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The Marion County Legal Support Association

FLORIDA REGISTERED PARALEGAL

A Florida Registered Paralegal is a person with education, training, or work experience, who works under the direction and supervision of a member of The Florida Bar and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a member of The Florida Bar is responsible and who has met the requirements of registration as set forth in Chapter 20 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.

A Florida Registered Paralegal is not a member of The Florida Bar and may not give legal advice or practice law. Florida Registered Paralegal and FRP are trademarks of The Florida Bar.

In order to be registered as a Florida Registered Paralegal you must complete an application and meet one of the eligibility requirements. A $145.00 fee must accompany the application. Please make the check payable to The Florida Bar. You cannot submit your application electronically. You must print your completed application and mail it to The Florida Bar.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING GRANDFATHERING

As of March 1, 2011, you may no longer use grandfathering in order to register as an Florida Registered Paralegal. Therefore, you may no longer use experience alone as a basis for eligibility for registration. If you wish to register you must meet the education/work experience or certification requirement for eligibility. If you apply under the grand fathering provision after March 1, 2011, your application will be rejected. Please note the application fee is not refundable.

Filing a Complaint Against a Paralegal

Florida Registered Paralegals must abide by a Code of Ethics and Responsibility. If you believe that an FRP has engaged in conduct in violation of the Code of Ethics and Responsibility, please complete an FRP complaint form. Continued on page 3

The Legal Pad

Contents

Special Interest Articles

President’s Report 1 Vice President’s Report 2 Secretary’s Report 2 Treasurer’s Report 4 Parliamentarian’s Report 4 FALSS Chapter Liaison Report 5 Sentiments 9 Scholarship Report 12

Individual Highlights

Birthdays 4 FALSS Seminars 10-11 Community Spotlight 14 MCLSA Membership Application 16

MCLSA 2016-2017 Officers

President Lela E. Prine Vice President Shannon Crandall, FRP Secretary Tina G. Blair, FRP Treasurer Dianne M. Blain, FRP Parliamentarian: Isabelle Grenitz-Hutchins CL§

President’s Report

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As the new, incoming Vice President for 2016-2017 I am excited about this wonderful opportunity to work with the amazing women serving on the 2016-2017 board. I am honored to serve all MCLSA members, which currently totals 59.

I was a member many years ago and last year made the personal decision to renew my membership and become more actively involved. The first monthly business meeting I attended at the Elk’s was such a great experience. I was welcomed with open arms and enjoyed meeting the other members. I was also amazed with the number of items discussed. It was then I realized there was so much more to MCLSA than I ever imagined. I would like to encourage all members to attend our business meetings when possible. I realize work schedules and deadlines make for a crazy day and almost impossible lunch hour. Attending is a great way to see all the happenings of our wonderful association, not to mention I would love to personally meet as many of you as possible and put a face with a name.

Please feel free to email me or call me with any questions, concerns or even suggestions regarding MCLSA membership and/or the subject matter of my reports in the bi-monthly publication I would love to hear from you. It is my goal this year to do all I can to not only encourage new membership and serve our current members but to also encourage current members to be actively involved whenever possible and personally experience the wonderful things this association does.

Shannon Crandall MCLSA VP 2016/2017

MCLSA Committee Chairs Publication Editor: Bernice M. Shaw, FRP Publication Advertising: Jill A. Williams Boss of the Year: Michelle Cooper Chapter Liaison to FALSS: Amy K. Phillips, FRP Charity: Lela Prine Employment/Resume Bank: Bernice M. Shaw, FRP Friendship Luncheon: Shannon Crandall, FRP Historian: Jennifer Volkmar Holiday Social: Bernice M. Shaw, FRP Nominations & Elections: TBD January 2017 Public Relations: Michelle A Cooper, CLA, FRP Scholarship: Lisa M. Wilson FRP Sentiments: Nancy Monaghan Seminar Coordinators: Shelly L. Owen, CET**D Jeannie F. Shipp, FRP

Hi Everyone!

It’s a new year for MCLSA! I would like to welcome Shannon Crandall to the MCLSA Board as Vice President for the 2016-2017 year. MCLSA held its Brainstorming meeting on May 20, 2016, at Lela Prine’s office, where ideas were flowing abundantly. We have some good ideas for charity and fundraising this year. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

Thank you to Shelly Owen and Jeannie Shipp for setting up the seminar with Andrew Pozzuto on June 16, 2016. Mr. Pozzuto discussed (Un)Ethical Conflict: Sex, Drugs, Money and Your Client. It was very informative and unfortunately needed as we learned that several attorneys have met with one or all of these conflicts and didn’t always make the wisest decisions.

Next up will be a stop in Miami, Florida for FALSS 1st

QMM on Friday, July 15, 2016. In light of current events, I believe that the Professional Development Conference will be very informative and something that we all need to hear. It’s entitled “Protecting Yourself in the Workplace”, and will be presented by Rafael Torres, a former Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. There will also be a Board Certification Seminar as well as the Membership Business Meeting. I hope to see you in Miami.

In the meantime, I hope you will “Leap with MCLSA” and join us as we give back to our community and enjoy time together as an organization.

Tina G. Blair, FRP

2016-2017 Recording Secretary

Secretary’s Report

Vice President’s Report

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Florida Registered Paralegal continued from page 1

FRP Continuing Education

The rule requires that you have 30 total hours of continuing education each cycle. Your total hours will appear as General on the website when you enter credits or check your hours. 5 of the 30 hours must be in ethics or professionalism. You still need 30 total hours. In other words, your General” column must equal 30. The Ethics/Professionalism column must equal 5. You do not add General + Ethics/Professionalism to determine total number of hours.

FRP Program Member Benefits

The Florida Bar states that all member benefits currently available to members of The Florida Bar are now available to Florida Registered Paralegals. A list of the benefits can be found on the bar's Website, www.floridabar.org/memberbenefits. For most benefits you must contact the vendor directly with a discount code or notify them that you are eligible for The Florida Bar discount. For other benefits you will access the benefit through the Bar's Web site. To utilize Fastcase you will need a username and password. Your username is your FRP number. If you have already obtained a password from The Florida Bar, that is your password for Fastcase. If not, you must request a password before you use Fastcase.

DMV RULES Reckless and Careless Boating

In Florida, you can be imprisoned and fined for reckless or careless operation of a boating vessel. The imprisonment and fines

become stricter if anyone is injured. It is illegal to operate any vessel in a way that is likely to endanger other people or property,

including:

Staying within the posted speed and wake limits.

Being aware of other waterborne traffic.

Complying with navigation rules.

Boating Under the Influence

You can be found guilty of boating under the influence in Florida if your blood alcohol level (BAC) is 0.08% or higher. You risk the following penalties:

First offense: $500–$1,000 fine and up to 6 months imprisonment.

Second offense: $1,000–$2,000 fine and up to 9 months imprisonment.

Subsequent offenses will receive heavier fines and jail time of up to 5 years.

If your blood alcohol level is 0.15% or higher at the time of conviction, you may receive additional punishment, including:

Monthly reporting probation.

Attendance at a substance abuse course.

Psychosocial evaluation and treatment.

If you are under 21 years old and have a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or higher, you could receive the following penalties:

Mandatory community service for at least 50 hours.

Suspension from operating any vessel.

Successful completion of an approved boating safety course.

Respectfully Submitted

Lela Prine, President, MCLSA 2016/2017

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Can you believe we are already in a new fiscal year for MCLSA? The first day of summer has just passed, and the 4th

of

July is just ahead. I will not be in Florida for this 4th

of July, as Mel and I are checking off one of the items on our bucket

list by traveling northwest for an Alaska cruise from July 2 – 12th

. I promise I will take many pictures to share with

anyone interested in seeing them!

Having survived my second audit as your Treasurer, I am pleased to serve for another year in that role, along side Lela

Prine as our returning President, Tina Blair as our returning Secretary, and Shannon Crandall as our new Vice President. I

know that the year will be an eventful one!

We continue to have a healthy treasury to help those in our community with charitable donations voted on by the

membership, as well as scholarships for those wanting to enter the legal field. The 2015-2016 $500 Mary Sullivan

Scholarship won by Kimberly Ann Fike and $250 MCLSA Scholarship won by Diana Byrd have yet to be disbursed, but

will be once the recipients send in the proper documentation of their school enrollments. If you know of anyone who may

be interested and eligible for this year’s scholarship, please encourage them to apply. Lisa Wilson has done a great job as

our Scholarship Chair, and will continue in that role this year.

Those of you going to Miami on July 15, 2016, for the FALSS 1st QMM and CLE seminars, please remember to submit

your reimbursement vouchers timely. You must attend at least one CLE seminar to qualify for prorated reimbursement.

“Protecting Yourself in the Workplace” with Rafael Torres sounds like an interesting one! I will not be attending, as I will

have just come back from Alaska, and will be feverishly delving into the anticipated mess on my desk!

Dianne M. Blain, FRP

MCLSA 2016-2017 Treasurer

Treasurer’s Report

Several items have come up which require some bylaw changes:

1, We have a logo with certain colors

and it needs to be added to our bylaws; and

2, We no longer use the word “audit”

however our bylaws were never changed.to state “financial review.”

Nest issue will have the bylaws to be voted on.

Isabelle Grenitz-Hutchins, CL§ Parliamentarian

Parliamentarian’s Report

July

3 Pamela J. Parrish, FRP 4 United States of America 9 Emma Jean Moore 24 Tina Blair, FRP 27 Amanda Durham

August

6 Stacey Seling 10 Georgianna Henry 13 Kelly Owen McCall, RPR, FPR 14 Shelly Lee Owen, CET 18 Lela E. Prine 19 Joanne M. DeGraff 20 Margaret “Meg” T. Shipp 31 Angel H. Johns, CP, FCP

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“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness….”*

In light of the heartbreaking events in Orlando, the words above and this Fourth of July have more meaning to me. Independence Day is a day to remember the adoption of the Declaration of Independence declaring the original 13 colonies a new nation. Our forefathers fought so tirelessly for the opportunity for their children and all who came after to live in a society free from tyranny and oppression and to enjoy the freedom to live as we wish to live and to pursue happiness in whatever form it means to the individual. I hope that we can all move through our lives remembering that our freedoms were not given to us freely, but were paid for with the blood sweat and tears of the hundreds of thousands men and women that came before us and these freedoms should never be taken for granted. Please remember the day as it should be, with gratitude and pride. The 2016-2017 first quarterly membership meeting of FALSS will be held in beautiful Miami Lakes July 15th and 16th at Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club. This meeting will offer a total of 9 hours of CLER credits. A Professional Development Conference is offered on July 15th entitled “Protecting Yourself In the Workplace”. The board certification seminar will be entitled “Florida Civil, Family; and Probate Rules of Procedure: Differences and Similarities.” If you have not signed up already for this great conference, the registration form is in the back of the Legal Pad. You can direct any questions regarding the meeting to myself or Teri Jo Dumas at teejaydumas@gmail.com . Any registrations turned in after June 20, 2016 are subject to a late fee of $10.00. The 2QMM will be held in Cocoa Beach October 7-9. This meeting is FALSS Board hosted; therefore, donated items for the drawing tables needed and appreciated. You can drop off your donations to me or Michelle Cooper. Have a wonderful Independence Day and please remember to take a moment to let those around you know you care. I love you all, thanks for being my second family, you each mean the world to me.

Amy K. Phillips, FRP

FALSS Liaison/ FALSS Fiscal Projects Chair amy@deanfirm.com

*United States Declaration of Independence, second paragraph.

FALSS CHAPTER LIAISON

CHAPTERLIAISON

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The Declaration of Independence of the United States

“The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America….It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Acting under the instruction of the Virginia Convention, Richard Henry Lee on June 7, 1776, introduced a resolution in the Second Continental Congress proposing independence for the colonies. The Lee Resolution contained three parts: a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances, and “a plan for confederation.”

The momentous decision of the Continental Congress to sever its ties to Great Britain came on July 2, 1776, which is the date that John Adams thought should be celebrated by future generations. The declaration of Independence, drafted mostly by Thomas Jefferson, and edited by his colleagues in the Continental Congress, was adopted 2 days later.

Although the section of the Lee Resolution dealing with independence was not adopted until July 2, Congress appointed on June 10 a committee of five to draft a statement of independence for the colonies. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, with the actual writing delegated to Jefferson. Jefferson drafted the statement between June 11 and 28. As a scholar well-versed in the ideas and ideals of the French and English Enlightenments, Jefferson found his greatest inspiration in the language and arguments of English philosopher John Locke, who had justified England’s “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 on the basis of man’s “natural rights.” Locke’s theory held that government was a contract between the governed and those governing, who derived their power solely from the consent of the governed and whose purpose it was to protect every man’s inherent right to property, life and liberty. Jefferson’s theory of “natural law” differed in that it substituted the inalienable right of “the pursuit of happiness” for “property,” emphasizing that happiness is the product of civic virtue and public duty. Jefferson emphasized the contractual justification for independence, arguing that when the tyrannical government of King George III of England repeatedly violated “natural law,” the colonists had not only the right, but the duty to revolt. Jefferson submitted drafts of the statement to Adams and Franklin, who made some changes. The draft was then presented to the Congress following the July 2

nd adoption of the independence section of the Lee

Resolution. The congressional revision process took all of July 3rd

and most of July 45h, the Declaration was adopted. Under the supervision of the Jefferson committee, the approved Declaration was printed on July 5

th

and a copy was attached to the “rough journal of the Continental Congress July 4th

.” These printed copies, bearing only the names of John Hancock, President, and Charles Thomson, secretary, were distributed to state assemblies, conventions, committees of safety, and commanding officers of the Continental troops. On July 19

th, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, “the unanimous

declaration of the thirteen united states of America,” and “that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.” Engrossing is the process of copying an official document is a large hand. The engrosser of the Declaration was probably Timothy Matlock, an assistant to Charles Thomson, secretary to the Congress. On August 2

nd John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signed the engrossed copy with a bold signature. The

other delegates, following custom, signed beginning at the right with the signatures arranged by states from northernmost New Hampshire to southernmost Georgia. Although all delegates were not present on August 2

nd, 56 delegates eventually signed the document. Late signers were Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis

Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton, who was unable to place his signature with the other New Hampshire delegates due to a lack of space. Some delegates, including Robert R. Livingston of New York, a member of the drafting committee, never signed the Declaration.

Source: The Nation Archives and Records Administration (NARA) - www.archives.gov

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Summer greetings MCLSA members and congratulations to 2016-2017 MCLSA and FALSS officers! So many things to celebrate at this time of year … Memorial Day, Flag Day and July 4th are a time to give thanks for our precious freedom and to remember and honor those who serve or have served our country. In June we celebrated Dads and through the summer we attend graduations, weddings or family reunions and hopefully take some well deserved vacation! I am looking forward to seeing my niece get married at a winery in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in a few weeks and later in the summer will be traveling to Minnesota for the Bloomstrand family reunion – my Mom grew up on the banks of the Mississippi. What are your summer plans? Please email me about the special events in your life at nancy.monaghan@edwardjones.com. Enjoy!

Nancy Monaghan, Sentiments Chairperson

SENTIMENTS CHAIR

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MARY SULLIVAN SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORT

Happy beginning of summer!!! It’s definitely a hot one! I hope everyone has some fun plans for this summer.

Don’t forget that the FALSS First Quarter Membership Meeting will be held July 15th

through July 17th

at Shula’s Hotel &

Golf Club in Miami Lakes. I’ve never been to Miami so I’m super excited.

Now, onto the business at hand…there is none! I am waiting to receive the scholarship information form from the

Marion County Public Schools Guidance and Testing Department. Upon receipt, I will update our information and return.

The scholarship application deadline is December 1, 2016, and we will vote on the winner at our January 12, 2017 business

meeting. I will forward our scholarship information and application to all Marion County public and private high schools and

local colleges, as well as PACE, in August.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing summer!

Lisa M. Wilson, FRP, Committee Chair

FALSS OFFICERS 2016 – 2017 www.falss.org

President: Michelle A. Cooper, CLA, FRP - mcoopercla@aol.com President Elect: Cheryl J. Zamojski, CP, FRP – czamojski@cfl.rr.com Vice President: Phyllis McCall – notaryphyl@gmail.com Secretary: Barbara Cavallaro, FRP - bcav391@aol.com Treasurer: Barry Wax, Esq. – barwax@gmail.com Director Education: Erica S. Spradling, FRP - espradling@thebriggslawfirm.com Director Marketing Jennifer A. Volkmar, FRP – katalmor@aol.com Chapter Liaison: Archie S. Blair, FRP – FALSS.archieblair@yahoo.com Parliamentarian: Isabelle Grenitz-Hutchins, CL§ - igh1119@yahoo.com

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From the Editors desk… “God Bless America, land that I love…..On this anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, I find myself repeating over and over….. ”stand beside her, and guide her,” not only at night but night and day …… With that “light from above.” Enjoy the Holiday, Enjoy our freedom.

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While the tragedies in Orlando took over our every waking moment -- the

victims, the shooter, the families -- there were so many bright moments coming out of it, as thousands of individuals

fought to find ways to assist those surviving families and friends in any way they could. That's what our

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT is really about: not just showcasing charitable groups, but really getting us into a

personal and group mindset of giving and helping others. And while many individuals and groups have done and

are doing some great things for these people, maybe the brightest spot on the news was a group of Comfort Dogs

that arrived on the scene on the Monday after the massacre.

Lutheran Church Charities, based out of Chicago, sent its K-9

Comfort Dog ministry to assist first responders, mourners and

hospitalized victims. Working with Trinity Lutheran Church in

Orlando who has an LGBT community outreach ministry, a

dozen golden retrievers and 20 handlers landed in Orlando, as they

have done in similar tragedies at Sandy Hook Elementary, the

Boston Marathon bombings and the Oregon community college

shootings, as well as providing day-to-day grief therapy

for child patients in hospice care and inmates at Cook County Jail in

the Chicago area.

What is an emotional support animal (ESA)? An emotional support dog can be prescribed by a doctor for its

handler/owner to help with various kinds of mental and emotional conditions, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar

disorder, mood disorder, panic attacks, fear/phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts/tendencies, etc.

Emotional Support Animals (or comfort animals) provide comfort to those in need during stressful situations by

their presence only. Any animal can be an emotional support animal, although dogs and cats are most

common. Their legal definition is a pet which provides therapeutic benefit to it owner through companionship and

affection. ESAs are not required to have any specialized training. They require only as much as any ordinary pet

requires in order to live peacefully among humans without being a nuisance or a danger to others.

Once you have a ‘prescription’ (a letter from your doctor), you can register your dog as an ESA, receiving

identification tags and IDs. This may preclude you from having to whip out your doctor’s letter every time your

dog’s presence is questioned. However, in the case of housing or free flights, it will be up to the powers that be

whether they will need your doctor’s letter, or will accept the ID.

The Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, and 14 CFR Part 382 outline an ESA’s or comfort animal's owner's

legal benefits. The comfort animal can fly for free with a doctor's note stating diagnosis and recommending the use

of an Emotional Support Animal. They also have access to all housing, regardless of housing policies. Unlike

service dogs, a comfort animal cannot go anywhere the handler goes, like to non-pet friendly stores, parks, or other

public places.

Obviously, while an ESA can be prescribed by your personal physician for you alone, in the case of these particular

dogs in the Lutheran K-9 Comfort Dog ministry, they are trained and give comfort, not just to their personal patient,

but to total strangers!

So all of you animal lovers out there: Do you have a super loving animal? Do you think he or she may benefit

others by just letting allowing a stranger to love on them? Here's a GREAT way to get you and your dog involved

in some GOOD LOVE! It might even be fun for you and some of your friends with amicable animals to form just

such an emergency service for our local community to use. Whether you are realizing it or not, the uptick in

shootings in our area is a result of the uptick in gangs in our area, causing chaos and wreaking havoc in our

community. Some of these poor victims and their families could probably use a little fur ...

Submitted by Shelly L. Owen

Community Spotlight

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