Orange County Paralegal Association

The Orange County Paralegal Association Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for the 2025 Board of Directors. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact VP of Policy Tanya Chopra at vppolicy@ocparalegal.org. All candidate submissions are due by October 25, 2024.

***EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT*** Array is here to help with an upcoming FREE MCLE webinar on "AI vs. The Eye," featuring Array - Director of Client Solutions, Julia Helmer. It’s a free event on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Thank you Jose Botello and Array for being a proud sponsor of the OCPA. 🗓️ Date: October 16, Wednesday  🕛 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm PST  Platform: Zoom Please feel to email Monique Samudio at Monique.Samudio@TrustArray.com for more information. Register today to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/gMM2F4_j

Please register: https://lnkd.in/g68E4HDT BlueStar is a proud sponsor of the Orange County Paralegal Association. They were present during our 47th Anniversary Newport Harbor MCLE Cruise, 38th Annual Educational Conference, and will in attendance for October General Dinner Meeting & Scholarship Awards. The upcoming October General Dinner meeting with have Sarah Thompson, CEDS as keynote speaker. The topic will be; Demystifying AI: Simplifying Search Solutions for legal professionals. The presentation will focus on AI search builder developed for Relativity and DISCO. Blue Star has virtually published an insightful AI article, we would recommend reading. The OCPA looks forward to your in-person attendance with an insightful conversation about AI.

***EVENT REMINDER*** Please register at: https://lnkd.in/gXcDREEG The Orange County Paralegal Association is proud to present, Cerritos College Paralegal Career Conference hosted by Cerritos College. It will take place on 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM, October 11, 2024 at Cerritos College, 11110 Alondra Blvd, Norwalk, Lecture Hall, Room S-201 (Science Bldg). A valuable networking opportunity for paralegal students and legal professionals while learning insightful legal trends. 8:00-8:30am Networking 9:00-9:45am Technology for Legal Professional In this workshop, you will learn the following: how to properly format California Pleadings, learn the tools used in ADOBE ACROBAT, including BATES stamp, how to use EXCEL for proper billing, especially in small firms, and how to use POWERPOINT when a firm's budget doesn't allow for Trial Software. Students must embrace technology and this mini workshop will help. 9:45-10:00 am National University How to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal Students 10:00-11:00 am Resume Tips and Interview Techniques: Come hear from an industry expert on what's going on in the legal market and how you can set yourself apart in this competitive industry. In addition, what do you do once you get the interview? What do you wear? How do you handle virtual interviews? How do I handle salary negotiations? Is it even legal to ask about salary requirements anymore? What about the Pay Transparency Act? 11:00-12:00pm Tips for Landing your FIRST Legal Position: First year paralegals will discuss landing their first job and will provide tips on how to be successful when seeking legal positions in law firms or corporate settings. $15.00- OCPA Voting and Associate Members $25.00 Non-Members FREE for Student Members of OCPA and Cerritos College Students and Alumni This event is for informative purposes and does not count towards MCLE CREDIT

🚨🚨🚨EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT🚨🚨🚨 Please register at: https://lnkd.in/gi2mfwiR The Orange County Paralegal Association is proud to announce its OCTOBER GENERAL DINNER MEETING & SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Hosted at Hilton Hotel - 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa CA 92626. Presented By: Sarah Thompson, CEDS, Chief Product Officer at BlueStar Case Solutions, Inc. and Founder of Siemly, Inc. TOPIC:  Demystifying AI: Simplifying Search Solutions for legal professionals. The presentation will focus on AI search builder developed for Relativity and DISCO. In addition, learn ethical obligations as legal professionals in the age of AI and the critical role we play in ensuring it's responsible use. Presenter Biography: With over 20 years of experience, she pioneered the first forensically sound remote computer and cloud collection platform and the first legal hold integration into Microsoft 365's eDiscovery platform. Sarah now leads the development of BlueStar Next-Gen AI solutions and Siemly's innovative legal investigation platform. She has held leadership roles at iConnect, Dataflight, LexisNexis, and Zapproved, and holds a BS in computer science from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Legal students are highly encouraged and welcome to attend. Members of legal association such as; Los Angeles Paralegal Association, San Francisco Paralegal Association, San Diego Paralegal Association, and NALA Paralegals are welcomed to attend. The OCPA has been providing continuing legal education for attorneys, practicing paralegals and legal professionals, as well as networking opportunities for members and legal services providers for the past 47 years!

***OCPA ANNOUNCEMENT*** 2022 Recipient - Tammy Manning Dickerson, MBA, CP, ALOP 2023 Recipient - Joi R. The Orange County Paralegal Association is opening the call for nominations for our 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 2001, OCPA has presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to a deserving paralegal or member of the legal community at its October Annual Meeting. If you know a deserving paralegal or someone in the legal community who meets the following criteria, please email your nomination to Penny Gutierrez and Jen Clifton by October 9, 2024, at elisepenny@gmail.com and jcisme11@gmail.com. Each nomination should include a brief paragraph explaining why the nominee should be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award including a description of the nominee’s: 1. Dedication to the paralegal profession and to the progress of OCPA; 2. Contributions to the growth and development of the paralegal profession; and 3. Extended community involvement.

Did you know that Orange County Paralegal Association offers scholarships to its members? As a voting member, you can take the CP exam or a legal refresher course at a local college. As a student member, you can pay for textbooks or one of your paralegal courses. Please visit the "scholarship" page on our website for more information.

The Orange County Paralegal Association held its October Board Meeting, last night. Our rock star sponsor Array proudly hosted the OCPA Board in its Irvine Office. OCPA Board Members had the exciting opportunity to experience Array’s Conference Center first hand. Special thanks to Jose Botello for facilitating our partnership and their warm hospitality. Pictured left to right: Brandon Sharp Vicky La Celle, MBA, ACP Jose Botello

The last OCPA Board Meeting of 2024 was held yesterday. On the agenda, in-depth discussion about every aspect of the association, including our educational conference recap, pro bono events, section meetings, CP review courses, OCPA’s mentor program and more. Stay tuned for announcements from Orange County Paralegal Association County Paralegal Association. In attendance: Nicholas Guzowski, ACP Kerry Schoonover E. Penny Gutierrez Tanya Chopra Kai Williamson, M. Ed. Tammy Manning Dickerson, MBA, CP, ALOP Danielle Olson Milady Cambare Brandon Sharp Wendy Cifuentes Vicky La Celle, MBA, ACP Lorena L. Hughes Virtual attendance: Jennifer Burton Joi R. Luigi Giovanni Güereca

***EVENT REMINDER*** Please join Orange County Paralegal Association in its upcoming Lunch And Learn - Cannabis Section. We look forward to your virtual attendance on Wednesday, October 02, 2024. Lunchtime (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm) virtual event will be Presented By: Aaron Pelley, Esq. Legal students are highly encouraged and welcome to attend. Members of Los Angeles Paralegal Association, San Francisco Paralegal Association, San Diego Paralegal Association, and NALA Paralegals, and California Alliance of Paralegal Associations are welcome to virtually attend. Presented By: Aaron Pelley, Esq. Presenter Biography Aaron Pelley has played an active role in emerging markets for over seventeen years. He helped build the foundation and draft legislation for legal markets and is a leading advocate for emerging markets in multiple states. His passion for this new realm of practice led to the launch of Cultiva and the formation of a boutique law firm unsurpassed in representing the brave pioneers of emerging markets. In addition to representing clients and their business interests, Aaron has earned a reputation for effective high profile litigation. His representative cases convey his ability to handle a diversity of complex legal matters. He has also been invited to speak at Legal Education Seminars and Conferences throughout the U.S. and has been repeatedly named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers. Aaron is personally and professionally passionate about advancing the interests of a legitimate and integrous cannabis industry, establishing and enforcing equitable relationships among business partners, and supporting and promoting the businesses that live on the tip of the spear. OCPA is a State Bar of California Approved MCLE provider and certifies that this event qualifies for MCLE CREDIT 1.0 in Ethics. $10.00 for OCPA Members only. $20.00 for Non-Members. The link for Google Meet registration will be sent in the registration confirmation email after payment is completed. Please be sure to follow any instructions to ensure that you receive the link for the Google meeting. Note you may be required to email us your log in phone number separately for the meeting. Please register: https://lnkd.in/g8TepqpZ