The SCUPA Scoop: Renewal Discount Reminder

Dear Members,

As a reminder, the membership renewal discount ($50.00 instead of $75.00) for 2012 membership dues ends November 30, 2011.  The discount is valid for membership renewals only.  You may download the renewal form from our website: http://www.scupa.org/ and send it to our post office box with your renewal fee. 

If you have not yet taken advantage of this early renewal discount, please do so prior to November 30th.  Thank you for your continued membership to SCUPA!

Sincerely,
Melissia
Melissia G. Ford, CP
President of SC Upstate Paralegal Association

The SCUPA Scoop: Seminar Success!

SCUPA's 16th Annual Seminar for Legal Professionals was a huge success!   We had a great turnout with 71 attendees and many excellent speakers.  Special thanks goes out to the entire seminar committee who worked all year long to put this event together. 

Our keynote for the day was Jack D. Griffeth, Esquire of Collins & Lacy.  His presentation was entitled "Your Role as a Paralegal in Making Your Attorney Look Good...or...HELP ME!!!!!  HELP ME!!!!!

Jack Griffeth, Esquire

One of our first workshops was presented by Suzanne B. Cole, Esquire of Collins & Lacy who discussed "The Role of Paralegals in Workers' Compensation." 



Suzanne B. Cole, Esquire

Phyllis Bennefield, EA of Dobson Law Firm and Liz Scharf, ACP of Wyche, PA presented "Law Office 101." 

Phyllis Bennefield, EA

Liz Scharf, ACP

Following the first workshops, Barbara M. Seymour, Esquire, Deputy Disciplinary Counsel of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel gave an ethics presentation entitled "Speak No Evil: Professional Responsibility in the Internet Age." 

Barbara M. Seymour, Esquire

Our longtime seminar committee leader Becky Maxson was honored following Ms. Seymour's presentation for her years of service in SCUPA and all of her hard work making the seminar the great success that it is today. 

Our afternoon workshops featured Melissia Ford, CP of Stephen D. Baggett Attorneys at Law with her presentation called "Conquering the Medical Records Mountain - Preparation of Effective Medical Records Notebooks and Summaries"

Melissia Ford, CP

D. Sean Faulkner, Esquire of Roe Cassidy Coates & Price discussed "South Carolina Real Estate Resolutions - The Rest of the Story."

D. Sean Faulkner, Esquire

During the second set of afternoon workshops, Don Pilzer, Esquire and Carol Morgan, MA of The Pilzer Law Firm presented "Dancing Through the 3-D Maze: Social Security Disability"

Don Pilzer, Esquire and Carol Morgan, MA

Finally, Debbie Lawrence of Huseby, Inc. gave a discussion entitled "Tips & Tricks for Effective Communication and Time Management Skills." 

Debbie Lawrence

Special thanks goes out to all of our great sponsors and exhibitors who help make the seminar possible.  They included:

Cannon Court Reporting

CompuScripts, Inc.

Corporate Intel

Depositions And Inc.

Esquire Solutions

Greenville Office Supply

Legal Eagle

SC Bar

SC One Stop



The SCUPA Scoop: Items needed by Harvest Hope

The folks at Harvest Hope have just provided us with a list of their most needed items. They have also indicated that the need in the upstate has increased dramatically this year and they are struggling to meet the needs. Monetary donations will also be gratefully accepted. Here is the list of their most needed items and their Mission Statement: 

Mission Statement: To provide for the needs of hungry people by gathering and sharing quality food with dignity, compassion, and education.

Canned Goods-
Meat
Vegetables
Fruit
Tomato Sauce
Beans
Soup
Stews
Pop-top cans
Evaporated Milk

Dry Goods-
Peanut Butter
Rice
Instant Potatoes
Cereal
Oatmeal
Grits
Coffee
Crackers
Powdered Milk
Beans

Personal Items-
Diapers
Baby Wipes
Soap
Shampoo
Feminine Products
Toothpaste

Other Items-
New/Used Black pens and markers
Paper Bags
Plastic Bags
Detergent

All donations will be collected at the November luncheon. 

The SCUPA Scoop: 2nd Annual Harvest Hope Food Drive

Dear Members,

We would like to take time to remember the families in our community who are struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy. In conjunction with Thanksgiving, we will be holding our 2nd annual food drive to support Harvest Hope Food Bank. Please bring non-perishable food items with you to the November luncheon to donate to help Harvest Hope feed the many hungry families in the upstate. This includes canned goods, dry goods and staples such as flour, sugar, tea, etc. You may also donate pet food as well.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (dorothy.huskey@mgclaw.com).

Thank you,
Dorothy Huskey, CP
Chairperson, Pro Bono Committee

The SCUPA Scoop: Holiday Party

Mark your calendars for SCUPA's annual holiday party on December 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.!  The event will take place at Brick Street Cafe in downtown Greenville.  The event is free for members and $20.00 for guests.  Please RSVP to Karen Hall at Karen@SkinnerLawFirm.com by November 18, 2011.  We look forward to seeing everyone there!

The SCUPA Scoop: Nominations reminder

The end of the year is fast approaching and it's almost time for officer elections.  Be sure to submit your nominations for SCUPA's 2012 officers to Phyllis Benfield via email at pbenfield@dobsonlaw.com.  Nominations will be accepted through October 14, 2011. 

A. PRESIDENT

The President shall preside over all Executive Committee meetings and Membership meetings. The President shall appoint a Parliamentarian, an Accountant, and special and standing committee chairmen as provided in these By-Laws. The President shall pass files to his or her successor immediately upon installation and shall cause all other officer and chairmen files to be passed to respective successors. The President shall be an ex-officio (non-voting) member of all committees except the committee on nominations and elections.

B. FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

The First Vice President shall preside and shall assume all duties assigned to the President in the President's absence. This officer shall automatically be chairman of the committee on education. These duties shall include planning seminars, workshops, and working with NALA in the event of co-sponsorship of any programs. The First Vice President shall also be responsible for fulfilling the educational requirements under Article VIII of these By-Laws and shall report such educational meetings to the NALA Liaison.

C. SECOND VICE PRESIDENT - MEMBERSHIP

The Second Vice President - Membership shall automatically be chairman of the Membership Committee and shall be charged with the responsibility of developing programs to encourage Membership in SCUPA. This officer shall notify applicants of SCUPA meetings until they are approved for Membership. Upon approval of his or her Membership application and payment of dues, this officer shall forward verification of approval and dues to the Treasurer. This officer shall also forward verification of approval to the Secretary. The Second Vice President - Membership shall work with the national counterpart (NALA Second Vice President) to encourage Membership in NALA.

D. SECOND VICE PRESIDENT - PUBLICATIONS

The Second Vice President - Publications shall automatically be chairman of the Publications Committee and shall be charged with the responsibility of producing SCUPA's Publication. This publication shall include, but is not limited to, committee reports and educational articles. The Executive Committee shall determine the number of publications each year.

E. SECRETARY

The Secretary shall be responsible for minutes for all meetings and safekeeping of permanent minutes. This officer shall assist the President in any way including giving notice of meetings. SCUPA minutes of any meeting shall be available to the President and NALA Liaison upon request. The Secretary shall ensure the Treasurer is bonded each year.

F. TREASURER

The Treasurer shall deposit all funds and make all disbursements, subject to approval of the Executive Committee and as provided in the budget. Any extraordinary expenses must be approved by the Membership before obligation to pay. The Treasurer shall be chairman of the finance committee which committee shall prepare a budget for the ensuing fiscal year which shall be adopted by the Membership. (Budget shall be submitted to the Executive Committee prior to presentation to the Membership.) The Treasurer shall be bonded (premium paid by SCUPA). All disbursements of SCUPA funds must be by SCUPA check, signed by the Treasurer or the President. This office shall submit a written financial report at least quarterly to be attached to the official minutes as part of the permanent record. The Treasurer shall report the Membership annually to NALA with the renewal fee for continued affiliation with NALA.

G. NALA LIAISON

This officer shall be a NALA member, shall be familiar with the NALA By-Laws and Standing Rules, shall receive minutes of all NALA meetings, and shall represent SCUPA at the NALA annual meeting of affiliated associations. This officer shall report quarterly on SCUPA activities to the NALA Affiliated Associations Director on forms provided by NALA headquarters, and shall report all officers names to NALA headquarters and the NALA Affiliated Associations Director.
This officer may submit items SCUPA wishes discussed to the NALA Affiliated Associations Director and shall participate in discussion sessions at NALA annual meetings. The NALA Liaison shall submit a report to SCUPA Members on the NALA annual meeting.
This officer shall, within sixty days of passage, notify the NALA Parliamentarian and Affiliated Associations Director of any changes in SCUPA's By-Laws. This officer shall be the main contact between NALA and SCUPA. This officer shall be a member of the governing body of SCUPA.

The SCUPA Scoop: Seminar Committee

Dear Members:

We thank each member who attended SCUPA's 16^th Annual Seminar for Legal Professionals. The Seminar Committee did a great job planning and organizing the seminar. We are especially grateful for the leadership and tireless efforts of Becky Maxson, the Seminar Committee Chair, and Barbara Spearman, the Seminar Committee Co-Chair. We are sad to see Becky retire from her position on the Seminar Committee, but we understand the complexity of tackling such a project from such a long distance.

We are in the process of forming the Seminar Committee for the 2012 seminar. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please send an email to me. Typically, the first meeting of the seminar committee would be in January 2012, so we will need to have a list of those interested in planning and coordinating next year's seminar ready as soon as possible.

Again, a special thank you to the 2011 Seminar Committee for providing us with an awesome day of legal education and networking!
Sincerely,MelissiaMelissia G. Ford, CP
President of the SC Upstate Paralegal Association
mford@sdbattorneys.com

The SCUPA Scoop: NALA update

We have a few pieces of NALA news courtesy of our NALA Liason, Scarlette Daley.

The next Certified Paralegal Short Course is being held at the Hilton Los Angeles/Glendale in Glendale, California from Thursday November 10th through Saturday November 12th.  If you are interested in learning more, please visit NALA's website at www.nala.org/shortcourse.aspx. 

Applications for January 1-31, 2012 NALA Exam dates must be submitted by December 1, 2011.  Please visit the NALA's application page for more information: www.nala.org/ex-app-form.aspx. 

NALA members interested in being featured at the 2012 NALA Annual Meeting and Edicational Institutes in Omeha, Nebraska are encouraged to visit NALA's website for more information: www.nala.org/convention.aspx. 

Check back here for more SCUPA and NALA related updates!