This document provides information from the Tennessee Paralegal Association including: - Announcements about the recent fall seminar and election of new officers for 2012 - A message from the new 2012 President-Elect welcoming members and commitment to support the association - A notice requesting volunteers for the Paralegal Advocate Team and information about publishing opportunities for students - Details on upcoming seminars, scholarship opportunities, and state chapter news - An article on lessons paralegals can learn from Santa Claus to ensure job security - Contact information for TPA board members and deadlines for submitting items to the quarterly Paralegal Advocate newsletter

1. ♦♦ ♦♦
♦ President’s Message
♦ President Elect’s Message
♦ Spring Seminar Rotation
♦ Request for Volunteers from Your
Paralegal Advocate Team
♦ NOTICE STUDENTS:
Publishing Opportunity
♦ Scholarship for Students
♦ Award Scholarship for Members
♦ Scholarship Recipients for 2011
♦ NALA Campus Live
♦ State & Chapter News
♦ Fall & Spring Seminar
♦ Job Security? Take Your Cues
from Santa Clause!
—By: Vicki Voisin, ACP
♦ 2011 Board Members & Directors
♦ NALA CP/CLA Exam Schedule
♦ Sustaining Members
♦ The Paralegal Advocate Team
♦ Deadlines & Contact Information
Tennessee Paralegal Association
Post Office Box 21723
Chattanooga, TN 37424
♦♦ E-Mail: info@tnparalegal.org ♦♦ Web Site: http://www.tnparalegal.org ♦♦
Greetings TPA Members:
We recently hosted our Fall Seminar in Lebanon, Ten-
nessee. The topics were great and the speakers were
wonderful. LaFran Plunk did a great job, so much so
she has been elected to First Vice President for the 2012
year.
At our Annual Meeting we elected new officers for the
2012 year. They are as follows:
President—Louise C. Mulderink, CP
First Vice President—LaFran Plunk
Second Vice President—Christie Gass
Treasurer—Phyllis Carter
Secretary—Pamela K. Leckey, CLA
NALA Liaison—Caleeta Beagles
W. TN Regional Director—Jennifer Petty
C. TN Regional Director—Rachael Reach
E. TN Regional Director—Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP
Congratulations to all officers. I wish you the best in the
upcoming year!
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christ-
mas and a Happy New Year!!
Yours very truly,
Sherri S. Fawver, CP
TPA President

2. Happy Holidays TPA Members!
I am very proud to have been elected President of the Tennessee Paralegal Association for the
upcoming 2012-2013 term at TPA’s 2011 Fall Annual Meeting and Seminar.
The TPA Board and I will give our very best efforts and energy to support each Chapter in eve-
ry way possible and to continue the building process will ensure that TPA remains a viable as-
sociation that reflects the professionalism and integrity of the paralegal profession in Tennes-
see. Further, I am personally committed to every TPA member to listen to you, to assist you
and to support you, individually and as a chapter, in your journey to grow professionally and
become an active and productive branch of TPA.
We cannot meet our goals and your expectations without every member’s participation in some
way. You have an opportunity to participate. You have an opportunity to make a differ-
ence. Your individual expertise is needed to continue TPA’s success.
Once the Board meets for its first meeting in early January, we will be back to report how you
can help as we “grow” forward in 2012.
I wish you all a Joyous and Happy Holiday Season and very Merry Christmas!
Louise C. Mulderink, CP
2012 President Elect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring Seminar Rotation: Central 2012, West 2013, East 2014, Southeast 2015
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Request for Volunteers to join the Paralegal Advocate Team: We want to put your skills
to work at what you do best. You determine the time commitment. We tell you what we need
and you tell us what you are able to contribute. This is a great for adding to your resume and
opportunity to be more active in your Association while doing what you enjoy.
♦ Authoring articles on legal topics or additional information of interest for our Mem-
bership;
♦ Selection of relevant legal articles from various sources & obtaining permission
from author for publication in The Paralegal Advocate;
♦ Requesting individuals in the legal field to write an article for The Paralegal Advo-
cate;
♦Proofreading submitted articles &/or final draft of The Paralegal Advocate for publi-
cation;
♦Marketing liaison – reach out to vendors in the legal field to see if they want to ad-
vertise in our newsletter;
♦Creative submissions or standing column is another consideration/opportunity
If you are interested in volunteering to join our Team, please e-mail us at in-
fo@tnparalegal.org Thank you very much. Your Paralegal Advocate Team

3. NOTICE:
PARALEGAL/LEGAL ASSISTANT STUDIES STUDENTS
Looking for written articles from paralegal/legal assistant studies students to publish in
our quarterly newsletters.
Basic guidelines: Article/essay can be up to 2 pages. Topic should be on a current legal
issue, topic, or subject. It can be an essay or informational piece on the chosen topic.
Article can be sent by e-mail to info@tnparalegal.org with subject heading “Student arti-
cle submission for review to the Paralegal Advocate” – student will need to include full
name, e-mail contact and school attending.
The student, if article is selected, can add to his or her resume as being selected for pub-
lication in our newsletter & will need to submit final in Word document for publishing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCHOLARSHIPS
SPONSORED BY TPA
The Lawassa B. Jones Scholarship
(For Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Major Students)
2011 Scholarship Recipient Elizabeth Green
&
A CP/CLA Exam Scholarship
(For Tennessee Paralegal Association Members)
2011 Scholarship Recipient Rachael Reach
For more information
GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT:
www.tnparalegal.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please forward any announcements for The Paralegal Advocate to in-
fo@tnparalegal.org Attn: Paralegal Advocate Team
NALA CAMPUS LIVE!
GO TO http://www.nalacampus.com

4. Our Fall Seminar and Annual Meeting was held on November 4th & 5th. It was
a great seminar. LaFran Plunk, our First-Vice President, did an awesome job in
coordinating this event.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR APRIL 20 & 21—UPCOMING SPRING SEMINAR
Holiday Inn Express & Suites—Lebanon, TN
Watch our Website and Upcoming Newsletters for New Information
Our West TN Chapter always has devoted members that contribute immensely to our
Association and its Chapter. The geographic location in the West provided many chal-
lenges for members to be active in participation of their Chapter membership meetings
and regularly scheduled activities as a Chapter. The West Chapter is dormant for the
next year and hopefully by this upcoming Spring a new interest in active involvement
for membership will be present. The small number of West Chapter members are elect-
ing currently to be members At Large.
The Southeast Chapter continues to have their Lunch ‘N Learn Luncheons on the third
Tuesday of each month, with the exception for their Christmas Luncheon being moved
to the second Tuesday to accommodate holiday schedules and to allow time for volun-
teers to participate in United Way’s Gift Tree Project occurring during the 3rd week of
December.
Our new Central Chapter is meeting the challenge of growing their Chapter. Rachael
Reach and Theresa Carrico have been promoting our Association at a number of local
paralegal schools.
Our East Chapter continues to work on their book drive for the Knox County Jail Li-
brary (a project started at the Public Defender’s office) and assisting with Second Har-
vest. Also, they have been working on a membership drive, including calling current
and recent members to see what more can be offered to our Membership that is not cur-
rently being met.

5. Santa Claus must hold the record for job longevity. After all, he's held the same job for years and years,
through good times and bad, with nary a lay-off and, certainly, no downsizing. Really, Santa is indispensable
because absolutely nobody can do his job as well as he can.
In this time of employment uncertainty, paralegals should take a few cues from Santa:
Santa appreciates the importance of his team. Santa understands that he can't do his job without the sup-
port of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen, as well as Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
He also recognizes that certain team members are uniquely qualified to do certain types of work. For instance,
Rudolph with nose so bright was invaluable on that foggy Christmas Eve when he was called upon to guide the
Santa's sleigh.
Santa multi-tasks. When he barely has time to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner before the holiday rush
begins and he's expected to be everywhere all at once, Santa makes a list and checks it twice to find out who's
been naughty and nice and also to be sure he's got everyone covered. He's practically guaranteed no detail will
slip through the cracks.
Santa dresses appropriately. Granted he gets to wear a uniform (I suppose that's what you'd call his red
velour suit) but even if he doesn't like it, he wears it like a true professional because he knows he needs to look
the part. After all, it just wouldn't be right if Santa showed up in jeans and flip-flops.
Santa doesn't waste time. Remember how Santa slid down the chimney and said not a word but went
straight to his work? He knows that the only way to finish a project on time is to stay focused and minimize in-
terruptions.
Santa delegates. Knowing he should do only what only he can do, Santa delegates a bunch of the work to
his elves. He also utilizes plenty of "stand-in" Santas to cover all the malls and Christmas Parties. This f'rees him
up to do only what he personally has to do to be sure deadlines are met and an excellent job is done.
Santa does even the dirtiest parts of his job with a smile. Who else would slide down a sooty chimney and
land with twinkling eyes and merry dimples? Santa's not a slacker...he gets the job done regardless of what he
has to do to make it happen.
Santa fulfills wishes, often without being asked. Anticipating what someone wants or what needs to be
done is just part of his job description. Johnny wants a pair of skates? Suzy wants a doll? Nelly wants a story
book? He's all over it! Two front teeth? You got it! Elephants, boats and kiddie cars, too? Done!
Santa uses appropriate language. There's only one permissible 4-letter word for Santa: Hoho! Other than
that, Santa speaks in complete sentences without the need for foul language to make his point.
Granted, Santa enjoys a lot of perks: he flies around the world without a passport or airport pat downs
and he gets oodles of f'ree cookies. When things do get stressful between Thanksgiving and Christmas, though,
Santa doesn't complain, he just does his job...and does it well...and then hunkers down at the North Pole to get
ready for the next year. Things may slow down but he never quits working toward his December 24-25th dead-
line.
Your challenge? Think about Santa's practices and work ethic. Which can you apply to your own job to
not only make your work more challenging and interesting (without sliding down any chimneys!) but also make
yourself indispensible to your employer?
=========================
©2010 Vicki Voisin, Inc.
Do you want to use this article in your newsletter, ezine or Web site? You can so long as you include this entire blurb with it:
Vicki Voisin, "The Paralegal Mentor", delivers simple strategies for paralegals and other professionals to create success and
satisfaction by achieving goals and determining the direction they will take their careers. Vicki spotlights resources, organiza-
tional tips, ethics issues, and other areas of continuing education to help paralegals and others reach their full potential. She
publishes a weekly ezine titled Paralegal Strategies and co-hosts The Paralegal Voice, a monthly podcast produced by Legal
Talk Network. More information is available at http:.paralegalmentor.com.

6. Contact the officers/board members via our new e-mail address at:
info@tnparalegal.com or directly from our website at www.tnparalegal.org
President: Sherri S. Fawver, CP, Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan, Knoxville
First Vice President: LaFran Plunk, West Tennessee Legal Services, Jackson
Second Vice President: Christie L. Gass, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chattanooga
NALA Liaison: Tammie Murphy, CLA, Toppenberg & Burke, P.C., Knoxville
Secretary: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga
Treasurer: Phyllis A. Carter, SunTrust Bank (Retired), Chattanooga
Central Region Director: Rachael Reach, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville
East Region Director: Pamela K. Leckey, CLA, Peggy G. Comstock Attorney at Law, Knoxville
West Region Director: Tammy R. Bradford, John D. Hamilton Attorney at Law, Jackson
Central TN Chapter Chair: Theresa Carrico, CP, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville
East TN Chapter Chair: Nita Gorman, Gary A. Davis and Associates, North Carolina
S.E. TN Chapter Chair: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga
West TN Chapter Chair: Courtney Sydnor, Nix, Patterson & Roach LLP, Jackson
Historian: Susan Westmoreland, CEBS, Horton & Maddox PLLC (Retired), Chattanooga
Parliamentarian: Susan Westmoreland, CEBS, Horton & Maddox PLLC (Retired), Chattanooga
Publication Chair: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga
Website Committee Chair: Theresa Carrico, CP, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville

7. http://www.nashvillelibrary.info/
http://www.everythingjustso.com/
Remember Our Sustaining Members
Who Support Us!!
Thank You!!
http://gibsonreporters.com/

8. http://www.nadn.org
Remember Our Sustaining Members
Who Support Us!!
Thank You!!
http://www.roanestate.edu/
http://www.utc.edu/

9. Is published quarterly by the Tennessee Paralegal Association, an affiliate of the National
Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. Articles and other information for the newsletter
should be sent to the Advocate Team at the below e-mail address. Please title subject head-
ing “For TPA Advocate.”
info@tnparalegal.org
UPCOMING ISSUE
DEADLINES
SPRING: MARCH 25, 2012
SUMMER: JUNE 25, 2012
FALL: SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
WINTER: DECEMBER 25, 2012
SPECIAL REQUEST:
PLEASE SUBMIT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO DEADLNE, IF POSSIBLE. THANKS!
MESSAGE FROM THE PARALEGAL ADVOCATE TEAM
We would appreciate your contribution to The Paralegal Advocate by submitting articles
of interest to you to be published. Please note the deadlines for each issue and feel free
to provide any information you would like published prior to the deadline.
If you would like to have articles published on specific topics in the Advocate, please
contact us.
— The Paralegal Advocate Team