New York Paralegal Blog

Gail A. Copeland, a paralegal in Ballard Spahr's Family Wealth Management Group, has been selected to receive the Philadelphia Association of Paralegals' 2011 Pro Bono Award. Ms. Copeland will receive the award at a luncheon program today. The award recognizes Ms. Copeland's outstanding commitment to pro bono legal services, particularly Ballard Spahr's Wills for Heroes program, which provides estate planning services to first responders at no cost. Ms. Copeland has been instrumental to the program's success since its inception in Pennsylvania in 2008. In addition to her work with Wills for Heroes, Ms. Copeland is a dedicated child advocate, serving as a voice for abused and neglected children. She will donate her $1,000 award to the Support Center for Child Advocates, the country's largest pro bono legal and social services agency for children.

PHILADELPHIA (Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune) - Their debt to society paid, 14 newly certified paralegals, all ex-offenders, received their diplomas at a ceremony at City Hall last week. The class of 2009, graduates from the Center for Community Education at Eastern University, was the first class in a program designed to help ex-offenders find jobs. This is a great story that shows how knowledge can empower, especially knowledge of the law. Read the full story at: http://www.louisianaweekly.com/news.php?viewStory=1584

The Robert Half Legal 2009 Salary Guide provides average starting salaries for attorneys, paralegals and other legal support staff. The guide is available at: http://www.roberthalflegal.com/

By: Joel Irving Join me this Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m., as I talk with Christine M. Parizo. Ms. Parizo is a PACE Registered Paralegal through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, the author of “ A Paralegal’s Blog ” and is employed by a small firm in Western Massachusetts as a litigation paralegal. Ms. Parizo and I will be discussing mandatory licensing of paralegals along with some other issues pertaining to the paralegal profession. The link to the show is: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Joel-Irving and the call in number is: (347) 677-0863.