October, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NALS of Northeast Ohio is the new name of a 31-year-old legal professionals group based in Medina. Reflecting an enlarged membership area that draws from Summit and Cuyahoga Counties as well as Medina, Wayne and Lorain Counties, members of the Medina County Association for Legal Professionals have voted to change to the new name, effective October, 2008.
“We are excited about the name change,” said the group’s President, Heather J. Koerner, PLS of Tallmadge, who is employed with Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP, Akron. “We feel that NALS of Northeast Ohio will help us continue to grow and to become an even stronger association in the legal community.”
NALS of Northeast Ohio is one of three Ohio chapters of the national professional development organization NALS (“The Association for Legal Professionals”; formerly the “National Association for Legal Secretaries”) which offers several national levels of professional certification including PLS (Professional Legal Secretary) and PP (Professional Paralegal). The 27 members of the local chapter include legal secretaries, paralegals, legal assistants, and court employees.
The local organization, holds monthly dinner meetings from September through May with guest speakers in educational programs for continuing legal education (CLE) credit. NALS is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of those who work in the legal support field through education, certification of skills and networking.
October 16, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
* Supreme Court Justice O’Connor at Medina Legal Professionals 30-year Anniversary *
MEDINA -- Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor will be the speaker at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2007, for the 30th anniversary celebration of the Medina County Association for Legal Professionals. The speech, preceded by a reception beginning at 5 p.m., will be open to the public in Courtroom 1 of the Medina County Courthouse, 93 Public Square, Medina.
In connection with national Court Observance Week*, there will also be a ceremony recognizing Medina County attorneys who have been in practice for longer than 30 years.
The Medina County Association for Legal Professionals is made up of legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, court employees and other professionals in legal work in Medina and surrounding counties. The group is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of those who work in legal services and support, through education, certification of skills and networking. It administers the notary program in Medina County and also sponsors an annual scholarship program that awards $1,000 for up to four years for recipients pursuing legal studies.
The organization was formed as the Medina County Legal Secretaries Association on August 13, 1977. It is a chartered affiliate of the national nonprofit NALS, The Association for Legal Professionals. SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1The national organization offers accredited certification as Advanced Legal Secretary (ALS), Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) and Professional Paralegal (PP).
The first President was Marlene L. Oiler, and the other founding members were Nancy Suvak, Edna Carver, and Mary Ann Ramey.
The group’s current officers are: Lola S. Carr, President; Heather J. Koerner, President-Elect; Christine Sparr, Secretary; and Nicola M. Hansen, Treasurer. There are 26 members, including two student members, three retired members, and one honorary member, retired Medina County Common Pleas Judge Judith Cross.
The group sponsors dinner meetings on the second Wednesday of each month, which include invited speakers on all areas of legal practice. Prospective members are welcome to attend as guests. If you are interested in attending and wish more information about the organization, send an email to MedinaLegalPros@gmail.com. For more information, see its website at www.medinalegalprofessionals.org or the national NALS site at www.nals.org.
* Court Observance Week was founded in 1974 by proclamation of then-President Gerald Ford, as a week each October for legal services staff to promote participation in the U.S. Court system.
Medina County Association for Legal Professionals
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September 1, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
* Attorney-author Richard J. Marco, Sr., speaker for association of legal professionals *
MEDINA -- Former criminal defense attorney turned crime fiction author Richard J. Marco, Sr., of Medina will be the speaker at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 12, at Alexandris Restaurant, 2835 Medina Road (State Route 18), Medina, for the monthly meeting of the Medina County Association of Legal Professionals (MCALP). He will tell about his transition from practicing law to retirement and his new occupation of writing stories.
Marco is the author of two novels about crimes in a small town called “Milltown” which resembles the Medina County seat, and he is working on a third book. He will autograph copies of his first two, With Blinders On, and Who Killed June? Both are available from Borders Books, Medina.
This will be MCALP’s first meeting of the 2007-08 year. The group’s officers for the new year are: Lola S. Carr, President; Heather J. Koerner, President-Elect; Christine Sparr, Secretary; and Nicola M. Hansen, Treasurer.
MCALP is a non-profit association of legal secretaries, paralegals, legal assistants, and city and county court employees who live in and/or work in Medina and surrounding counties. It is affiliated with NALS, The Association For Legal Professionals, nationally. The organization is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of those who work in the legal support field through education, certification of skills and networking.
Prospective members are welcome to attend as guests. If you are interested in attending and wish more information about MCALP and its September meeting, please email OhioNALS@gmail.com. For more information on MCALP, log on to the group's website at www.medinalegalprofessionals.org.
