New NALA Website Coming Soon!
NALA is excited to announce that a BRAND-NEW NALA website will launch soon!

The sleek redesign will feature user-friendly, easy access to all things NALA. Be on the lookout for the new and improved site in the coming weeks! Website will launch soon! Thank you for your patience during this transition.

The Paralegal Voice Podcast – Paralegals Back to School: It’s a New (Tech) World
The legal profession was already going online and high-tech. But COVID-19 disruptions, working from home and remote legal processes have supercharged those changes.

Host Jill Francisco – a veteran paralegal, classroom instructor and NALA Past President – interviews attorney and long-time professor Todd Richardson about today’s classroom experience. It’s more than lectures and books. Today’s learning includes new technology, working collaboratively online and in person, and leveraging digital tools to expedite cases, gather information, and navigate the modern legal jungle. Richardson explores how legal education is changing and the importance of staying abreast of today's tech so that paralegals can remain valued and vital in the workplace. Listen Now!

NALA Commons Technical Difficulties Fixed
You may have noticed difficulties signing on to NALA Commons last month. The issue has been resolved, and NALA Commons is up. Everyone should be able to access the site! Thank you for your patience as we worked through the technical difficulties.

Haven’t had a chance to check out NALA Commons yet? Now is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this member-only benefit! The social collaborative site is an excellent way to connect with your peers in the paralegal profession. Click here to access NALA Commons.

September’s NALA Volunteer Spotlight – Kelly Elder, ACP
In each monthly newsletter, an outstanding NALA volunteer is featured in the NALA Volunteer Spotlight. This spotlight includes 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 you to Kelly Elder, ACP, who has been a NALA member since 2007. Please click here to read September’s Volunteer Spotlight!

Contract Management ACP Now Available!
The moment has arrived! NALA is thrilled to announce that the long-awaited Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) Contract Management course is available.

This new course kicks off NALA’s more interactive training approach to advanced certification courses. Not only is relevant, up-to-date information added, but the course introduces the new single, comprehensive exam approach.

How could this course apply to your career as a paralegal? A contract manager has the ability to work between many sectors including academia, government, large corporations and small businesses alike. Use this course to understand the tasks and duties of a contract manager regardless of where you work. The ACP Contract Management course content provides the foundational knowledge for this advanced certification exam.

To find out more about the innovative Contract Management ACP course, please click here.

September DEI – International Equal Pay Day (September 18)
In this month’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion article, NALA DEI Committee member Adrienne D. Berry, CP, discusses the ongoing struggle for gender pay equality throughout the world. The United Nations created International Equal Pay Day to highlight the worldwide issue and encourage continued work to close the pay gap. This year the observance will be held Saturday, September 18.

To read the article “Equal Pay – Not Just an Issue in the U.S.,” please click here.

NALA Panel Discussion - September 22
September 22  |  7 p.m. CT  |  FREE  |  Virtual
Paralegal students and those new to the profession – we have an exciting live-streaming event coming up soon! NALA invites you to the FREE NALA Panel Discussion “So, you want to be a paralegal?” on Wednesday, September 22 at 7 p.m. CT.

This live-streaming event via GoToWebinar connects you with dynamic speakers and your peers to discuss burning questions regarding the paralegal career field. The goal of this live event is not simply to pique your interest but to be a helpful resource in your decision-making process and pathway to becoming a stellar paralegal professional.

You don’t want to miss this live-streaming event! Registration is required, and seats are limited. You can register now by clicking here. Please note that registration confirmation will include event access instructions.

Building Successful Paralegal Associations Together: Growing Your Association in Rural Areas
October 6  |  7:30 p.m. CT  |  FREE  |  Virtual
Personal Invitation from Affiliated Associations Director - “NALA’s goal is to provide support for our affiliated associations to succeed. NALA does this is by providing our affiliates with resources and tools focused on growth and development.  Though the description of this presentation implies it is directed toward rural membership, the information discussed will be beneficial to all NALA Affiliates. Please join us as we continue to learn from each other.” Bridget Stuhr, NALA Affiliated Associations Director.

Presentation Topics Include: 

• Reaching potential association members in rural areas
  
• Growing association membership in rural areas
  
• Retaining associate members in rural areas
  

Increase Capacity Without Adding People, Money, or Time
September 15  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE Hours: 1  |  NON-SUB
Learn the secret to creating more capacity with your current resources and doing more with less. This framework is applicable to any organization, big or small, hurting or not. In this webinar, attendees will:

• Learn to do more with current resources
  
• Understand the five critical components to an efficient team
• Learn five tools to help optimize performance
• Assess where they currently are and how to improve

The Evolving State of Privacy Law
September 22  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE Hours: 1  
How is the privacy landscape shifting and impacting IG and discovery? Explore this topic through case law discussion and practical impacts on information governance and discovery.

Quiet at Work: The Power of Working with Introverts
September 28  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE Hours: 1  |  NON-SUB
Have you ever wondered why there are so many closed doors in law firms? Does it seem like you are surrounded by introverted attorneys, paralegals and support staff employed at your firm? Introversion and the law go hand in hand, and this webinar will reveal the keys to why so many lawyers tend to have introverted traits. This webinar will help you understand the introverts you work with, and if you too are an introvert, understand yourself.

You will learn the typical traits of both an extrovert and introvert, the work habits of each of those personality traits, and how best to collaborate with them. You will walk away with tools on how to embrace the silence needed by introverts and use that knowledge as a paralegal to better collaborate with attorneys, colleagues and clients. There is quiet power in the way introverts think, strategize and communicate. Understanding this power will allow you to see why they are so important to the work we do in the legal field, and how they make a difference in helping to change the world.

Paralegal Role in Preparing for Multi-Day Criminal Jury Trials
September 29  |  12 p.m. CT  |  CLE Hours: 1
Explore the various roles that paralegals may fulfill when assisting prosecutors preparing for criminal jury trials expected to last multiple days. Participants will learn about the preparation of jury instructions, including the creation of those that are not contained in the model jury instructions. Discussion will include expectations of how paralegals can assist with selecting jury members, organizational tips, and technology preparation to ensure smooth outcomes during the actual jury trial.

 CP Examinees:

• If you are applying for the CP Exam as a student (in the last semester of a paralegal program), please email (testing@nala.org), fax (918-587-6772), or mail the PDF application to us.
• Would you prefer taking your exam at your job, college or military base instead of a PSI testing center? Click here. More details are listed under the Testing Center Qualifications & Forms section.

Certification:

• September certificants! Don’t let your CERTIFICATION and DIGITAL BADGE expire! Enter your CLE and submit the online Recertification Affidavit and fee or the PDF Recertification form to cle@nala.org before 9/30/2021!
• Don’t forget you can earn CLE by reading the designated articles in the Facts & Findings magazine! Look for the red book icon in the Table of Contents.

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. 

Have you read the latest issue of Facts & Findings?
The Q3 - September issue of Facts & Findings has been mailed out and is also available online. This issue is packed full of educational articles relevant to the legal field. It also has a variety of feature articles which include:

• Surveillance Capitalism
• COVID-19 Claims Amidst the Workplace Return
• Waters of the United States - The Sopranos Interpretation
• and many more!

In each quarterly issue, there are designated articles that can earn you CLE. Once you read each of them, you can enter one hour of substantive CLEs in your NALA account. Please note that you can earn a maximum of two CLEs per year and up to five CLE in a certification period. Happy reading!