Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia

 Dear LAPSWV Members:

It is that time of the year when we all become extremely busy with family, family gatherings,
shopping, religious events, social events, and end –of –year work projects. I know that this is a
busy and sometimes stressful time of the year for you. It is for me as well. I hope that each of us
can take a little time for ourselves to relax and decompress during the holiday season. If you
have time, come out to the holiday social on December 3, 2013 at the Maylon House in Milton,
West Virginia. It would be a pleasure to meet you.

I would like to take a moment to thank the Executive Committee for their hard work and
dedication to LAPSWV. I also wish to thank the members who have helped with LAPSWV
projects over the last nine years. It takes all of us to make LAPSWV work and I hope each of
you will continue to contribute to LAPSWV.

2014 is going to be an awesome year. LAPSWV will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Several projects are in the works. Keep checking our website www.lapswv.org for moreinformation
on upcoming project.

I also want you to know that all executive committee meetings are open to LAPSWV members.
You are welcome to attend any meeting to see what is going on and to present your suggestion or
make comments. If you would like to attend a meeting or all meetings, please let me know in
advance so that I can put your name on the agenda.

I wish each of you a great Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years (if I
missed a holiday, I apologize).

Sincerely,

Patricia Schoolcraft, CLA
President - LAPSWV

HOLIDAY FUND-RAISER

Our holiday fund-raiser closed on October 31, 2013.  If you have any questions about your orders, please contact Sherri Rasmussen at treasurer@lapswv.org.

  CLA REVIEW COURSE A SUCCESS

Congratulations to Melanie Hicks, CP, LAPSWV First Vice President, for a job well done.  Melanie spearheaded LAPSWV's first CLA Review Course, which was held on Friday, September 6, 2013, and Saturday, Septembr 7, 2013.  A lot of information to absorb in two days, but everyone went away happy, well-informed, and ready to take the exam.

A special thank you to the review course faculty, which included Virginia Koerselman Newman, Esquire - Hemingway, SC (Author of the CLA Review Manual); Robert Dunlap, Esquire - Beckley, WV, Toney Stroud, Esquire - Charleston, WV, and Melanie Hicks, CP - Beaver, WV.

Many thanks to Craig Giffin, Director of the Paralegal Studies Program at Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College, for allowing LAPSWV to hold the review course on the KVCTC campus. 

NALA offers the the CLA/CP Examination three times a year.  The next available examination is scheduled as noted below:

As a reminder to all, the Certified Paralegal examination consists of five examination sections: 

1. Communications
2. Ethics
3. Judgment and Analytical Ability
4. Legal Research
5. Substantive Law

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:

• American Legal System
• Civil Litigation
• Business Organizations
• Contracts

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.

Did you miss the renewal deadline?

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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NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POSTED 12/5/13

Employment opportunities are posted to the Members Only section.  Forgot your password or login, contact the system administrator at system.domain.admin@lapswv.org.