees sat during this testing window. Results are scheduled to be released in a few weeks. All examinees will be notified via email to check their NALA accounts for their scores.

Certification

March Certificants! Your certification expires on 3/31/2021. We have sent a reminder for you to enter your CLE into your NALA account. If you have already met the required 50 hours, including five hours of legal ethics, and not more than 10 hours of non-substantive credits, you may recertify online now! You may also mail, fax, or email the PDF Recertification form to us before 3/31/2021.

If your certification expiration date was 9/30/2020, you received an extension to meet the recertification requirements. The extension deadline is 3/31/2021. Please enter your CLE now and return the PDF Recertification form and fee to cle@nala.org.

As a NALA member, you receive exclusive local and national discounts on hundreds of products and services. To access these deals, log into your NALA account and then go to the Affinity Discounts page on our website. 

Digital Badging Update – Acclaim’s Credly Platform Rebrand
We sincerely hope you are enjoying the digital badges! They are an exciting way to proudly display and share your NALA achievements online. We strive to keep you updated on all the latest happenings with digital badging, including any changes to the platform we use.
 
On March 31, 2021, our digital credential provider, Credly, will launch a new visual experience on the platform that you currently know as Acclaim. As part of that experience, the Acclaim name, logo and URL will be replaced by Credly.
 
No action is required on your part, and the way you use the platform will not change. You may notice that badge notification emails will no longer come from @youracclaim.com. They will now come from @credly.com. This rebrand comes after Credly acquired Acclaim in 2018, and this is the final step in merging the two brands.