Brevard Paralegal Association Chapter

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc.

January 2013

The Paralegal Pipeline

Inspiring professional growthone paralegal at a time

IN THIS ISSUE: State & Local News FRP Corner Birthdays Welcome & Other Info 2012-13 Board Listing Student Segment The Galleria (Photos) Sponsors Speaker Profile TAC Seminar 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 6, 7 8 9

Monthly Message
test data I wasted valuable money and time on a fools errand. If you do not fit where you are, move. Expressions of regret that I have heard in my lifetime often begin with the words, If I had known then what I know now. . . From those rueful words take this advice. Try to imagine yourself twenty or thirty years from now looking back on today. What will you say then, about now? To increase the insight that you can derive from the imagined trip to your future, you should seek the counsel of people much older than you so that they may tell you what time has taught them about their decisions. Do not be paralyzed by feelings of doubt or apprehension. Courage is not absence of fear but the ability to persist despite fear. That feeling of fear says, Proceed with caution. It does not say Turn back. Many people regret having allowed fear to stop them from accepting a challenge, while strikingly few lament having tried, regardless of the outcome. To the sage advice, March to the beat of your own drummer, I would add, Try to make sure which drummer is yours. Regards,

How to Decide..How to Decide?

Dr. J.
Dr. Louis Jiannine, Professor, Legal Studies Program at Brevard Community College and Honorary Member of BPA

NALA Scholarships 10, 11

Follow us! Search Brevard Paralegal Association and join! We list useful links, information regarding upcoming meetings and events!

As a college professor since 1995, one of my unofficial responsibilities is to assist students in making important decisions. Although none of my formal education was directed to methods of decision making, I have acquired some insight and developed some general principles that I share with persons facing difficult choices. Do not choose a path simply because it matches your skill set. At sixteen, I attained a perfect score of 800 on the College Board Math Achievement test. From that result I wrongly concluded that I should major in Mathematics. Within the first week of school, I knew that I did not belong, but because I was unable to accept a reality that varied from

Page 2

The Paralegal Pipeline

Notable News for the Sunshine State

Correction!! PAFs Spring Seminar has been scheduled for May 1718, 2013, at the The Hotel Duval in Tallahassee, Florida, not March. The seminar will be hosted by the Big Bend Chapter. Take this opportunity to visit our States beautiful and bustling capital and get CLE! More information on the seminar tracks will be forthcoming.

Happy Birthday!! Linda Ghirardelli Eli Manning Dr. Louis Jiannine Betsy Ross Roma Molinaro Kate Middleton

BPA Meeting Reminder: This months meeting will be on held on Thursday, January 10th at the Suntree Country Club. Our Speaker will be Peter Pancoast, Esquire, from Legal Aid and his topic will be Ethics and Canon 10.

PAF Quick Reference Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc. 466 94th Avenue North

CORNER
Need credits? The Florida Bar offers free, online CLE. It can be accessed at www.floridabar.org/cle. Also, look at the benefits available to FRPs as members of the Florida Bar.

St. Petersburg, FL 33702 www.pafinc.org

Page 3

The Paralegal Pipeline

I have a dream
January 21st celebrates the man whose dream of equality Ma his determination to and share it forever changed a nation. If you have never had the opportunity, take a moment to listen to this historic speech as it unfolded on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Giving After Receiving Even though your budget may be tight after all of the holiday spending, KUDOS! consider donating food and other items to some of these local causes: Congratulations to Roma Brevard Sharing Center: The Sharing Brevard Community Centers food pantry desperately Colleges Institute of Public needs food donations. You can visit Safetys Outstanding the following website for more Adjunct Award! information if would like to donate:
Way to go Roma!! Molinaro for receiving

Diamonds in the Sky:

http://www.sharingcenter.org/Pages/ Links.htm Suntree-Viera Pet Rescue & Purrs & Whiskas Shelter: Both of these organizations foster animals, both KUDOS! strays and abandoned, in volunteers homes Congratulations to Roma forever in order to find them homes. These volunteers give a lot of their time, energy and commitment to animals in need. Visit the following websites for more information to see how you can help those who cannot help themselves: Suntree-Viera: http://svpr.rescuegroups.org/ PAWS: http://www.pawsfla.com/

January 3rd & 4th: Watch for the Quadrantis Meteor Shower which can best be viewed the best after midnight in the constellation Bootes (shown above). Remember to always look up!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hit the green to beat the winter blues:

Membership 51 Active Members 11 Student Members 2 Honorary Members 2 Associate Members Total = 66

January 17th is Golf Day, and we in Florida are blessed with good weather yearround. So, get it out and play a round! If you prefer to stay indoors and watch, the PGA Tour season began January 4th and the European Tour season is well underway!

Page 4

The Paralegal Pipeline

Newsletter Advertising
Half Page $100/Year Or $55/6 months Business Card $50/Year Or $30/6 months Special rates available for one-time ads Submit business card or ad artwork, preferably in .jpg or .bmp format to Kimberly. Nowakowski@ Health-First.Org or send it to: Kim Nowakowski c/o Health First, Inc. 6540 US Hwy 1 Rockledge FL 32955 The Paralegal Pipeline advertising reaches people throughout Florida. The publications revenue supports scholarships and various community service projects, which enables your costs associated to advertising here to be tax deductible. Please make your check payable to Brevard Paralegal Association. Thank you.

2012-13 BPA Board of Directors & Committee Chairs

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Silvia Cowan silviacwn@gmail.com Vice President Tracy King, CP, FRP tracyking@cfl.rr.com Treasurer Hope Lutz hope.lutz@yahoo.com Secretary Linda Goettsche, CP lgoettsche@cfl.rr.com Immediate Past President Kim Nowakowski, RP,FRP
kimberly.nowakowski@healthfirst.org

Local Bar Liaison Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP

kimberly.nowakowski@healthfirst.org

Meetings Sabine Martel

for dinner reservations e-mail

bpameetings@yahoo.com Membership Tracy King, FRP tracyking@cfl.rr.com Newsletter Editor Nandra Ramnarine, CP, FRP
nrlibragirl@gmail.com

Publicity Jessica Pauley, CP Stardust5055@hotmail.com Ways and Means Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP
kimberly.nowakowski@healthfirst.org

Parliamentarian Toni-Marie DAlessandro, CP, FCP, FRP

tdalessandro@gray-robinson.com

Director-at-Large Anne Cope

acope@annecopeconsulting.com

OTHER POSITIONS Historian/Photographer Nandra Ramnarine, CP

nrlibragirl@gmail.com

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Budget

Jenny Lawton-Seal, CP, FRP

zzlawtonj@earthlink.net

PAF Website Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP

kimberly.nowakowski@healthfirst.org

Treasurers Report
Hope Lutz, CP, Treasurer

Bylaws and Standing Rules

Maureen Mo Martens, CP, FRP

momartens@cfl.rr.com Community Service Toni-Marie DAlessandro, CP, FCP, FRP

tdalessandro@gray-robinson.com

Savings $3,848.00 Checking $4,848.20 As of November 30, 2012

Education/Scholarship Roma Molinaro, CP, FCP, FRP, MLA rmolinaro@cfl.rr.com Student Liaison Debbie Gapsch dgapsch@cfl.rr.com Job Bank Coordinator Kim M. Dexter, ACP, FCP kdexter@gray-robinson.com

Page 5

The Paralegal Pipeline

STUDENT SEGMENT
Getting ready to graduate and considering your next steps to progress in the Paralegal field? Here are some tips to help you get prepared:
Reach out to contacts you have already made and let them know you are seeking a position. Update your resume and seek advice from a friend or family member who works in an HR department or who may be a hiring manager. They can provide invaluable information as to what employers look for when reviewing a resume. If you have been an intern with a firm, talk to the Partners about the possibility of a full-time position, or see if they know of anyone hiring. They may be willing to help you obtain a position. Search job websites like Career Builder, Monster, Indeed.com, etc. Many banks and corporations also seek Paralegals for their legal departments and those jobs may not be posted in the Classifieds. Prepare for and take the certification exam to become a CLA/CP (remember that both NALA and BPA have scholarships for the exam if you are an Active Member!)

The Galleria
These beautiful winter scene are by Finnish photographer, Kari Liimaitainen. Enjoy the beauty of the world around you.

The Pipeline is always seeking new sponsors. See pricing information on page 4. Contact Kim Nowakowski for more information at
Kimberly.Nowakowski@health-first.org.

Penguin Power

If you want to obtain more information about the certification exam, visit NALAs website below: http://www.nala.org/certification.aspx Last but not least, take a moment to take pride in your accomplishment and take the proverbial holiday break!

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught Winston Churchill

January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day and World Penguin Day is April 25th. Please go online to learn more about these amazing creatures and their growing needs due to their vastly disappearing environment.

Page 5 6

The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline

Order Flowers Online www.BudsEtc.net "Big Flowers From a Little Shop"

Buds Etc...
A Unique Floral Studio Buds Etc... Owners Patti and Doug have opened their dream shop in Melbourne Florida! A country cottage style setting under a huge Florida Oak tree is where this quaint shop brings a Fresh Idea to the floral industry. Patti, with 30 +years experience in the flower business brings Value and Quality to each Unique Design using your choice of fresh or silk flowers. Specializing in Wedding and Parties! Bring in your ideas and have them become a reality! Make an appointment to see our many photo albums. Patti has created wedding flowers for thousands of brides! She has first-hand knowledge of all the latest trends and fantastic items available for the modern or traditional bride. Rentals also available: archways, pillars with huge arrangements, centerpiece stands and much more... Silk designs and interior decorations for your home and office are always available! Our owner/designer will create individual designs for All occasions with Style and Class. Come in and browse our large selection of affordable flowers. "Big Flowers from a Little Shop We are committed to bring you the finest, freshest, highest quality flowers from our shop to your home and office. Buds Etc... Has a Home Staging Department! With so many homes on the market; we give sellers helpful advice and an affordable plan to get their home ready. Well have your home Packed, Cleaned and Staged. So you can put your "Best foot forward" in this busy real estate market. Have your home ready for the potential Buyers, Be Clean, Organized and Uncluttered. Let the experts at Buds Etc... Do it all. Call in your order today (321) 254-0551

Page 7

The Paralegal Pipeline

LAW OFFICES MICHAEL KAHN, P.A.

Office: (321) 242-2564 Fax: (321) 254-2127 Email: Michael@michaelkahnpa.com 482 North Harbor City Boulevard Melbourne, Florida 32935

Page 8

The Paralegal Pipeline

PROFILE SPEAKER PROFILE

PETER R. PANCOAST
Peter R. Pancoast was born May 26, 1946, Miami Beach, Florida. He was a resident of Dade County, Florida until he moved here in 1993. He married in 1977, has three daughters, and is very active in his childrens education and extra-curricular activities. Attended Stetson University (1968), graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1971 and worked November 1971 June 1973 for the Dade County Bar Association/Legal Aid Program, and from June 1982 January 1984. From June 1973 February 1993 he was a Sole Practitioner. He relocated to Brevard County area from Dade County during the summer of 1993, and commenced working at Brevard County Legal Aid full-time in June 1993. He serves as the Managing Attorney at Brevard County Legal Aid and oversees four attorneys, and student interns and volunteers, as well as any paralegal work being done. He offers expertise and serves as a back-up to pro bono attorneys who volunteer at Brevard County Legal Aids weekly advice clinic. Mr. Pancoast serves as a mentor to new pro bono attorneys accepting cases through Legal Aid. He has supervised many interns, who maintain contact and express their gratitude for the wisdom he was able to share during their internships. Whenever possible Mr. Pancoast attends the new attorneys swearing in event when the interns finishes their long hard road to being a Florida Bar member.

Page 9

The Paralegal Pipeline

Brevard Community College - Paralegal Program Seminar/CLE ETHICS: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY A PANEL DISCUSSION
The Technical Advisory Committee for the Paralegal Program will host its annual seminar on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Brevard Community College, Melbourne Campus. Please mark your calendar now to join us for next years seminar. We are pleased to announce the Honorable James Earp, Circuit Court Judge and Phil Archer, incoming State Attorney, among our panelists. Registration forms will be available in future newsletters and at the January BPA meeting. Online registration will soon be available through Banner which can be accessed through the BCC website at www.bcctraining.com. The course is pending approval from NALA for three or four hours of CLE. For further information, contact Roma at roma@michaelkahnpa.com. Technical Advisory Committee members are: Roma Molinaro, CP, FCP, FRP, chair, Kim Dexter, ACP, FCP, FRP, Linda Ghirardelli, ACP, FRP, Roberta Reaume, CP, FCP, FRP, Jenny Lawton Seal, CP, FRP and Suzanne Mair, FRP. Lou Jiannine, J.D., is Professor and Curriculum Coordinator for the Brevard Community College Paralegal Program

Page 10

The Paralegal Pipeline