TBPA 2022 SPRING PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear TBPA Members and Guests:

It is hard to believe that we are already well into spring (and almost summer)!  Your TBPA Board has been very busy this year since I have had the honor of serving as your new President for 2022!  The Board and I look forward to working with you all and continuing to grow the success of our Association with your help. 

Below is our current TBPA Board:

President: Melissa J. Cook, FRP
President Elect:  Frank Steinbeck Jr., FRP
1^st Vice President: Linda Woolard, ACP, FCP, FRP
2nd Vice President: Emily Merlin, CP
Secretary: Irene Hahn, CRP
Director: Katie Turley, CP, FRP
Director: Jeff Rizzo, CP

We are still seeking a Treasurer; however, the President Elect, Frank Steinbeck, has agreed to continue to assist with our treasury until we have a new Treasurer. Also, we are seeking a few more Directors to assist us as we resume activities with the pandemic waning, so if you are interested in being a part of this great group of leaders, please reach out to myself via president@tbpa.org. 

Accomplishments to date in 2022:

We have accomplished many things in 2022, including continuing to provide Monthly CLE Events in-person since September 2021.  Prior to that we provided the Monthly CLE Events via virtual pre-recorded participation with the assistance of Trial Consulting Services (TCS). If you know of any attorneys you’d like to present a legal topic during an upcoming Monthly CLE Event, please let our Monthly CLE team know. We are lining up speakers through next year, so your suggestions are welcome! You may reach the Monthly CLE Team via email monthlycle@tbpa.org.

In addition, our Seminar Committee worked diligently in preparing for the first TBPA Seminar since 2019.  “Paralegals vs. The Pandemic: Our Power & Positivity!” was held on Friday, March 11, 2022, at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park with the lineup of wonderful speakers, sponsors and exhibitors. The 2022 Seminar was a great success with the tremendous support of the sponsors, exhibitors and speakers.  In addition, I would like to give a special “Thank You!” to the TBPA 2022 Seminar Committee and TBPA Board, especially Yvonne DeAntoneo, Emily Merlin, and Katie Turley for their dedication and hard work behind the scenes overcoming obstacles encountered to ensure the event took place at the facility with the engaged speakers, so that everyone attending enjoyed the educational event.  

Our new 1^st Vice President/Seminar Chair, Linda Woolard, and the 2023 Seminar Committee is starting to work on the 2023 Seminar. The date and location will be announced soon!  If you are interested in helping with the Seminar Committee, please reach out to Linda Woolard, via Seminar@tbpa.org. This is truly a team effort, and we welcome your involvement no matter how much time you can dedicate.

We are back to being involved with the quarterly Pro Bono/Community Service events of Wills For Heroes hosted by the Hillsborough County Bar Association. The next scheduled event will be held on Saturday, July 16^th. If you are interested in helping with being a notary or witness for estate planning and medical directive documents for our First Responders, please reach out to our Pro Bono Chair, Lance Cochran LaFleur by email at probono@tbpa.org. See our ProBono/Community Service webpage for more updates!

Our Certification Committee is gearing up to offer a Study Group for Certification starting this August. The focus will be on studying for the NALA Certified Paralegal Examination. The fee for joining the Study Group is $25 for TBPA Members and $45 for Non-Members. If you are interested in this Study Group, please reach out to our Certification Chair via certification@tbpa.org. Also, there will be an event announcement released closer to the Study Group start date for you to register, so please be on the lookout for the email.  

I am confident that the 2022 TBPA Board and I will continue to have a successful 2022.

To see the entire recent TBPA President's Message, please click on this link.

Thank you!

Melissa J. Cook, FRP

TBPA President

Email: President@tbpa.org

Save the date!

2023 TBPA Seminar

will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023

at the Hilton Downtown Tampa!

Details will be announced soon.

https://faopa.wildapricot.org/

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.