A note from the TBPA President:

I want to wish you all a healthy, safe and happy 2020 Thanksgiving holiday!  As your outgoing President I would like to thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your President for the last year. 

Please join me in welcoming your new Board of Directors for 2021: 

President:  Yvonne DeAntoneo

President Elect:  Melissa J. Cook, FRP

First Vice President:  Valerie A. Cisco, FRP

Second Vice President:  Emily A. Merlin, CP

Treasurer:  Frank J. Steinbeck, FRP

Secretary:  Irene Hahn, CRP

Director:  Kathryn ("Katie") Turley, CP

Director:  Lance Cochran-LaFleur, FRP

Director:  Monserrate ("Junior") Olivera

Your TBPA Board of Directors wants you to know that we continue to think of you all throughout the continued COVID-19 crisis.  Even though we are still not able to meet in-person at this time, we're doing all we can to provide value to our members and appreciate any feedback or suggestions you wish to provide to us.

As you know, we are now offering TBPA Members and Guests the opportunity for 1 CLE Credit Unit via Recorded Video Presentation Events. This has been going extremely well and we'll continue do so until it is safe to return to in-person meetings.  When the University Club is safely able to open their meeting rooms to full capacity for our luncheons, we will continue to offer a Video Only RSVP Registration option at a special rate to both Members and Guests, however, limiting the number for our Guests to two registrations in any given year, since this will be a new TBPA Membership Benefit. We encourage you to utilize this video option if you are not able to attend the luncheons in-person, such as due to an underlying health concern with the return of social gatherings, work conflicts, working outside of downtown Tampa, or on vacation.

Also, we welcome all Guests to join TBPA and enjoy the many benefits TBPA Membership offers.  Please check out our Membership webpage for details or contact me or our Membership Chair at membership@tbpa.org with any questions.

In addition, be sure to check out the many webinars available to you from our national associations, NFPA and NALA, so you can stay on target to meet your CLE credit requirements. For your convenience, we have links to these websites on our main webpage www.TBPA.org.

As you know there is always more work to be done and even more volunteers needed to help.   Our volunteer committee members are crucial to our Association and continuing the work it takes to grow and promote the paralegal profession.  If you are interested in serving on a committee, or filling one of the open Director positions on the Board, please contact me at president@tbpa.org for more information. 

Further, it is our hope that everyone finds encouragement to stay positive and practice good habits to remain healthy in mind, body and spirit!  As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any member of the TBPA Board.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc., I would like to wish you and yours Happy Holidays and warm wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Thank you, be well and stay safe out there!

Barbara C. O’Shaughnessy, FRP

President, Tampa Bay Paralegal Association

president@tbpa.org

www.tbpa.org

IMPORTANT UPDATE - 2020 SEMINAR!

TBPA'S 2020 Annual Seminar has been postponed
due to COVID-19 concerns. It will be rescheduled in
October 2021 - specific date to be determined.

Hilton Carillon Hotel - St. Petersburg, Florida

Further details coming soon! 

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.