By Laura Orlando, VCPA President
Time flies when we are having fun... With our new Board now settled in to their new positions, we are all geared up to bring bigger and better things to our members and the legal community.
As we begin the year, we have committees already in the throws of planning the annual education conference and the wine tasting event.
The Santa Barbara and Ventura Paralegal Associations are currently working hard to bring you the Springtime MCLE Educational Conference. The conference will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008, at the same place as last year - the beautiful Four Points Sheraton in Ventura’s harbor. Please find the flyer for the conference in this newsletter and sign up to attend. It’s a great opportunity to keep up with your paralegal education requirements while networking with our neighboring association. I look forward to seeing you there.
As you know, VCPA is dedicated to educating, promoting, and strengthening the paralegal within the community in which we work and live. It is also our commitment as a professional organization to spread the word about California Business and Professions Code Section 6450-6456 (B&P 6450 et. seq.). As a member of VCPA you can help. Please take every opportunity to inform your colleagues about the importance of the law that affects paralegals, attorneys, and law firms alike. You will further note in the enclosed B&P 6450 et. seq. the paralegal MCLE requirements are set forth in Section 6450(d):
“Every two years, commencing January 1, 2007, any person that is working as a paralegal shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics and four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in either general law or in an area of specialized law. All continuing legal education courses shall meet the requirements of Section 6070. Certification of these continuing education requirements shall be made with the paralegal’s supervising attorney. The paralegal shall be responsible for keeping a record of the paralegal’s certifications.”
Finally, please check the VCPA website for confirmation of our upcoming Wine Tasting & Silent Auction on May 8, 2008 at the Four Points Sheraton. As usual, there will be tasty wine, enjoyable music, and great auction items to choose from - Promising to make the evening fun for all. You won’t want to miss it! Plan to bring your spouse, significant other, friends, or family.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at Lco@californiatrustattorney.com or at (805) 267-1141.
Laura Orlando, Paralegal
Ventura County Paralegal Association, President