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Attention legal professionals! Are you an expert in your field and interested in sharing your knowledge with paralegals from across the nation? The 2024 NALA Conference & Expo in Louisville, KY, from July 11-13, 2024, is the perfect opportunity to showcase your knowledge and contribute to the professional development of the legal community. We invite you to submit proposals to present at least two sessions, either feature or CP^® Review, during the 2024 conference. We are accepting proposals until September 1. While sharing your expertise and shaping minds is reason enough to present, we also cover conference registration, travel, lodging, and meals for our presenters. We look forward to seeing your proposals! Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to make a difference! Learn more here.

Summer is coming to a close in a blaze of heat that can be felt nationwide. NALA has some exciting things on the horizon as cooler weather blows our way. Our faithful president, Debbie Overstreet, ACP, is here to update you on NALA's end-of-summer happenings. Click below to watch. 

NALA Volunteer Spotlight – Thomas Pokladowski

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 NALA volunteers on a more personal level!

In this month’s spotlight, we would like to introduce you to Thomas Pokladowski. Please click here to read the August Volunteer Spotlight!

NALA members have spoken, and the 2023-2024 Board of Directors is now in place! Several officers were reelected to their positions. Congratulations to Cheryl Nodarse, ACP, Peonca Grier, CP^®, and Debby Sawyer, ACP, on your reelection. We are thrilled to welcome our two new At Large Directors, Jeanne Elliott, ACP, and Bridget Stuhr, ACP. NALA’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee (DEI) Chair, Kristine Custodio Suero, ACP, is now a member of the Board. Congratulations to our new Affiliated Associations Team! Moving from Affiliated Associations Secretary to Director is Sharon Jones, ACP. Though the position is not on the Board of Directors, we are excited to announce that Richard Hahn, ACP, is the new Affiliated Associations Secretary. Congratulations to everyone, and we can’t wait to see how NALA thrives under your leadership.

At the 2023 NALA Conference & Expo, we recognized four incredible women with NALA awards. The Founders’ Award went to Melody Drew, NALA’s Certification Manager, in recognition of her extraordinary and outstanding contributions to the growth and future of the paralegal profession. The Student of the Year Award went to Maria Mayo Cover, in recognition of her outstanding achievement as a full-time paralegal student. We had two recipients for the Unsung Heroes Hall of Fame Award because we couldn’t pick just one of these amazing ladies. Jaye Koch, ACP, and Nanci Lilja, ACP, received the award in recognition of their leadership, dedication, and extraordinary contributions to NALA and its members. Join us in congratulating these women for their well-deserved awards. We are excited to see where they go from here.

We hope you're having a fantastic summer! We wanted to remind you that the NALA Census is in full swing, and this is the second month of the campaign. Do not worry if you haven't participated yet. You still have time to make your voice heard and contribute to the future of the paralegal profession! 

Let's take a moment to celebrate one of our incredible participants. Congratulations to Heidi Paga, ACP, for winning the $100 Amazon gift card in the July drawing! Thank you, Heidi, for your participation in the Census. It is members like you who help us gather valuable insights and shape the future of NALA.

If you haven't logged in and completed the Census yet, there's still time to join in on the excitement! By participating, you not only contribute to the future of our profession but also become eligible for our fantastic giveaways. We have more monthly prizes of $100 Amazon gift cards up for grabs, and the exclusive grand prize of $500 awaits one lucky participant at the end of December. The next monthly drawing is just around the corner, so do not miss out on your chance to win! 

It is easy to participate. Simply log in to your NALA account and complete the Census data. Your input will shape the strategies, programs, and services that NALA offers to our diverse membership, ensuring we meet your needs and create a vibrant paralegal community. 

Remember, your voice matters, and we want to hear from you. Join us today and be a part of shaping the future of the paralegal profession! 

Follow NALA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to see this month’s $100 winner.  

NALA has a special resource for paralegals! The Paralegal Resource Directory provides you with top-notch legal support services. Being a paralegal is no easy feat, but with this directory at your disposal, your job can become easier. Whether you're looking for a process server or litigation support, you'll find it all in NALA's Paralegal Resource Directory. Don't wait any longer. Check it out here and see how it can save you valuable time and energy!

Have you checked out NALA Commons yet? It is NALA's private, members-only social site, where members can network, share experiences, and ask questions. It has been a month since the 2023 NALA Conference & Expo, but we aren't ready to stop talking about it. If you are as enthusiastic as we are, hop on NALA Commons and share your excitement. You can talk with other members who attended the conference and connect with new and old friends. Click here to go to NALA Commons and join the conversation.

NALA members are at the core of NALA’s success. Each quarter, we will honor those who have reached MILESTONE membership anniversaries with NALA.

To see who has reached five years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, and 25 years (Honorary Membership status) of continuous NALA membership, please click here.

Want to be a part of this special recognition? If you continue your NALA membership – without lapse – for the number of years mentioned above, you will be eligible to receive one of our complimentary exclusive membership anniversary pins. Do not forget to stay up to date with your emails to ensure your NALA membership does not lapse!

Thank you to the longtime members who have been recognized this quarter. You are truly appreciated!

We have good news! The meeting recordings are now available from the 2023 NALA Conference & Expo. Whether you missed a meeting or simply want to revisit them, they are available on our YouTube channel. The Annual Membership Meeting & Awards was designed to give you insights into NALA’s operations, goals, programs, and services. The Leadership Panel talked about "anything NALA!" Watch it for the inside scoop on all the details you need to know about our incredible organization and what it can do for you! The Affiliated Associations Annual Meeting and Awards was designed to update you on NALA's Affiliated Associations, including award announcements and a presentation from the Houston Paralegal Association. We hope you find these meetings informative and even entertaining. Be in the now. Be in the know. Be NALA.

NALA's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee Chair, Kristine Custodio Suero, ACP, has some important updates for you. She is excited to be a part of NALA's Board of Directors and proud of what the DEI Committee has accomplished. Kristine has hosted two episodes of NALA Talks - A Microlearning Series on NALA's YouTube channel. To read more about what's new with DEI at NALA, click here.

NALA has an exciting lineup of webinars for August and September.

The Real Estate series is wrapping up with Part 6 - Communication Complications, which debuts on Tuesday, August 22nd at 11 a.m. CT. Mark your calendars as you won’t want to miss it!

Love Robert Diotalevi’s presentations as much as we do? Enroll in our new course on Copyright Law: A Primer for the Legal Professional, happening on Wednesday, August 30th at 12 p.m. CT.

Finally, Mental Health Law: Understanding Race, Ethnicity, and Bias in the Legal Profession debuts on Wednesday, September 13th at 12 p.m. CT.

MEMBERS! Keep an eye out for NALA’s free quarterly webinar coming soon! Not a member? Don't worry! We’ll be offering this course for a discounted rate that you won’t be able to pass up.

To register for these live webinars, visit our website.

This fall, College of the Canyons is offering two sessions of a live online Certified Paralegal (CP^®) Exam preparation course for the Knowledge Exam. One class will be taught by Terry Wright, ACP, on Mondays from 6-8 p.m. PT from September 11-November 13. If Monday evenings do not work, there is another session being taught by Christine Oshian, JD, on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. PT from September 13-November 15. This is a valuable resource for aspiring CPs^®. It gets better! The course is FREE to California residents. Even if you don’t live in California, you’ll only pay $75. Either way, it’s a great deal. To learn more and register, click here.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Lori Young, MPS, at College of the Canyons at lori.young@canyons.edu. 

DISCLAIMER: The NALA CP Exam creators do not develop or deliver any CP Exam study materials. Producers of study materials do not have access to actual CP Exam content. Use of any suggested study materials does not guarantee success on the CP Exam.

Are you a member of NALA or an Affiliated Association? Do you know someone involved in promoting NALA’s Certified Paralegal (CP^®) Program? We have the perfect way for you to acknowledge their hard work and dedication. The CP^® Champion award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in promoting and advancing NALA’s CP^® Program within the legal profession. You can nominate virtually anyone who meets that standard. We are excited to celebrate these champions of NALA’s CP^® Program. To learn more about eligibility and submit a nomination, click here. The deadline is September 1st. Don’t wait…nominate! 

Since applying for the Certified Paralegal Exam is a commitment, please take some time to review the Certification Process to determine if the NALA CP^® credential fits your career goals. Check your eligibility here. Click on the image below for a closer look.

We have important information for you on the cost of recertification. Starting on January 1, 2024, your recertification fee will vary, depending on whether you are a NALA member. For more information, visit our website.

A beautiful teal color, our crazy soft conference shirt has the NALA logo and Boston|2023 on the front left chest and our 2023 conference slogan on the back: Be in the now. Be in the know. Be NALA. This minimalistic shirt was designed to fit with the art deco theme of the conference. We hope it serves as a cozy reminder of your 2023 NALA conference experience. Available in sizes S-2XL, you can buy it here for only $15.

As a NALA member, you receive exclusive local and national discounts on hundreds of products and services.

To access these deals, go to the Affinity Discounts page on our website and log in.

Simplify and streamline your remote online notary (RON) operations with a centralized platform accessible anytime you or your customers need it. The Notary Hub platform was developed by a team with over 30 years in the notary business as an end-to-end remote notarization system.

Notary Hub is an all-in-one platform to legally sign, collect, and manage notarized documents. It has intuitive onboarding customized to your state’s RON requirements and the unique benefit of bundling the mandatory digital certificate along with your subscription. The automation ensures that consumers have the option of selecting you as their RON for repeat services. NALA members receive a 20% discount on subscriptions. 

A remote online notary (RON) is a legally-commissioned notary public who is authorized to conduct notarizations over the internet via digital tools and a live audio-video call. Remote online notarization allows the process of observing as a customer signs a document to occur anytime, without requiring a physical meeting.