November 2015 - Career Corner

theNALSdocket - November 2015 1
Inside this Issue:From the Top 2
Coming Events & Deadlines 6
Grammar Nuggets 8
Law in Flux 10
Word Tips & Tricks 13
Career Corner 14
Member Spotlight 16
Electronic Voting 18
Staff Notes 19

2 theNALSdocket - November 2015
WEAskedandYOUAnswered!
As NALS leaders, we have asked a lot of the entire
membership over the past couple of years. We
asked you to consider the future of our association
as you voted to change our governance structure
to a five-member board. After that measure
passed, we have asked you to answer multiple
surveys and provide continuing feedback to a
number of questions we posed on a variety of
subjects. We have asked and you have answered
time and time again. We ask you to continue to
engage with us so that we can continue to bring
you products and services which provide value
to you as a NALS member and to your career as a
legal professional.
NALS Award of Excellence
Three very deserving members were selected as finalists
for NALS’ highest recognition, the Award of Excellence.
Kathleen R. Amirante, PP, PLS; Ruth Schaub, PP, PLS-SC, AIC;
and Kathy Sieckman, PP, PLS-SC, ACP rose to the challenge
by going through the rigorous process leading up to the
announcement of the 2016 Award of Excellence recipient.
We congratulate Kathleen R. Amirante, PP, PLS, our 2016
NALS Award of Excellence recipient! You and both of
our finalists are outstanding in your accomplishments
and should be recognized for all that you have done and
continue to do in performance of your jobs and in service
to NALS members and the legal community at large.
Bravo!
Grassroots Level Think Tank (“GLTT”)
Beginning in March 2015, this group of forward-thinking
individuals,whichincludedmembers,chapterleaders,and
national volunteers began to meet to discuss the future of
the association. The GLTT gives members and leaders the
opportunity to gather together and share experiences,
find bright spots, spark innovation, and design solutions
for the future—all in hopes of making NALS work better
for its members and the legal community. As a result,
we have begun to discuss what is—and what is not—
working within our organization and start the process
of brainstorming potential improvements that will meet
the needs of our members at all levels. As we shared
with you in the May 2015 issue of the NALS docket, the
GLTT identified four topics that are most critical to NALS
members and to legal professionals: time, cost, value, and
identity. Most of what the Board and NALS committee
members have been working on in recent months has
centered around these topics.
But this conversation is not over. We are still inviting
everyone to be a part of this continuing dialogue. The
next in-person meeting of the GLTT will be in Tulsa at the
Professional Development & Education Conference in late
February. You can sign up to participate on our website
at www.nals.org/GLTT. We hope you will join us so we can
hear from you.
Conference Survey Recap
We know the value of your time and your money is very
importanttoyou. Becauseofthis,weaskedNALSmembers
and other legal professionals to answer a survey dealing
with conferences. The purpose of this survey was to take
the pulse of where people stand, what people want, and
what is most important to conference attendees. Here are
some of the highlights of what respondents said:
• 64% want to attend a conference once a year
• 65% prefer to attend a conference in the fall
• 43% want to attend either a two-day conference on
Friday and Saturday or a three-day conference on a
Thursday through Saturday
• 67% say they prefer one event containing both CLE
and leadership opportunities
• 38% would prefer to attend a conference where half
a day is spent on education and the other half on
leadership/professional development
• 52% said that hotel room rates are more important
than destination
• 63% want social networking events and luncheons
included in the cost of registration

YOU asked and WE answered!
As a result of your input and engagement when
we asked the questions, we have been able to
answer with a variety of changes to our products
and services. And that action has not and will
not stop. We are committed to continuing to
serve the needs of the legal professional through
the delivery of quality legal education, offering
and promoting professional certifications, and
providing opportunities for networking and
continuous learning. We are thrilled to announce
some of the following additions and changes to
NALS products and services, all for your benefit.
New Specialty Certificates
Beginning in January 2016, NALS will begin to offer a total
of 21 specialty certificates in the following areas:
With the addition of these specialty areas, we have
answered the requests of many members for NALS to
provide more opportunities for members’certifications to
stand out. A specialty certificate is perfect for the certified
PLS and PP who seek to go above and beyond—setting
themselves apart from the competition—and making
their area of expertise known! We encourage everyone to
look at obtaining a specialty certificate as an opportunity
to further enhance your careers and NALS certifications.
NALS Mock Exams—Online!
With advances in technology, and in response to the stated
desires of students and those teaching and studying for
NALS certification exams, it is time for our association
to “get with the times.” You have asked for it and we are
answering. Thanks in large part to a grant from the NALS
Foundation and the hard work of dedicated committee
volunteers, NALS is pleased to announce it will soon be
rolling out a new, robust LMS (learning management
system) which will give us the ability to provide mock
exams online and later, even certification exams! By the
spring of 2016, we will be in beta-delivery mode of mock
exams for the ALP (Accredited Legal Professional) exams,
with later releases of the other certifications’ mock exams
as they are developed. As each stage of this developing
project is ready for launch, we will continue to update you.
Partnering with Related Legal Associations
Adding value to your membership with NALS is just
one of the many things your Board is committed to
achieving. Acting on the suggestions of the GLTT, the
Board has been actively pursuing partnerships with
related legal associations, such as the Association of
Legal Administrators (ALA), the American Association
for Paralegal Education (AAfPE), and others. Our hopes
are that, as we continue to build relationships with the
many players in the legal industry, NALS will be better
positioned to serve the needs of legal professionals
throughout the entire country and beyond. That being
said, the process is ongoing. As more comes out of these
continuing conversations, we will be sure to let you know.
Promoting you as a professional and as an indispensable
asset to employers and the legal community is just a part
of our mission.
NALS Conferences
It is no secret that it has been getting more difficult and
more expensive for members to attend two conferences
each year. Often, you have been forced to make the
choice between one or the other—either because of
time concerns, financial strains, or other considerations.
An overwhelming majority of those we have polled
have responded they think only one conference a year
is needed and/or possible given their limited means.
Because of this, and after careful consideration of the
results of the conference survey (discussed above) and
the fact that we have had declining numbers at the annual
Tulsa conference in recent years, the Board has voted to
offer only one dynamic and comprehensive education
and leadership conference each year in the fall.
Consequently, this makes our upcoming NALS 2016
Professional Development & Education Conference in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, the last one to be offered in the late
winter/early spring. This is not sad news, we say, but an
opportunity to answer the needs of many.
What does one conference a year look like? Merging a
robust professional development and leadership-training
track into one fantastic multi-track education conference
is the vehicle which will take us into the next outstanding
chapter of the association’s future. NALS will continue
to offer superior continuing legal education alongside
opportunities to obtain the skills, qualifications, and
experience that allow you to make progress in your career.
We are confident we have nothing to lose and everything
to gain by delivering what you and your peers have been
asking for.
Administrative Law
Appellate Law
Bankruptcy Law
Business Law
Civil Litigation
Contract Law
Corporate Law
Criminal Law
E-Discovery
Elder Law
Employment Law
Estate Planning/Probate
Family Law
Immigration Law
Insurance Law
Intellectual Property
Juvenile Law
Law Office Management
Personal Injury Law
Real Estate Law
Trial Management

Carl Morrison, PP-SC, AACP
President 2015-2016
Board Member 2014-2016
Tina Boone, PLS
Mimi Jackson
Secretary 2015-2016
Karen McElroy, PP, PLS
Audrey M. Saxton, PP, PLS
NALS Board of Directors
Free Certification Exams
Yes, you read that right. Aside from the prospect of joining us to
celebrate the next chapter in NALS conference offerings and kicking
off a new NALS leadership term, the NALS Board has voted to offer
certification exams—completely free of charge—at the final Tulsa
conference in February 2016. If you have been holding off on taking a
NALS certification exam or retaking parts of an exam, now is the time
to take advantage of this limited-time offer. Free exams will be offered
to anyone who is fully registered to attend the 2016 NALS Professional
Development & Education Conference—this is a savings of anywhere
from $40 to $225!
The exams will be offered on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 from
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the DoubleTree Warren Place (6110 South Yale
Avenue in Tulsa) prior to the regular conference scheduling. This will
give you the ability to take advantage of the full conference education,
committee orientations, or the opportunity to participate with the
Grassroots Level Think Tank (GLTT), if you are so inclined.
Toparticipateinthisfreeexaminationopportunity,youmustberegistered
and paid in full for the NALS 2016 Professional Development & Education
Conference. There is a ticketed event called “NALS Certification Exam”
listed on the registration form. Once your registration is fully processed
and the “NALS Certification Exam” ticketed event option is selected, the
NALSResourceCenterstaffwillsendyouapromocodeviaemail.Oncethis
promo code is received, you may then complete the application process
for the exam of your choosing for the March 2016 exam period, listing the
NALS 2016 Professional Development & Education Conference as your
test site. The promo code will reduce the amount due to zero once you
reach the payment page. The deadline to apply for this free examination
opportunity is January 15, 2016. To view full details, please visit:
www.nals.org/news/258237
We know that this is a lot to digest and take in and we are sure that
you will have more comments and suggestions you would like to share
with us as we go forward. Please remember you can always reach us
by email (board@nals.org) or through our NALS website contact forms.
Our Resource Center staff is also available to answer questions. We are
always listening and doing what we can to answer your concerns. So
keep engaging!
Until next month ….
NALS Resource Center
8159 East 41st Street • Tulsa, OK 74145
(918) 582-5188 • (918) 582-5907 (fax)
www.nals.org
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Resource Center Staff
Tammy L. Hailey, CAE (Ext. 11)
NALS Executive Director
NALS Foundation Director
hailey@nals.org
Saundra J. Bates (Ext. 15)
Membership Services Manager
bates@nals.org
April R. Collins (Ext. 10)
Meetings/Communications Manager
@Law Editor
collins@nals.org
Melissa Wells (Ext. 12)
Certification/Education Manager
cert-edu@nals.org
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
NALS Board of Directors
Carl Morrison, PP-SC, AACP (OK)
Mimi Jackson (AR)
Tina Boone, PLS (TN)
Karen McElroy, PP, PLS (VA)
Audrey M. Saxton, PP, PLS (AZ)
Tammy Hailey, CAE (OK)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
the NALS docket
Brought to you by the NALS Editorial Board with the
contributions of the NALS Board of Directors and
Resource Center Staff.
©NALS, Inc. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in articles published in the NALS
docket are those of the authors alone. They do not
representtheviewsoropinionsofNALS,Inc.
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Email is Correspondence Too!
By Kathy Sieckman, PP, PLS-SC, ACP
Email is not just a method of communicating
withothersoverthecomputer.Itisareflection
of you and your firm when you are using
your company equipment to send emails to
others—whether regarding work subjects
or not. Email is just the same as sending a
letter or any other type of communication.
You need to make sure your message is clear
and error-free.
Keep these things in mind:
• Never, EVER use text-speak in business emails. Take
the time to spell words out. People who do not text
much or who insist on grammatically correct texts
will have trouble reading the email when it contains
those kinds of abbreviations. Take the time to turn“R
U ready for me to snd the ltr?” to “Are you ready for
me to send the letter?”
• Email was once considered a very informal way
of communicating. Things are very different now.
Think about how many times a day you use email
to communicate with attorneys in your own office,
clients, opposing counsel, and other professionals.
Email has really become a primary business
correspondence and, thus, is formal communication.
Treat it that way.
• When you are using email to forward some kind of
document,you needto makesure boththe emailand
the attachment are proofread and are an accurate
reflection of you and your firm and the quality of
your work. I personally love that our Outlook Office
Professional Plus 2013 is picking up when it looks
like you intended to attach something but have not
attached it before you hit send. But even if you do
not have that version of Outlook, before hitting send,
check your email for accuracy—that it is going to the
correct person (do not trust your email program’s
autofill) and that your attachment is correct AND
attached.
• Speaking of autofill, be very careful when entering
the name of a recipient where autofill starts to fill
in someone from your contacts. It is very possible
it could pull someone from your contacts with a
similar start to their name, but is not the person you
intended to receive the email. I have seen it happen,
and I have received emails myself that were not
intended for me, but because there are two Kathys
in our firm, I have received her email. It is not too bad
when it is just internal, but when you intend to send
an email to a client and autofill puts in the name of
opposing counsel, that is a huge problem. Slow
down and check to make sure the recipients are the
correct intended recipients.
• When you are sending an email—particularly one
going outside the firm—do not trust the “send”
spellcheck. You know which one I mean. You press
send, it tells you words it thinks are spelled wrong,
fixes them the way you tell it to, and sends it off into
cyberspace. Were words that were spelled correctly
still the wrong word? It is entirely possible. If you
type“The client doe snot have any comment to your
revisions,” it is all spelled correctly, but is it what you
really meant? Take the time to read your emails and
actually proof the email before you press send.

• When you are using your firm’s email mail system and
the email address reflects the firm/company name,
you are the company. To the reader of the email, you
are representing your firm.
• When you are using your firm’s equipment or
software to send email, the email belongs to the
firm. They have the right to set up templates or give
direction for how they want emails to look and what
they want them to contain. Find out if your firm has
those standards set out somewhere.
• Each email outside the firm should have a signature
block just like every letter would. And just like every
business correspondence, if you are not a lawyer,
make sure your signature block contains your title.
Otherwise, the reader may automatically assume you
are a lawyer and are giving them legal advice.
• Be careful when responding to email and choosing
“reply all.” Does everyone listed on the email really
need the information? In today’s law firms, people
can easily get over 200 emails a day, so any they do
not have to have will put one less email in their box.
However, do not assume people do not need to be
included. If the subject has changed or someone has
indicated they can be dropped from the email chain,
that is one thing, but be careful about making the
assumption that people do not want to be included.
When in doubt, include everyone in the original group.
• Make sure the subject line of your email is accurate.
Even if you are responding to an email chain, if the
subject has changed, change the subject line. It not
only makes it easier for the reader to sort information
they really need to deal with at any particular time,
but it makes it easier to search later.
• You never know who will read your email. Forwarding
emails is far too easy to rely on the idea that only
the addressee will ever read your email. Will it end
up as a trial exhibit? Will your addressee forward it
to someone you may not even know? Will it end up
in your personnel file? Will the addressee post your
email on the Internet for anyone to see? In the end,
always be professional, always be accurate, and
always be nice.The last thing you should think before
you hit send is,“Do I want my mom to read this?”
Who knew email was so complicated? It really is not
complicated; it is just good common sense. And it is good
business sense to make sure your email represents you
and your firm in the best way possible.
Kathy Sieckman, PP, PLS-SC, ACP, has been a member of NALS
for over 25 years and is currently serving as a member of the
NALS Editorial Board. She was a finalist for the 2015 NALS Award
of Excellence, and served as Co-Chair of the 2015 Las Vegas
Conference Task Force. Kathy has a blog on proofreading tips at
http://proofthatblog.com. If you have specific grammar issues you
would like covered in future issues, please send them to Kathy at
proofthatblog@gmail.com.
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On June 26, 2015, the Supreme
Court of the United States decided
the case of Obergefell v. Hodges
and declared that same sex couples
have a constitutional right to marry.
Americans disagree whether this is
a good or a bad thing. This article
takes no position on the debate.
The debate is over, as the highest
court in the land has now spoken.
This article seeks to explain how we
got here, what it means now, and
what it may mean for the future.
Times change.
The evolution of rights in the United States is
readily apparent when one looks to the history
of racial discrimination. In 1857, the Supreme
Court of the United States ruled that Dred Scott
could not sue for his freedom from slavery
because, as an African-American man, he was
not considered a citizen of the United States
and thus could not ask for relief in the courts.
In the 1960s, all 16 southern states still had
“anti-miscegenation” laws prohibiting black and
white people from marrying. On January 6, 1959,
Mildred and Richard Loving were convicted of
violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924.
Mildred was black. Richard was white. The couple
had travelled from their home inVirginia, married
in Washington D.C. where they could legally do
so, and then returned to Virginia where they
were arrested and convicted. The trial judge in
the case, echoing Johan Friedrich Blumenbach’s
18th-century interpretation of race, wrote:
Almighty God created the races white,
black, yellow, malay and red, and he
placed them on separate continents.
And but for the interference with his
arrangement there would be no cause
for such marriages. The fact that he
separated the races shows that he did
not intend for the races to mix.
Law In Flux
The U.S. Supreme Court
Rules that Same-Sex Couples
Have a Consitutional Right
to Marry
By Jack Wagoner, Esq.

In 1967, the United States Supreme Court rejected
the notion that racial separation was ordained by
God and declared that couples of different races
have a constitutional right to marry. In doing so, the
Court rejected virtually all of the same arguments
against interracial marriage that would be made
against same-sex marriage forty years later. These
arguments—such as the claim that divorce rates were
higher among interracial couples and that families
and children would be harmed—were completely
and wholly rejected by the Supreme Court in Lovingv.
Virginia in 1967. The Court rejected these arguments
because these claims were not supported by the facts
and because societal views had changed. By 1967, a
large segment of society no longer viewed marrying
someone of a different race as an“arrest-worthy”act.
Societal opinions of homosexuality have evolved
in recent years much like those views changed in
the years leading up to Loving. People began to see
homosexuality as part of the natural makeup of a
minority of humans rather than as a moral issue. In
fact, homosexuality has been documented in at least
500 different animal species and, like in the human
population, homosexuality generally occurs in only a
smallminorityofanyspeciespopulation.Forexample,
about 10% of rams (males) refuse to mate with ewes
(females) but do readily mate with other rams. In
2013, the American Psychological Association filed
a brief before the United States Supreme Court that
stated:
Scientific evidence strongly supports the
conclusion that homosexuality is a normal
expression of human sexuality; that most
gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults do not
experience their sexual orientation as a
choice; that gay and lesbian people form
stable committed relationships that are
equivalent to heterosexual relationships in
essential respects; and that same-sex couples
are no less fit than heterosexual parents to
raise children and their children are no less
psychologically healthy and well-adjusted
than children of homosexual parents. In
short, the claim that legal recognition of
marriage for same-sex couples undermines
the institution of marriage and harms
their children is inconsistent with scientific
evidence.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American
Medical Association, the American Psychiatric
Association, and the National Association of Social
Workers all joined in this filing as well. Each of these
organizations is the largest organization in the United
States consisting, respectively, of psychologists,
pediatricians, physicians, psychiatrists, and social
workers.
In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to
declare that same-sex couples have a right to marry.
Massachusetts was the sixth jurisdiction in the
world to do so, following the Netherlands, Belgium,
Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. In reaction
to Massachusetts’s decision, many states enacted
laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. These laws not
only made same-sex marriage illegal in these states,
but they also prohibited recognition of same-sex
marriages entered into in states that allowed same-
sex marriage. So, for example, if an Arkansas same-
sex couple went to Massachusetts and married, the
state of Arkansas would not recognize their marriage
when the couple returned to Arkansas. The United
States Congress followed suit with the “Defense of
Marriage Act,”which forbade the federal government
from recognizing same-sex marriages even when
those marriages were entered into in states that
allowed same-sex marriage.
In 2013, in United States v. Windsor, the Supreme
Court of the United States struck down the portion
of the Defense of Marriage Act that precluded the
federal government from recognizing same-sex
marriages. At that time, slightly more than a dozen
states allowed and recognized same-sex marriage,
either as a result of popular vote or court decision.
The Windsor decision was based in part on the
premise that states had the right to define marriage
for its own people, and conservatives argued that
this (“federalism”) was the basis for the decision. But
Justice Kennedy, the author of the Windsor decision,
wrote in broad sweeping language that went much
further. The decision stated that treating same-sex
couples differently “demeans the couple, whose
moral and sexual choices the Constitution protects”
and that “it humiliates tens of thousands of children
now being raised by same-sex couples.” Justice
Kennedy further wrote that the “law in question
makes it more difficult for the children to understand
the integrity and closeness of their own family and
its concord with other families in the community and

their daily lives.” Clearly, the Windsor opinion did not
rest on mere federalism grounds alone. If it did, all the
Court had to do was say that definitions of marriage
were up to the states.
As might be expected, the Windsor decision brought
forth a flood of lawsuits all over the nation. These
lawsuits claimed that same-sex couples had a
constitutional right to marry and that states must
recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in
other states. In June 2015, the Supreme Court of the
United States agreed when it decided the Obergefell
case. In Obergefell, the Court declared that all laws
prohibiting same-sex marriage or the recognition
thereofviolatedtheequalprotectionanddueprocess
clauses of the United States Constitution.
At this point, absent a constitutional amendment (to
the United States Constitution), the right of same-sex
partners to marry is the law in the United States. No
state law or court decision can change that fact. And
it is extremely unlikely at this point that a move to
enact a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-
sex marriage would have enough momentum to
seriously get off the ground. Public opinion polls by
CNN and numerous other organizations in the United
States have shown majority support for the legal
recognitionofsame-sexmarriagesince2010.Support
for same-sex marriage generally correlates with
younger age (younger than 50), higher education,
and residence outside the southern U.S. However,
even polls of southern states have shown a majority
of younger voters are in favor of legal equality for
same-sex marriage. In light of this overwhelming
support, the likelihood that a reversal of course will
occur at this point seems remote. Times change.
It is important to note that the right of same-sex
couples to marry does not require that any religion
allow same-sex marriage within the religion if the
principles of the religion do not allow it. And at this
point, virtually no constitutional protections have
been extended to homosexuals as a group such as
those extended to other groups in the past based
on race or sex. Prohibitions against public—and
even private—discrimination against homosexuals
are springing up in various states and communities.
But in terms of United States constitutional law as
set forth in Supreme Court rulings, the situation
remains essentially the same as before Obergefell.
Homosexuals are not protected from discrimination
based on their status as homosexuals in any area
other than the right to marry a same-sex partner.
The pendulum appears to be swinging, however,
and court rulings barring such discrimination should
begin to mount over the next few years. Times do
change, but not overnight. Society is slow to evolve
and accept new concepts. And the law is even slower.
Jack Wagoner III is the founder of the Wagoner Law Firm in Little
Rock, Arkansas, and he has the highest ethical and legal ability
rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. The AV rating
signifies that he is considered a “very good” to “pre-eminent”
lawyer with the highest ethical standards. Martindale-Hubbell peer
review ratings are derived through anonymous polling of Arkansas
lawyers and judges familiar with Mr. Wagoner and his practice. For
ten consecutive years he has been listed in the publication “Best
Lawyers in America” (Bestlawyers.com). He has also been listed for
each of the last ten years as one of the Best Lawyers in Arkansas
by the Arkansas Times news magazine. He has been the featured
speaker on numerous occasions at continuing education seminars
conducted by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers’ Association and the
Arkansas Bar Association. Mr. Wagoner has served as a special judge
in Pulaski County Circuit Court. In 1988 Mr. Wagoner graduated with
honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) School
of Law. While in law school, he served as Associate Editor of the
UALR Law Journal.
Mr. Wagoner is a trial lawyer and has successfully litigated a wide
variety of cases before Arkansas judges and juries. He maintains a
substantial family law practice. He has recovered approximately
forty million dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients in a variety
of cases including business litigation, products liability, catastrophic
injury, wrongful death, and nursing home neglect and abuse.
He is the namesake of the Jack Wagoner Scholarship fund, which
provides an academic scholarship each year to a worthy student
at the UALR Bowen School of Law. Mr. Wagoner has taught as an
adjunct professor of law at the law school, teaching family law to
second- and third- year law students.

Word Tips & Tricks
Indexing Definitions and/or Headings and Subheadings
By Susan C. King
Susan C. King, Legal Word Processor, was hired by Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP as a floater secretary in 1994 and soon thereafter advanced into a legal secretarial
position. Three years later, she transferred into the Word Processing Department and is continuing her journey toward becoming a software specialist with strong ties
to training and macro development.
When Defined Terms need to be indexed, the Index Group set of keys can be a helpful tool. Indi-
vidual defined terms can be exclusive [only fill in Main entry] or Main Entry and Subentry can be
incorporated into an index. The index is sorted alphabetically, and the page number for each entry
marked in the document is listed. To mark entries for an index, see the following:

Gratitude
By Tashania Morris, ALS, CDF
Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that
happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward
achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
~ Brian Tracy
Sometimes our lives get so hectic that we tend to forget to say“thanks”to the people
we meet along the way. Mentors, teachers, bosses, family, and friends have played very
significant roles in our lives. Some have helped us to discover gifts we did not know
we had, acted as coaches cheering us on, while others have been a listening ear on
days we needed to vent. Our attitudes are extremely important and are often linked to
our personal and career development. If you are always complaining about what you
do not have, you will not be able to recognize what you do have.
Recently while on a short vacation, I was reminded of how blessed I am and how
thankful I should be. It has been said that most Americans are richer than 80 percent
of the rest of the world. Simple luxuries such as having access to clean drinking water,
a free K-12 education system, and job opportunities are sometimes things we take
for granted, forgetting that these things are not easily accessible in other parts of the
world and/or are extremely expensive. Once we have become accustomed to simple
luxuries, we tend to forget about the people who have sacrificed to make them
possible.
One of my newfound goals in life is to travel and, yes, I plan to visit all 50 states and
go to Europe one day very soon. No, I do not plan to stay in a hostel even though I
have heard from reliable sources that it is not as bad as it sounds. I will say it is a very
humbling experience to see how the rest of the world lives and experience different
cultures. Even travelling from state to state and seeing subcultures within a culture is
interesting. Taking time to step away from the hustle and bustle can be rejuvenating
to the human spirit. It might be the thing you need to get back your creativity. At this
time of the year it is important to reflect on the things that we are thankful for and, in
doing so, develop an attitude of gratitude all year around.

Giving Time
A great way to show someone you care is investing
in a relationship and giving them the gift of time. If
you have a subordinate who goes above and beyond,
someone that has played a pivotal role in helping you
out more than once—you might be able to spend
some time with that person, mentor them, and invest
in a great work relationship. If you have not invested
in any relationships, it is time to start—no man is an
island, especially at work.
Give a Compliment
One of the main things that employees complain
about is not being appreciated at work. You do not
have to be a boss to make someone feel appreciated
or compliment them. If someone has assisted you on
a project, it is okay to tell them thanks and express
how much their assistance made a big difference in
getting the work done. Give them a compliment! You
would be surprised by the number of people who walk
away without saying a simple thank you. I once had
a coworker who volunteered to help me on a project.
In return, I created a thank-you certificate. She was
extremely shocked by my gesture; I can still see the
smile on her face.
Give Back
Volunteering is a great way to give back. Some
companies have volunteer committees where they
allow employees who are interested in volunteering
to do so either on or off company time. It is a very
rewarding experience. I was a member of a volunteer
committeeatoneofmypreviousjobsandourmaingoal
was to get the employees interested in volunteering.
We would create flyers, collect money to be donated to
nonprofit organizations, and come up with fun ideas to
actively get employees engaged in the process.
Simple Things
Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that matter.
One thing I am looking to incorporate in my life is
sending thank-you cards to people who least expect it.
Justlettingsomeoneknowyoucare—itcanbesending
someone a card, a handwritten letter, or giving them a
$10 gift card to Starbucks or Einstein Bagels. Another
way is to prepay for a person’s meal without them
knowing. I recently listened to an interview about
Rosa’s Fresh Pizza where customers prepay for the next
person’s pizza. It helps to feed the homeless people—
giving them a slice of pizza they might otherwise not
have been able to afford. The most amazing part is
when they return to prepay for someone else’s pizza
after they find a job and a home. It is the gift that keeps
on giving.
Thank You
Thank you to NALS for the opportunities, information,
and resources you give to the members. Thank you to
the editorial board for doing a great job reviewing the
articles. It is an honor to be a part of this team. Thank
you, Theresa, for allowing me to write these articles.
I really appreciate your feedback, encouragement,
and most of all your patience. Thank you, Allison, for
your continued words of encouragement and I am
looking forward to working together and learning
from you. Thanks to April for all that you do, answering
all my questions, and making sure that everything
runs smoothly. Most of all, thanks to the readers
and everyone who helps to make this organization
great. Michelle Obama once said, “We learned about
gratitude and humility, that so many people had a
hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired
us to the janitors who kept our school clean, and we
were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat
everyone with respect.” There is always something and
someone to be thankful for.
Tashania Morris, ALS, CDF, has been a paralegal for over six years
specializing in foreclosure and later transitioning into bankruptcy.
She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in human resource
managementandlovesallthingscareerdevelopment. Herloveforthe
topic led her to complete a certificate course to earn the designation
of Career Development Facilitator. If you have any questions about
any of the articles written, suggestions about something you would
like Tashania to write about, or enjoyed reading the article, send her
a quick note. Tashania’s hope is to engage, inform, educate, and
promote change within. You can reach Tashania at Tashania_m@
hotmail.com.

Angélle Marie García, ACP, is a legal
administrative assistant specializing in
commercial transactions and business
counseling/corporate finance for
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell
& Berkowitz in Birmingham, Alabama.
After 20 years in the legal field, she
joined NALS to network with other
legal professionals and to learn from
the leaders in the association.
Angélle joined her local chapter, BLSA, a Chapter
of NALS, Inc., in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2014 and
started right away serving as Program Chairman for
2014-2015. She is now Vice President for 2015-2016.
Angélle says that being a part of NALS…the association for
legal professionals has helped her develop her opportunities
in the organization as well as in her firm.
If you will commit to being involved in
your organization and take advantage
of the wealth of information that is
provided to you, it is a game-changer for
a successful legal career.
Angélle says because of her involvement in NALS, she
has “become a more marketable and valuable legal
professional.The continuing legal education and networking
opportunitieshavealsoprovidedmewiththeconfidenceand
Member
Spotlight
Angélle Marie García, ACP

the connections to take on leadership roles in my
local chapter.” Taking on more responsibility has
given Angélle the confidence to take on another
leadership role in her law firm. She is now one of
four official mentors for new legal professionals
hired in the Birmingham office.
So far, the highlight of Angélle’s leadership service
to NALS was the opportunity as Vice President
of BSLA to attend the NALS 2015 Professional
Development & Educational Conference in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. At the conference Angélle received
information and encouragement from the leaders
of NALS. This inspired her to implement a strategy
that increased her local chapter’s membership by
almost 30% in her first quarter as Vice President,
exceeding the yearly goal by nearly 20%!
How did she do it? “I did it by going door to door
through my office presenting the benefits of
membership. Then I did something even more
important. I listened, really listened. I made
note of every obstacle a potential member
had to joining and I set out to remove as many
obstacles from the potential member’s path
as possible. For some, it was time; others, it
was money; and for still others, it was fear of
commitment. I documented all of the issues and
let each potential member know that I was there
to serve the needs of the membership and that I
would work to make joining easy and beneficial.
I filled out applications to about 80% completion
so completing the application took only seconds,
arranged for alternate lunchtime CLE programs
to accommodate schedules, and worked with
the firm for payment of annual dues. You see, in
order to increase your membership, you must
work on laying a solid foundation for building a
strong relationship with the person you wish to
serve by first listening and then serving. After all,
that is what we are all about, right? We are here
to engage, inspire, enhance, and promote legal
professionals and we do that through service.”
Although Angélle has had many highlights in her
legal career, she feels that the best moments are
when she is “able to be of service to our fellow
man through small, seemingly unimportant
gestures. It is in the small, quiet moments when
we are serving others that we achieve true
greatness. Then we become more than ourselves.
We become part of the greater good.”
Angélle has a way of seeing the big picture and
great potential in everyone. She is inspired by and
inspiring to others in her vision of possibilities:
I believe we are all leaders.
Being a leader is not in the
title but in the action. Take up
the challenge to be a leader in
your home, community, place
of business, and professional
organization. Remember this
quote by John Buchan: ‘The
task of leadership is not to put
greatness into people, but to
elicit it, for the greatness is
already there.’ Go forth and
elicit the greatness from those
around you by being the leader
you were born to be!
Through her membership and service to NALS,
Angélle has developed lifetime relationships and
she has broadened her knowledge with a network
of professionals who have expertise in a wide array
of fields. This network of legal professional friends
has been invaluable for work and for her life.
Angélle said the NALS experience brings to mind
the following quote from Helen Keller: “Alone we
can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Nominate a NALS member or chapter to
be featured in the “Spotlight” section of
the NALS docket by completing the online
nomination form at:
www.nals.org/spotlight

At the end of October, the NALS Leadership
Identification Committee (LIC) officially announced
the NALS Board of Directors slate for the 2016-
2017 year. To read the official release, please visit
www.nals.org/news/256528.
Additional information about each candidate is
now available. An overview and more details about
the election process are below for your reference.
Electronic Ballots—How It Works
All NALS members are encouraged to view
candidate web pages in advance of opening the
electronic ballot. Viewing a candidate’s web page
allows you to learn about the candidate and
make an informed decision when voting.
Electronic ballots will be emailed to all valid
email accounts registered with NALS beginning
November 2, 2015. Each NALS member will
receive an email from NALS providing a hyperlink
and voting instructions. Polls will be open for two
weeks, closing on November 16, 2015.
Once voting opens, if you do not see your ballot
in your email inbox, please check your spam filter
(particularly at work). If you are unable to locate
the ballot in your spam filter, please contact the
NALS Resource Center via our Contact Us form
(www.nals.org/contact) and the NALS staff will
investigate.
The elected Board members and officers will be
announced in late November after all candidates
have been notified of the election results.
NALS 2016-2017
Board of Directors Slate
Slated Officers
President
Darlene Howard
Secretary/Treasurer
Nakia A. Bradley-Lawson
Slated Board Members
Nakia A. Bradley-Lawson
View Nakia’s Profile:
www.nals.org/?bradleylawson
Three-Year Term (2016-2019)
Darlene Howard
View Darlene’s Profile:
www.nals.org/?howard
Three-Year Term (2016-2019)
Carl Morrison, PP-SC, AACP
View Carl’s Profile:
www.nals.org/?morrison
Re-Appointment to a Three-
Year Term (2016-2019)
Current Board Members
Karen McElroy, PP, PLS-SC Continuing third year of
current term (2015-2017)
Audrey M. Saxton, PP, PLS Continuing third year of
current term (2015-2017)

By Melissa Wells
NALS Certification/Education Manager
Exam Administrators Needed!
With NALS certification exams being offered this
year in conjunction with the NALS 2016 Professional
Development & Education Conference, it opens
up volunteer opportunities for anyone wishing
to serve as an Exam Administrator in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, this February! If you are intersted in
serving as an exam administrator on Wednesday,
February 24, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., please
visit www.nals.org/?page=examadmins for additional
information and to let us know of your interest.
September 2015 Certification Pass List
Now Available!
CongratulationstoallnewlycertifiedALPs,PLSs,andPPs
who passed the September 2015 certification exams!
You have tackled and successfully accomplished one of
the many opportunities that NALS offers its members.
Don’t stop the good work! Look forward to what you
can do now. Do you want to take the next certification
exam? Do you want to mentor a friend who is taking
an exam? Do you want to lead a study group? Or are
you ready to become an exam administrator? Your
possibilities are only limited by your desire. Get excited
about learning!
Click here to view the September 2015 certification
pass list: www.nals.org/?page=passlist.
EKU offers ABA-approved, partially online paralegal
programs designed with your busy schedule in mind.
n Associates, bachelors and post-baccalaureate options
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November 2015 - Career Corner

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