News from the Alliance of Legal Document
Assistant Professionals
June 24, 2010
ALDAP Announces New President, Elects New Board of Directors
ALDAP has elected its new Board of Directors for the 2010-2012 term.
The Board will focus on boosting awareness of the non-attorney alternatives
to access the judicial system, and enhancing consumer protections associated
with the delivery of self-help legal services. Read the full announcement
here.
March 10, 2010
ALDAP Welcomes Amanda Ruth Paull, Esq. as Advisory Council Member
ALDAP has announced the appointment of Amanda Ruth Paull, Esq. to
the association’s Advisory Council. Advisors’ and Directors’
biographies can be viewed on the Directors
page.
December 3, 2009
Elkins Task Force Draft Recommendations
ALDAP submitted these
comments in response to the invitation to comment on the Elkins
Family Law Task Force Draft Recommendations to increase access to
justice for all family law litigants, ensure fairness and due process,
and provide for more effective and consistent family law rules, policies,
and procedures. We appreciate the opportunity to familiarize task force
participants with the LDA profession, and to voice our strong support
of these efforts to simplify and standardize procedures in the family
law courts.
November 23, 2009
ALDAP Appoints New Directors
ALDAP has announced the appointment of Jeanne Wierson, CP as Director
of Compliance & Ethics and Gail Hahn as Education Director. Biographies
can be viewed on the Directors page.
September
11, 2009
LDA Roundtable Discussion
Helping Your Clients Be the Best Lawyers They Can Be: Tips to Enhance
Your LDA Practice and Successfully Carve Out Your Niche as the Go-To Resource
for Do-It-Yourselfers
No host dinner in conjunction with the California State Bar’s Annual
Meeting in San Diego. Download
a copy of the presentation outline. Read the
press release for more information. The LDA Roundtable as a forum
to discuss topics related to the LDA and contract paralegal professions,
and to enable self-help legal service professionals to get the answers
they need and share their knowledge in a pleasant environment.
September 10-13, 2009
California State Bar 82nd Annual Meeting
The LDA profession was well-represented at the State Bar’s
annual convention, with many ALDAP members in attendance. For more information,
click
here. Visit ALDAP’s
Facebook page to see photos from the event.
August 28, 2009
AB 590 to be Rewritten, at the Urging of ALDAP
Click here for more information.
August 26, 2009
ALDAP Responds to Proposed Legislation that Could Restrict LDAs
AB 590, authored by Mike Feuer, Assemblyman and Chair of the Judiciary
Committee, contains the following language: “unlawful for any person
for a fee to assist or offer to assist in the provision of self-help
services that are provided without charge by a court or legal aid
organization.” ALDAP has sent this
letter to Assembleyman Feuer, requesting clarification of the intent
of the proposed legislation and urging the language to be revised to protect
the business interests of California registered legal document assistants.
May 15, 2009
ALDAP Expands the LDA Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility;
Adopts LDA Client’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
At the annual general membership meeting, ALDAP approved an expanded
version of the canons of ethics, and adopted the LDA Client’s
Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Read the
full press release here.
February 15, 2009
ALDAP featured in Sophisticated
Litigation Support, published by TERIS.
February 11, 2009
ALDAP Appoints New Directors
ALDAP has announced the appointment of Cara Gould as Secretary and Jeffrey
Corcoran as Director of Legislative Compliance & Ethics. Biographies
can be viewed on the Directors page.
December 28, 2008
ALDAP Featured in Paralegal Gateway
The Alliance of Legal Document Assistant Professionals is the “Featured
Paralegal Association” in the December issue of Paralegal
Gateway’s newsletter.
November 24, 2008
Article Published on Paralegal Gateway
Paralegal Gateway published “Attorney
Supervision,” Running & Capping and the Rogue Paralegal, written
by ALDAP co-founder Suzanne Ervine.
November 19, 2008
ALDAP Launches LDA Survey
We want to hear from you! We want to make sure ALDAP fulfills unmet needs,
and we want to ensure that we allocate our resources where they will be
the most beneficial. Please take a moment to respond to our survey, so
we can prioritize accordingly. Click
here to read the survey results.
October 29, 2008, 6:00 p.m.
LDA Roundtable Discussion: San Diego
No host dinner at Mimi’s Cafe,
10788 Westview Parkway, San Diego.
The Roundtable is a forum created
for the purpose of discussing topics related to the LDA and
contract paralegal professions.
July 14, 2008
ALDAP Vice President Speaks USD Paralegal Career Forum
ALDAP’s
Vice President/Treasurer Suzanne Ervine presented information
about the Legal Document Assistant profession with students
at the Paralegal Career Forum sponsored by the University of
San Diego’s ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate Program.
June 2008
2008-2009 ALDAP Officers Installed at Annual Meeting
ALDAP has announced the election of new association leaders at its annual
member meeting in Santa Ana, California on May 30, 2008. ALDAP’s
newly elected officers are: Kathleen Mountjoy, President; Suzanne Ervine,
Vice President/Treasurer; and Andrew Voller, Secretary. Biographies can
be viewed on the Directors page. “Through
the Board of Directors, its subcommittees and the association’s
strategic plan, ALDAP is addressing the most critical issues facing the
access to justice crisis and the availability of non-attorney, self-help
legal resources,” said Mountjoy. “The Board of Directors is
dedicated to furthering ALDAP’s commitment to professional integrity
and consumer protection for all self-represented litigants.”
May-June2008
Legal Assistant Today Magazine
In an article by Tony
Sangchompuphen, ALDAP speaks out about Hawaii’s attempt to define
the “practice of law,” a proposal which would effectively
eliminate all non-attorney legal document preparers.
May
30, 2008
Rogue Document Preparers: Unfair Competition
and LDA Compliance
with Tracy Hughes, Orange County Deputy District Attorney, Consumer
Protection Unit
Tracy Hughes has successfully prosecuted
both civil and criminal cases against non-attorney legal document preparers
who refuse to comply with the registration and bonding requirements to
become a Legal Document Assistant. Ms. Hughes spoke about her successes
with previous cases and what can be done to stem the tide of “paralegals”
and other unregistered document preparers who advertise to the public;
and facilitated discussion about about what legitimate, registered LDAs
can do to protect their businesses against unfair competition from illegal
operators. Click
here for a recap.
May 2008
ALDAP Headquarters Moves to Sacramento; New Location Across from the California
State Capitol Building
ALDAP has relocated the organization’s
headquarters to Sacramento, California, a significant move toward
our goal of increasing regulatory compliance, and working with
legislators and state officials to boost consumer protection
for clients of non-attorney legal services providers. ALDAP’s
new address is 1017 L Street, Suite 563, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Our new phone number is (888) 201-8622.
April
2, 2008
Attorney & Privacy Expert Mari J. Frank Presents Continuing Legal Education
Seminar
One Hour of CLE Credit Awarded
Renowned privacy expert Mari J. Frank, Esq. presented “Protecting
You and Your Litigant’s Privacy: Are You Exposing Secrets and Confidences?”
at the Lamoreaux Justice Center. Click
here for a recap.
March 25, 2008
ALDAP Blog Featured in National Blawg Directories
ALDAP’s blog, SCRIBE,
is now featured in two prominent national legal blog directories, Blawg.com,
and the American Bar Association’s ABA
Journal Blawg’s Directory.
February 6, 2008
Declaration writing for the Legal
Document Assistant: A Dragnet
Approach
John Fujii, Huntington Beach Deputy
City Attorney, made this presentation
in Commissioner Vogl’s Courtroom at the Lamoreaux
Justice Center.
December 11, 2007
SCRIBE: Tips, trends and commentary for professional legal document assistants
(LDAs), freelance paralegals and related legal professionals
ALDAP announces the first blog dedicated solely to the professional Legal
Document Assistant, offering a public forum for the free exchange of tips
and news affecting the profession. ALDAP co-founder Suzanne Ervine created
the site, which can be found here.
ALDAP Secretary/Acting VP featured
ALDAP mentioned in an article published in Lincoln Life, featuring
co-founder Kat Mountjoy and Catalyst Legal.
September 21, 2007
The LDA Roundtable Discussion
No host luncheon at Awful Annie’s
Restaurant in Lincoln. The Roundtable is
a forum created for the purpose of discussing topics related to the
LDA and contract paralegal professions. Get the answers you
need and share your knowledge with others in a pleasant environment.
August
22, 2007
LDA Educational Seminar
Bill Tanner, Directing Attorney from Orange
County Legal Aid Society, discusses the various legal aid options
for pro per litigants in Commissioner Vogl’s Courtroom at the
Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange. Mr. Tanner is also the supervising
attorney for the Orange County Small Claims Court Advisory Program.
June 30, 2007
Legal Document Assistant on Wikipedia
ALDAP submits to Wikipedia the first article defining the Legal Document
Assistant profession. ALDAP co-founder Kat Mountjoy created this entry.
June 22, 2007
ALDAP President recognized by Orange County Superior Court Family Law
Division Supervising Judge Hon. Francisco Firmat for participation
on the AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) Technical Assistance
Project.
June 7, 2007
The Lincoln News Messenger published an article featuring Kat Mountjoy
and Catalyst Legal, which includes mention of ALDAP.
May 2007
The Better Business Bureau of San Diego & Imperial Counties has added
a Legal Document Assistant category to their Yellow Pages Directories,
effective Summer 2007. ALDAP co-founder Suzanne Ervine worked with her
local BBB to clarify the legislation regarding the LDA and paralegal professions,
and the BBB has notified its LDA members of the appropriate advertising
category for their businesses.
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