january 2013 edition of the paralegal pipeline

Brevard Paralegal Association Chapter

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc.

How to Decide..How to

Decide?

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

January 2013

Monthly Message

IN TH I S I S SUE :

The Paralegal Pipeline

State & Local News 2

FRP Corner 2

Birthdays 2

Welcome & Other Info 3

2012-13 Board Listing 4

Student Segment 5

The Galleria (Photos) 5

Sponsors 6, 7

Speaker Profile 8

TAC Seminar 9

NALA Scholarships 10, 11

Inspiring profession al growth…one paralegal at a time

test data I wasted valuable

money and time on a fool’s

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,

Dr. J.

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

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

Correction!! PAF’s Spring Seminar has been scheduled for May 17-18, 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 State’s 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 month’s 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”.

Notable News for the Sunshine StateNotable News for the Sunshine StateNotable News for the Sunshine StateNotable News for the Sunshine State

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

FRP’s as members of the Florida Bar.

PAF Quick Reference

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc.

466 94th Avenue North

St. Petersburg, FL 33702

www.pafinc.org

Ma

Diamonds in the Sky:

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!

Hit the green to beat the

winter blues:

January 17th is Golf Day, and

we in Florida are blessed

with good weather year-

round. 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!


KUDOS!

Congratulations to Roma

Molinaro for receiving

Brevard Community

College’s Institute of Public

Safety’s Outstanding

Adjunct Award!

Way to go Roma!!

KUDOS!

Congratulations to Roma

“I have a dream…”“I have a dream…”“I have a dream…”“I have a dream…”

January 21st celebrates the man whose dream of equality and his determination to 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.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Giving After Receiving

Even though your budget may be tight

after all of the holiday spending,

consider donating food and other

items to some of these local causes:

Brevard Sharing Center: The Sharing

Center’s food pantry desperately

needs food donations. You can visit

the following website for more

information if would like to donate:

http://www.sharingcenter.org/Pages/

Links.htm

Suntree-Viera Pet Rescue & Purrs &

Whiskas Shelter: Both of these

organizations foster animals, both

strays and abandoned, in volunteers’

homes in order to find them forever

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/

Membership

51 Active Members

11 Student Members

2 Honorary Members

2 Associate Members

Total = 66

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Silvia Cowan [email protected] Vice President Tracy King, CP, FRP [email protected] Treasurer Hope Lutz [email protected] Secretary Linda Goettsche, CP [email protected] Immediate Past President Kim Nowakowski, RP,FRP [email protected] Parliamentarian Toni-Marie D’Alessandro, CP, FCP, FRP [email protected] Director-at-Large Anne Cope [email protected] COMMITTEE CHAIRS Budget Jenny Lawton-Seal, CP, FRP [email protected] Bylaws and Standing Rules Maureen “Mo” Martens, CP, FRP [email protected] Community Service Toni-Marie D’Alessandro, CP, FCP, FRP [email protected] Education/Scholarship Roma Molinaro, CP, FCP, FRP, MLA [email protected] Student Liaison Debbie Gapsch [email protected] Job Bank Coordinator Kim M. Dexter, ACP, FCP [email protected]

Local Bar Liaison Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP [email protected] Meetings Sabine Martel for dinner reservations e-mail [email protected] Membership Tracy King, FRP [email protected] Newsletter Editor Nandra Ramnarine, CP, FRP [email protected] Publicity Jessica Pauley, CP [email protected] Ways and Means Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP [email protected] OTHER POSITIONS Historian/Photographer Nandra Ramnarine, CP [email protected] PAF Website Kim Nowakowski, RP, FRP [email protected]

2012-13 BPA Board of Directors & Committee Chairs 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 publication’s 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.


Treasurer’s Report Hope Lutz, CP, Treasurer Savings $3,848.00 Checking $4,848.20 As of November 30, 2012


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!)

If you want to obtain more information about the certification exam, visit NALA’s 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

The Pipeline is always seeking new sponsors. See pricing information on page 4. Contact Kim Nowakowski for more information at

[email protected].

Penguin PowerPenguin PowerPenguin PowerPenguin Power

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.

The GalleriaThe GalleriaThe GalleriaThe Galleria

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

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Page 5 The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline The Paralegal Pipeline


LAW OFFICES

MICHAEL KAHN, P.A.

Office: (321) 242-2564 482 North Harbor City Boulevard Fax: (321) 254-2127 Melbourne, Florida 32935 Email: [email protected]

SPEAKER PROFILSPEAKER PROFILSPEAKER PROFILSPEAKER PROFILEEEE

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 children’s 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 Aid’s 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.


Brevard Community College - Paralegal Program Seminar/CLE

EETTHHIICCSS:: FFIIFFTTYY SSHHAADDEESS OOFF GGRREEYY AA PPAANNEELL DDIISSCCUUSSSSIIOONN

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 year’s 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 [email protected]. 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


january 2013 edition of the paralegal pipeline

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