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In this issue:
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July 12, 2006 - Deadline for NALS Region 6 registration. July 28-30, 2006 - NALS Region 6 Meeting and Educational Conference. July 31, 2006 - NALS 2006 National Forum regular registration deadline. |
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I read a quote recently from Mark Twain - "Why not go out on limb? That's where the fruit is?" Well, I am ready to go out on a limb and pick some fruit. Does anyone want to go with me? You know, the fruit may not be easy to get to, but once you get there, the reward is great. I think accomplishments tend to mean more when we have to work for them and they don't come easy. I think certification is a good fruit to go out on a limb for. It is not easy to reach, but the rewards are well worth it! I will even commit to studying with you. Okay, I am really going to go out on a limb, I am going to start studying to take the Texas Civil Litigation exam. I hope I can encourage you to find an exam to study for. There are several different exams to choose from; the ALS, the PLS, Certified Professional Paralegal and the two state specific exams TISC - Real Estate Exam and TISC - Civil Litigation Exam. The next limb I am going to crawl out on is that I would like to start an informal mentoring program. I mentioned it at the Certification Lunch in Lubbock and quite a few of you raised your hand and said you would be willing to be a mentor. Well, now I am looking for you!!! If you would be willing to mentor a member who wants to take an exam, can you email me? jlicking@kempsmith.com Now, if you are a member who is interested in taking an exam and just don't quite know where to start and want some encouragement, I would like for you to email me also. If you are planning on taking the ALS, PLS, or Certified PP exam in September, the application deadline is August 1, 2006. The NALS website, NALS.ORG is a great resource to find information on these exams. If you have a chance, check it out. Just another date to put on your calendar is the February 2007 Winter Board Meeting. The Certification Committee will be hosting a study session for the PLS exam. If you are thinking of taking this exam in March, please mark this conference on your calendar to attend. There will be more information upcoming. Last, but not least, for those of you looking for some CLE, please check out the TALP website, a new quiz will be posted shortly. Also, look for a new quiz with material taken from the latest Docket.
I am looking forward to this year. Let's go
pick some fruit!!!!
Jorie Licking, Certified
PP, PLS
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From the NALS Professional Development Conference When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you welcome a stranger to our meeting, and I learned that it was important to include everyone. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you invite everyone’s comments and suggestions, and I learned to appreciate and respect many different points of view. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you thank someone for a job well done, and I learned that little things can be the special things in life. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you publicly recognize my work on a committee, and I immediately wanted to do more. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give your time to mentor others, and I learned that it was good to help people learn and grow. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good or when there were tough problems, and I learned to persevere. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how much you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say “thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.” |
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One of the most important elements in marketing is developing the right message for your target audience. In a short and concise manner, you need to be able to convey who you are, what you offer, and how that will benefit the prospective member. When developing your message, consider these four basic essentials: product, audience, awareness, and delivery.
Consistency and persistence count. Your target audience is also being recruited by other legal associations. You need to emphasize the most important facet of your message and keep repeating it over and over again. Don’t expect an immediate response from your first effort. Rather realize that name recognition and image are established over time through repetition and consistency. |
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Membership 101: Where do I begin? Since this is Membership 101, let’s start with the basics of developing a membership campaign. It is important to have a plan. 1. Plan your campaign. Start by defining your objective. Do you want to market to new members? Do you want to hold an event to thank the renewing members? Do you want to market to student members? Next, set your goal. This can be as simple as stating “Our new member drive will reach the goal of 10 new members.” 2. Set your deadlines and work on the details. Determine how long you want the membership drive to last, whether it is for a one-time event or several events throughout the year. Keeping the campaign short can keep your volunteer members motivated and focused. Decisions need to be made about the location, date, time, whether food will be served, door prizes, etc. 3. Know your members. Knowing how many of the chapter members will be participating is important, since it will help you organize what is needed to reach the chapter’s goals. By all means encourage every member to be a part of the fun! Even a brand new member can contribute and this gives all members the opportunity to work together as a team. 4. Money talks. Don’t hesitate to ask your boss, a local business member or even a potential business member to donate goods, services, or cool cash to help with the expenses of the campaign. All anyone can do is tell you no, right? If you’ve had experience with a toddler, you can handle this! 5. Motivate your members. It is important to maintain close contact with your volunteer members and to motivate and encourage them. Being a positive role model is a great start to achieving success. Need more information? The Membership Committee is here to help you with all of your membership needs. Please contact Leslie Stokes (800-448-2889 or legal1superstar@yahoo.com) if you need any membership materials, brochures, or have questions on how to adapt and overcome any membership difficulties.
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As I prepare for my role as president of Texas ALP, I realize it will be exciting, but challenging. Excitement is abundant, but I quickly realized that the challenge will be in recruiting the leadership team to serve our association. Many times members are hesitant to volunteer because of work or family demands, or uncertainty of what may be involved with their service. While I may not be able to solve the work or family demands that you face, I will make an effort each month to solve the questions about service to our association. In each issue of the Roundup, I plan to highlight the duties of a few committees, how many volunteers are needed, and the amount of time involved with working on those committees. The AWARDS COMMITTEE is responsible for coordinating the Legal Professional of the Year (“LPY”) and Scholarship awards, which awards are presented at the Texas ALP Annual Meeting. This committee selects three judges for each competition (six total), and three alternate judges for the LPY competition. The Awards Committee checks all nomination forms and documents to ensure that all rules and regulations have been complied with and then forwards the documents to the respective judges for review. The chair notifies the scholarship winner, his/her sponsoring chapter, and the LPY finalists. The chair also coordinates the LPY interviews with the judges at the annual meeting. The LPY winner is announced by the committee chair at the Presidents' Banquet at the conclusion of the annual meeting. This committee works best with one chairman and one committee member from the host chapter of the annual meeting. Most of the work for this committee is done near to the time of and at the annual meeting. The CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE is Texas ALP's liaison with NALS with respect to the PP, PLS, and ALS programs and with the Texas Institute for Specialty Certification for its specialization exams. The committee contributes a monthly submission to the Texas Roundup to promote the certification programs and to keep our members apprised of exam dates, deadlines, and certification program changes. The committee's highlight of the year occurs at the annual Certification luncheon in May, at which time annual awards are presented to chapters for their certification efforts throughout the year. The program for that luncheon is planned by this committee, and coordinated with the annual meeting host chapter. This committee works best with one chairman and two committee members. Typically, the work of this committee is centered around the national exam schedule and the TALP annual meeting, and does not require much day-to-day participation from its members. You get more from your association when you are involved – whether it is by working on a committee, serving as a committee chair, or attending a Texas ALP meeting,. You can find the 2007-2008 preference sheet (on which to note the committee you are interested in) on the Texas ALP website. If you would consider serving as a chairman, please so indicate on the form. You can email the preference sheet to me or deliver it at our next TALP meeting. Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions about any of the TALP committees. As always, I'm just waiting to hear from you. :) ~~ Cheryl |
