On March 12, 2024 the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. ("NFPA") issued the following notice regarding credential renewals as of April 1:
A CHANGE TO OUR CREDENTIAL RENEWAL POLICY
Thank you for continued commitment to the paralegal profession as one of NFPA’s credential holders! At the 2023 NFPA Annual Policy Meeting, as part of NFPA’s ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the Federation passed a policy requiring that all CRP™ and RP® renewals must include one CLE hour of DEI in addition to one CLE hour of Ethics.
For comparison, current policy requires 2 CLE hours of Ethics and/or DEI for renewal. The new policy requires one CLE hour of each.
This policy will officially go into effect on April 1, 2024. All renewal applications received on or after that date will be subject to the new policy.
In order to ease the transition of this policy for you, we are offering you the opportunity to take one of our DEI CLE webinars free of charge. When purchasing one of our DEI CLE webinars, use the code FreeDEI at checkout to receive that webinar free of charge. This code can only be used once.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at certifications@paralegals.org.
Sincerely, Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP Director of Paralegal Certification certificationdir@paralegals.org
Congratulations to Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® who has been certified by NFPA® as a PACE Registered Paralegal®. Melinda earned her credential by passing the PACE® exam, becoming only the 15th Registered Paralegal in the State of Vermont. This accomplishment exemplifies Melinda’s high level of dedication, knowledge and expertise as a paralegal. Congratulations!
The Certification Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that the $300 scholarship for 2023 is awarded to Melinda Devoid-Siel. Melinda is preparing to sit for the PACE® exam and we wish her all the best in her certification journey.
More information on the Paralegal Certification Scholarship can be found on our website here.
Have you heard about the VPO's new program the "Pathways to the Paralegal Profession" yet? At the beginning of 2023 we started a 12 week Introduction to Vermont Real Estate Law and Title Searching course taught by Jim Knapp. This was followed by a 6 week hands on supplemental course in Title Searching.
We are hoping to run this course again in the Fall of 2023. For more information on the course and to sign up for updates about upcoming courses please visit our website https://vtparalegal.org/Pathway-to-the-Paralegal-Profession.
Please email membership@vtparalegal.org with any questions and be sure to share this information with all of the real estate paralegals you know. We need everyone's help to continue to make this program a success!
Over the years the VPO has recorded a few of our CLE's and we have wanted to find a way to make them available to our members. The time has come to announce the VPO Store! You can now go to our Continuing Education page https://vtparalegal.org/Continuing-Education and access past recorded CLE's!
Currently this contains the recordings from the 2021 CLE Conference but we hope to have more to offer in the future.
Dear Members,
As everyone is aware, the current economic climate coupled with the ongoing pandemic issues has caused the costs of all goods and services to significantly increase over the past two years. The VPO had been successful in not raising its membership dues for the last eight years, with its most recent increase occurring in 2014. However, the VPO’s costs have continued to increase, including the recent decision by the national organization, NFPA - to which each of you belongs as part of your VPO membership - to increase their member dues beginning in January 2023.
In addition, the VPO has also recently implemented the option to allow members to pay for dues renewals, CLEs, and other VPO-related events via credit card, rather than having to separately send checks for their renewals and registrations. This decision has been highly successful and well-received and was a benefit that had been specifically requested by the membership. However, it also came with added costs to the VPO.
Accordingly, the VPO has no choice but to implement a membership dues increase to cover its rising costs, in order to be able to continue its low-cost CLE offerings and other membership benefits. Therefore, as of January 1, 2023, membership renewals for voting members and associate members will increase by $15 per year, and renewals for sustaining and student members will increase by $10 per year. We are hopeful that this increase will allow us to avoid immediately passing on any future NFPA dues increases to our membership, while allowing us to continue our current offerings.
However, we didn’t want to do so without offering our members something in return. Therefore, for 2023, all renewing members will receive a one-time use discount code with their renewal confirmation email for $10 off any VPO-sponsored CLE of their choice.* In addition, we will take $5 off renewal fees to any member who volunteers to serve in a qualifying VPO board or committee position. If you use both credits, you will save a total of $15 off your membership dues - the very same cost of the increase!
The VPO is working hard to bring you additional benefits, as well as provide more educational opportunities for both current and future members. We hope you will choose to stay committed to the organization for another year and allow us the opportunity to continue to serve you. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thanks for being a part of the VPO!
Sincerely,
Laurie S. Noyes, MBA, PHR®
President
lnoyes@pfclaw.com
*excluding the VPO’s new Pathway to the Paralegal Profession programs
The Vermont Paralegal Organization invites you to become a part of the Pathway to the Paralegal Profession Program1. People with paralegal skills are in demand in Vermont right now. The VPO is creating a program to help people already working in the paralegal field supplement their existing skills and to teach skills to those who would like to enter the paralegal profession.
Our first program is an Introduction to Vermont Real Estate Law and Title Searching. We have invited Jim Knapp to present a twelve-week course covering an introduction to Vermont real estate law topics, including a brief history of the development of Vermont real estate law, conveyancing and transfers of real estate, estates and interests in land, common encumbrances, mortgages, taxation of real property, real estate transfer taxes, and land use regulations.
If interested in participating in this program, please head to our new program page https://vpo.wildapricot.org/Pathway-to-the-Paralegal-Profession
1 This program is produced by the Vermont Paralegal Organization and is not affiliated with any educational institution. Participating in this program does not result in credits for higher education purposes. The program is intended as a skills development program for those employed in the legal setting or seeking employment in a legal setting.
Congratulations to the Vermont Paralegal Organization’s (VPO) Robyn Sweet for winning this year’s Individual Pro Bono Award during the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s (NFPA) convention in Cleveland. The VPO Board nominated Robyn for this award in recognition for the many hats she wears at home and in the community.
She is a biological parent, a stepparent, an adoptive parent, and a foster parent. At the time of her nomination, she was a paralegal at Cleary Shahi & Aicher, PC in Rutland Vermont and she served as Secretary on the Board of the Vermont Foster/Adoptive Family Association (VFAFA). She recently transitioned to a Risk Management Specialist position to Rutland Regional Hospital and resigned her board position.
To paraphrase a recent story in the Rutland Herald, as a foster parent, Robyn signs up for a little bit of heart break to help another family be successful. Foster children are abruptly thrown into a legal situation they often don’t understand when the state takes custody of them for their protection. They are among the most vulnerable populations involved in the legal system. They succeed when they have positive adults in their lives – people like Robyn – who show them that they care.
Robyn opens her home to children, at times on short notice and with no real expectation of how long they will be with her. She advocates for the child’s needs wherever it is necessary: at school, in medical settings, with Vermont’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), and everywhere else. She becomes their caregiver while their parents work through services to help them become safer parents. She and her husband, Bill, have been foster parents since 2014. They have had over 40 children in their home, sometimes for a day and sometimes for a year or more.
Robyn has been involved with VFAFA for about 7 years. She helps enact their mission “…to empower, support, and unify foster and adoptive families by strengthening the systems that care for Vermont’s children.” She has served as Vice President in the past. Robyn’s primary role as Secretary is to communicate with foster and kinship families to make sure they have the information they need to best care for the children in their homes. Additionally, she is helping them revise their bylaws. VFAFA president Debbie Boyce greatly appreciates her paralegal expertise as they make these revisions. The organization has been in existence for 40 years and the bylaws have not historically had the attention they have needed. Robyn also helps the Board award funds for children in care to participate in special activities or for scholarships for higher education.
In addition to these tasks, Robyn is working with Vermont’s Foster/Kin Care Manager to develop a welcome letter for all who accept children in their homes through DCF. Because of Robyn’s past experiences, she has a unique perspective to offer to those who are welcoming children in their homes.
Click HERE for press release from Attorney General Donovan
"The Vermont legal community together raised $6,845.00, which will supply more than 11,431 meals for Vermonters. All funds donated went directly to the important work of the Vermont Foodbank. Food and other items donated were brought to local food shelves or meal sites partnered with the Vermont Foodbank. In the five-year history of the food drive, the Vermont legal community has raised more than $50,000 and collected over 11,000 food items.
Lucia White, CP, Pro Bono Chair of the Vermont Paralegal Organization expressed VPO’s gratitude for the opportunity to participate in helping alleviate hunger in Vermont. “The timing of this year’s food drive allowed participants to donate food items at our CLE Conference. Paralegals eagerly filled up bags to help other Vermonters.”"
- highlight from press release
THANK YOU for all your support!
Looking to connect with others in the legal field? Need CLEs? Join the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO) for the 2021 conference!
Click here for the 2021 VPO CLE Brochure for more information on the upcoming VPO conference.
Where: DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT BURLINGTON 1117 Williston Road South Burlington, Vermont
When: September 14th
Time: 9-3:30pm- You can participate in a full or half day, see brochure for details on pricing and scheduled CLEs.
Cost: see brochure for details on pricing, lunch included in pricing.
The VPO will be collecting non-perishable items for the Vermont Foodbank at this event. Please bring something to donate.
Questions? Contact: Carie Tarte 489-5258 carie@maleyandmaley.com Louise Reese 859-7063 lreese@dinse.com
Please bring
SEE YOU THERE!