Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc.

Welcome to the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association's website!

Welcome to the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association's website! Please bookmark this page and check back often for the latest in news regarding TBPA. If you are a member, please log into the website and go to the "Member Center" for further information, including the Job Bank and Newsletter. If you are unable to login, please contact our Technology Chair/Webmaster.

Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc. ("TBPA") is an Affiliate Association of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. (NALA).

Message from the TBPA President

Spring has sprung!…I think, we had some lovely spring weather and all of a sudden a cold front has moved in. As much as I hate losing an hour, I do enjoy the later sunsets.

TBPA will be handing out water to the runners at the HCBA’s Annual Pro Bono 5k Run. This Run benefits pro bono programs in Hillsborough County. Did you know that there is a Food Festival after the run? The attorneys, firms and judges compete with the best food.

The seminar committee is finalizing the details for the annual seminar. Some of our topics include:

Updated Florida Rules of Civil Procedure;

Laurel Tesmer Celebrity Probate & Divorces;

Prevalent Ethical Violations in our Community.

There is still time to register for the Annual Seminar! Please be sure to check the Seminar page for updates. We are also planning a celebration for our 25th Anniversary which will be held immediately after the Seminar. If you have photos from prior TBPA events that you have attended, please forward them to me, we would love to see them and share them with other Members.

Join us in celebrating TBPA’s 25th anniversary at the social hour immediately following the seminar at Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Centro Ybor. You must register in advance to attend. https://www.tbpa.org/event-5946725

The next Wills for Heroes event is scheduled for Saturday, April 19th at the HCBA office in Downtown Tampa. We need notaries and witnesses. You can register to volunteer on our events page.

We are always looking for suggestions for speakers and topics. If you have a great speaker or a suggestion for a CLE topic (is there hot topic in your area of practice? a new rule change or proposed rule change?), please reach out and share.

NALA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. The NALA Conference will be held July 10th through 12th in Atlantic City, you can register for the conference now. Early bird discount ends May 7th. https://nala.org/nala-conference-expo/

Feel free to reach out to me anytime if you have questions or suggestions on how to continue to grow TBPA.

Sincerely,

Nita Serrano, ACP, FRP, AACP

President

Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc.

president@tbpa.org

www.tbpa.org

Please note Effective January 2025, Monthly CLE Luncheons have moved to the second Tuesday of each month!!

Upcoming Events

TBPA June CLE Luncheon Event

Thursday, June 12, 2025 11:45 AM • at The University Club, 38th Floor, 201 N. Franklin St., Tampa, FL

Wills for Heroes - Pro Bono Opportunity

Saturday, July 19, 2025 9:00 AM • Hillsborough County Bar Association - 1610 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602

Wills for Heroes - Pro Bono Opportunity

Saturday, October 18, 2025 9:00 AM • Hillsborough County Bar Association - 1610 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602

TBPA Contact

As a member-driven organization, we love to receive input and feedback from our members. Please feel free to contact us with any comments or suggestions.

TBPA President: Nita Serrano, ACP, FRP, AACP

Send an email to Nita at president@tbpa.org

TBPA Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2840, Tampa, FL 33601

Membership Applications are available and more info on the membership categories and member benefits can be found under the Join Us tab. Any questions regarding membership may be directed to the 2nd VP/Membership Chair at membership@tbpa.org.

TBPA is Affiliated with

Florida Bar News

The Florida Bar News recently posted a very interesting article on March 21, 2019 titled Survey Looks at Paralegal Salaries that discusses paralegal's salaries. "Sixty-two percent of Florida law firms use paralegals and 51 percent of those say their paralegals averaged more than 1,000 billable hours last year" Do you know what average salaries for paralegals are where you live? Take a look at the full article here.

In a recent FRP News email from the Florida Bar, Shelly Zambo, FRP wrote the following: "The Florida Bar FRP Enrichment Committee is on the Move." The future is bright for Florida Registered Paralegals. The inaugural meeting of the Florida Bar’s newly-formed Florida Registered Paralegal Enrichment Committee was held at the Bar’s Winter Meeting on January 18, 2019 in Orlando. The mission of the Paralegal Enrichment Committee is to bring more awareness to the legal community as to how valuable Florida Registered Paralegals are to the legal profession.

See the entire email here.

Thank you to our 2025 Seminar Diamond Co-Sponsors!

Interested in being a Sponsor or Exhibitor at the 2025 Seminar?

If you are interested in being a Sponsor or Exhibitor at the 2025 TBPA Seminar, download the Prospectus here, sign and return to the Seminar Committee at Seminar@tbpa.org. Contact the Seminar Committee with any questions.

Interested in being a Monthly CLE Sponsor?

We welcome Sponsors for our future Monthly CLE Luncheon Events held in 2025 at The University Club. Download the Commitment Form and complete today to secure your preferred monthly event date! Months are starting to fill-up! Email your completed Monthly CLE Event Commitment to monthlycle@tbpa.org to secure your Monthly CLE Sponsorship.

Sign up for a Monthly CLE Event and be recognized here on this webpage during the month of your sponsorship and on the specific Month's CLE Event Emails!

If you have any difficulty logging in or experience a dead link or other problems navigating the website, please contact the Webmaster.

TBPA is a voluntary professional association and does not make any representation, endorsement or guarantee as to the quality, reliability, competency, accuracy, business practice/standards/ethics, or professionalism of any member of TBPA. TBPA does not conduct background checks or any other form of due diligence on any person or business applying for membership with TBPA.