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

TBPA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - 2023 Year-End


Dear TBPA Members and Guests:


Wishing you a warm season’s greetings and a Happy New Year! 


I'd like to welcome our new 2024 Board of Directors, elected and installed during the TBPA 2023 November Annual Membership Meeting!


President: Melissa J. Cook, FRP
President Elect:  Nita Serrano, ACP, FRP, AACP
2nd Vice President: Irene Hahn, CRP
Secretary: Emily Merlin, CP
Treasurer: Yvonne DeAntoneo
Director: Jeffrey Rizzo, CP, FRP

Director: Angie Hales


We wish to thank Katie Turley, CP, FRP, who conducted the Annual Meeting where the TBPA Members voted to approve all of the proposed Bylaw changes as presented. Once the updated version has been finalized, the Amended Bylaws will be uploaded to our TBPA Website should anyone desire to review.


During the upcoming January 2024 Board Meeting, Lance Cochran-LaFleur, FRP and Elizabeth Juszkowski, CRP will be installed as Directors. We do have other positions available, so if you are interested in being a part of this great group of leaders, please reach out to myself via president@tbpa.org.


TBPA is excited to announce that it will be hosting the 2024 Seminar on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Hillsborough Community College – Ybor Campus.  We will have a dual track with option for students and paralegals who have recently entered the field.  An invitation to register will be released soon for those who are interested in attending either track.


CLE Event Sponsors are now welcome for 2024!  TBPA is seeking Monthly CLE Luncheon Sponsors as well as Seminar Sponsors and Exhibitors. TBPA able to provide these quality CLE Events with the generous support of legal service providers.  If you are interested in supporting the CLE Events of TBPA, please see our main website for the sponsorship forms (www.TBPA.org) or see the email invitations for each sponsorship opportunity being released.  If you have any questions for either, please contact Nita Serrano at Seminar@tbpa.org or Emily Merlin at Monhtlycle@tbpa.org. Feel free to contact me as well at President@tbpa.org


Upcoming Events:


Luncheon:  Wednesday, January 17, 2024 – Christie Arkovich, Esq. will be speaking on Bankruptcy and Student Loan Debt.  Please note this Luncheon will be held on a Wednesday this month.  The following luncheon in February will be back to our standard 3rd Thursday of the Month – February 15th.


Wills For Heroes:  These Pro Bono (Community Service) Events are held quarterly on Saturday mornings at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center at the Hillsborough County Bar Association office on N. Tampa Street. We need notaries and witnesses to help with estate planning and medical directive documents for our Tampa First Responders. Events will be announced for registration for volunteers to join us early in the month of the event, so keep a look-out for the email announcement.


HCBA 5K Pro Bono River Run & Judicial Food Festival:  Saturday, March 23, 2024. TBPA is planning on being a sponsor participating again this year. Please see announcement for registration for volunteers to join the board in participating as a sponsor during this event.


Have a wonder holiday season and looking forward to 2024!


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via President@tbpa.org.


Thank you!

Melissa J. Cook, FRP

TBPA President

Email: President@tbpa.org



2024 TBPA Seminar


Friday, April 19, 2024


Register Now!

Scan the QR Code below to be

taken to the Event Agenda Page.



NEW for 2024!  We will be utilizing QR Codes for the Registration Check-In Table the day of the Seminar.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, March 21, 2024 11:45 AM • at The University Club, 38th Floor, 201 N. Franklin St., Tampa, FL
Friday, April 19, 2024 8:00 AM • Hillsborough Community College - Ybor Campus, Tampa, FL
Friday, April 19, 2024 8:00 AM • Hillsborough Community College - Ybor Campus, Tampa, FL
Friday, April 19, 2024 8:00 AM • Hillsborough Community College - Ybor Campus, Tampa, FL

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:  Melissa J. Cook, FRP

Send an email to Melissa 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 2024 Seminar Diamond Sponsors!


Interested in being a Sponsor or Exhibitor at the 2024 Seminar?

If you are interested in being a Sponsor or Exhibitor at the 2024 TBPA Seminar, please download and complete the 2024 Seminar Prospectus, then send the signed document to the Seminar Committee at Seminar@tbpa.org. You may also register as a Sponsor or Exhibitor via this Event Link as well; however, you must send the signed Prospectus to the email address stated above. We are finalizing the details of the 2024 Seminar and will post updates soon.

Interested in being a Monthly CLE Sponsor?

We welcome Sponsors for our future Monthly CLE Luncheon Events held 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! 


TBPA 2024 March Monthly CLE Sponsor
(click on the image to be taken to Sponsor's website)







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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.

 



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