President's Message
by Charlene Bullock  

It is hard to believe that three-fourths of the year are already gone. Soon we will be wearing our coats and carrying umbrellas as fall and winter approach. Schools are back in full swing, and neighborhoods are quiet with the children in school all day. And Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.

The recipient of the 2003-2004 SJALA paralegal scholarship awarded by Fresno City College is Kimberly Betancur. The scholarship was formally awarded to Kimberly at the awards ceremony held in the theater at the college on the evening of August 22, 2003. Congratulations Kimberly. SJALA is pleased to assist you in your educational endeavors in the field of paralegalism. It is indeed an exciting time with many opportunities in our fast growing career field. Good luck!

NOMINATE, NOMINATE, NOMINATE - Enclosed as an insert in the newsletter mailed to all members is the Nomination of Officers ballot. It is very important for all voting members to nominate the voting members they want to see sitting on the Board of Directors next year. This is my last term as President. Also, several of the current board members are looking forward to retiring as well after having served many years as officers and directors. It is time for new blood, new ideas, and involvement by other voting members. So please complete the nomination ballots and return them by September 30, 2003, so that the voting ballots can be sent out and returned in time for newly nominated officers to attend the leadership conference at Bass Lake on November 7 and 8.

The American Heart Walk/Lawyers Have Heart Run is in the final planning stages. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, September 20, 2003, at Woodward Park. The function drew more than 1,500 people last year, and more are expected this year. It is a heart healthy event for members of the legal community, medical community, public at large, children, families, co-workers, grandparents, babies, teens, and everyone. The event supports the American Heart Association and is held in more than 600 cities nationwide. All of the Fresno County Bar Association members and law firms have been contacted this year by the Lawyers Have Heart Run Committee, of which I am a member, and many firms, individual attorneys, and vendors providing services to our legal community are sponsoring the event. Get your team together, get your registration forms into the American Heart Association, and come out for a great day of walking, running, eating, and a wide variety and array of performances, childrens’ activities, and exercise. If you need registration forms, call Anthony DeMaria, Chairman of the Lawyers Have Heart Run, Mike Ball or myself at 433-1300, or call the American Heart Association office.

SJALA will host the 2003 CAPA Leadership Conference to be held at The Pines at Bass Lake on November 7 and 8. Jodi Ruddick will be returning to the event this year as the motivational speaker. She did an outstanding job at the 1999 leadership conference at Bass Lake. The event will kick off on Friday night November 7 at 6:00 p.m. with a pizza and get acquainted evening at the Tennis Club at The Pines. The Saturday seminar will start at 8:00 a.m. in the Lakeview Room at The Pines, and includes a buffet breakfast, buffet lunch, and sit down dinner with closing ceremonies. The cost is $40.00 per person and includes both of the Friday and Saturday events. This is a very worthwhile event that focuses on increasing membership of the associations, event planning, and many other things that can be done by associations to make it better and more interesting for their members. With educational criteria now required of paralegals, it is essential that the associations provide MCLE seminars and sponsored events for its members. If you are interested in attending the leadership conference, please call me at 433-2328, and I will send you a registration form.

Also enclosed with the newsletter is the salary survey recently prepared with information provided by all of the current voting members of SJALA for whom we had email addresses. Larry Kirlin, Manager of Attorney’s Diversified Services in Fresno, a sustaining member of SJALA, spent numerous hours in setting up the computer program and survey, emailing it to members, and calculating the results for the final report enclosed herein. Many thanks to Larry Kirlin for a great job and for his countless hours of support to the association. Thanks, Larry.

The Fresno County Law Library has approached SJALA to provide a member to sit on their committee that oversees selection of materials for the library. The committee would like this person to be a working paralegal who could provide ideas and input as to materials for the library more directed at assisting paralegals, and to make the law library more user friendly for paralegals. The law library committee is interested in forming a cohesive working relationship with paralegals in our community. The committee currently consists of not only law library personnel, but attorneys and business people as well. This is a great opportunity not only for SJALA, but for all paralegals in our area. The committee would like to see a working paralegal who is also an officer/director of SJALA so that the exchange of information can be had between SJALA’s board on behalf of its members and the committee. By all means, if you are interested in sitting on the library committee and providing a great service to all of the paralegals in our area and the legal community at large, please contact me at 433-2328.