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Each year LAPSWV selects a Paralegal of the Year. Nominees must be an active member of LAPSWV. The Paralegal of the Year award will be presented at the 10th Annual Seminar & Meeting on May 30, 2014.
Active members of LAPSWV should have recently received a letter and nomination form from LAPSWV President, Patricia Schoolcraft, CLA. Your nomination must be postmarked by May 1, 2014. You may make only one nomination. The Executive Committee will review all nominations received and will select the Paralegal of the Year.
If you are an active LAPSWV member and did not receive a nomination letter and form, please contact Patricia Schoolcraft, CLA, LAPSWV President, at president@lapswv.org.
Candidates for Office of President
Melanie Hicks, CP
Melanie Hicks obtained an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies in 1994 from the College of WV (nka University of Charleston, Beckley). She has worked for over 19 years for sole practitioners in real estate, civil litigation, family law and criminal law areas of the legal field. Melanie incorporated Paralegal Solutions, LLC in 2008 and now works as a freelance paralegal for numerous attorneys and firms performing real estate work, litigation support and contract review. She becam a member of LAPSWV in 2008 and passed the NALA certifying examination in March 2010. Mealnie was elected as LAPSWV's Secretary for 2011-2012, NALA Liaison for 2012-2013, and First Vice President for 2013-2014. She is currently a member of NALA's Leadership Enhancement and Preparation (LEAP) Class of 2014.
Candidate for Office of First Vice President
Karen Nichols, ACP
Karen is employed by Jackson Kelly PLLC as an Advanced Certified Paralegal in the Commerical Law Department. Karen has been in the legal profession for over 30 years and has been a paralegal for over 20 years. She graduated in December 2003 from Marshall University with a degree of A.A.S. Legal Assistant, with high honors. Karen obtained her CLA/CP certification from NALA in January 2006 and Advanced Paralegal Certification in Business Organizations: Incorporated Entities in October 2008. She is currently serving on the Jackson Kelly Legal Assistant Liaison Committee, the Advisory Committee for the Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College, and is a former adjunct professor for the Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. In addition to currently serving as NALA Liaison for LAPSWV, Karen has served as LAPSWV President, 1st Vice President; 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Candidate for Office of Second Vice President
Cynthia Kline, ACP
Candidate for Office of Treasurer
Sherri Rasmussen
Sherri attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX where she received a B.S. in Education in 1985. She has been a litigation paralegal for more than 20 years and is currently employed with The Masters Law Firm, LC, focusing in mass and class action litigation and products liability cases. Sherri has been an active member of LAPSWV since 2009, serving on the Audit Committee from 2010-2012, and elected as Treasurer for 2013-2014. She has been amember of NALA since 2013 and is an active member of WV Association for Justice (WVAJ) legal assistants program.
Candidate for Office of Secretary
Mica Spratt
Candidates for Office of NALA Liaison
Heather Jordan
Heather Jordan is employed by Huddleston Bolen LLP as a litigation paralegal. She has been employed as a paralegal since 2010 and was a legal secretary for five years prior. Heather received her B.S. in Environmental Science from Marshall University in 2013 and her Master of Science in Environmental Science from Marshall University in 2007. She has been a member of LAPSWV and NALA since 2011. Presently, she is studying for the NALA certifying exam.
If you cannot attend the LAPSWV annual membership meeting on May 30, 2014, you may designate another active member and an alternate to represent you. You must file a Designation of Proxy form with the LAPSWV Secretary by April 29, 2014. It is prudent to file this form even if you plan to attend the meeting. Should unforeseen circumstances keep you from attending the election, then a designated proxy could step in for you. Be sure that your designated proxy and alternate are active members, and that they plan to attend the meeting.
You may use the Instructions to Proxy and Alternate Proxy form to instruct your proxy holders on how you wish your vote to be cast.
LAPSWV Sponsors three (3) scholarships:
Applications must be received by the LAPSWV Scholarship Committee on or before May 1, 2014.
LAPSWV 10th ANNUAL SEMINAR & MEMBERSHIP MEETINGFriday, May 30, 2014Holiday Inn & Suites3551 Route 60 EastBarboursville, WV
NALA 39th ANNUAL CONVENTION INSTITUTES & EXHIBITIONJuly 23-25, 2014Charleston, SC
Registration is now open for the 2014 NALA Convention. Click for more details!
Examination Date
Application Filing Deadline
Late Application Filing Deadline (With $25 late filing fee)
January 1-31
December 1
December 10
May 1-31
April 1
April 10
September 1-30
August 1
August 10
As a reminder to all, the Certified Paralegal examination consists of five examination sections:
September 2013 was the first testing of the new format of the Certified Paralegal examination, Substantive Law section. The Substantive Law section now consists of questions on the following subjects:
Additional optional areas are no longer available. All examinees will take the same test.
The Certifying Board announced modifications to the Substantive Law section earlier this year after careful study of the 2012-13 Job Analysis study. The Certifying Board strives to link the Certified Paralegal examination directly to the day to day duties and responsibilities of paralegals in the workplace. The modifications are a continued effort to ensure the Certified Paralegal examination remains an accurate and relevant reflection of the duties and responsibilities of today's paralegals.
A detailed list of specifications for the Certified Paralegal examination may be found on the NALA web site under "Certification/Certified Paralegal Exam Description" (click here) as well as a more detailed statement of these modifications.
Dues for renewed membership in LAPSWV were due and payable on or before July 1. If you missed the deadline and wish to retain your LAPSWV membership, please contact Sherri Rasmussen at treasurer@lapswv.org to determine what you need to do to renew your membership.
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Litigation Paralegal Position Available in Charleston, WV.
Employment opportunities are posted to the Members Only section. Forgot your password or login, contact the system administrator at system.domain.admin@lapswv.org.
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