1990
The Second Annual CAPA June Conference - Friday, June 22, 1990, hosted by SFALA at the Hyatt Regency
Embarcadero was well attended but expenditures on the conference exceeded income.
The State Bar Conference was held on August 25, 1990 in Monterey. A program hosted by PASCCO
was presented on the team approach to the practice of law.
The Commission on Legal Technicians used the term paralegal when making reference to a legal technician.
The Commission considered using the name "independent paralegal" in place of "legal technician".
CAPA decided to prepare a position paper to
oppose the term "independent paralegal".
Fran Turner, MALA, was elected President for the CAPA 1991 term.
1991
The State Bar Convention was held on September 13 and 14, 1991, in Anaheim. CAPA presented a seminar
on ethics and ethical utilization of paralegals. CAPA also decided to have a vendor booth at the
convention because the vendor booth would appear more professional and the three day exposure throughout the
conference would outweigh the benefits of a one to two hour reception or hospitality room.
Ms. Valery Goodman-Platter proposed that in lieu of RECAP, two pages of California Paralegal Magazine (CPM)
would be devoted to CAPA. Also, each CAPA member would receive one free copy of CPM,
10% discount on the subscription, and the cost to CAPA would be a one-time fee of $1,000.
A straw vote was taken and CAPA decided to keep RECAP in lieu of the offer.
LPMS decided to abandon the source book. CAPA decided to continue working on the information on
paralegal utilization for the source book. CAPA had a voluntary meeting in April, 1991.
The main topic discussed at the meeting was how to promote the utilization of a traditional paralegal.
The development of the source book was handed out at the State Bar vendor booth.
The Third Annual CAPA June Conference was held on Friday, June 21, 1991 hosted by SJALA at the Holiday Inn Center Plaza.
Workshops topics included Rules of Evidence, Accounting for Paralegals and Water Rights.
CAPA joined AAfPE as a sustaining member. A CAPA representative would attend meetings on a case by case basis.
For the past two years CAPA had been trying to prepare a statewide salary survey. The committee determined that
it was infeasible because the information would be outdated before the survey results were
compiled, and questions of comparability of salaries from region to region.
The Code of Ethics Committee drafted a letter to Judge Chiantelli, the judge in the Michael Vogal case,
informing him that although CAPA does not have its own Code of Ethics, CAPA had its own guidelines, and
that CAPA incorporated portions of both the NFPA and NALA codes.
CAPA unanimously approved a change in the wording on the CAPA brochure to read, "A statewide non-profit
corporation dedicated to the advancement of the paralegal profession."
Fran Turner, MALA, was elected President for the CAPA 1992 term.
1992
The Fourth Annual CAPA June Conference was held on June 27, 1992, hosted by KCPA in Bakersfield.
Delaina Finch, Advanced Specialty Certification Committee chairperson, presented the results of
the certification survey. There were 234 paralegals throughout the state that
responded to the Survey. The majority of the responses were in favor of certification.
Because NALA had an entry level voluntary certification program, the majority of the paralegals felt that
a specialty exam was a good idea.
Litigation was the highest requested specialty. CAPA decided to pursue certification, including advanced
specialty certification.
The Issues Book was replaced by the CAPA Board Manual. Materials from the Issues Book that were not included in the
Board Manual were given to the historian.
The State Bar Convention was held on October 2 - 5, 1992 in San Francisco. CAPA participated by having an exhibitor booth.
The final version of the Handbook for Paralegal Utilization was distributed to primary representatives.
CAPA received approval from both NFPA and NALA for CAPA to develop its own code of ethics and adopted the
"CAPA Code of Ethics" the same year.
The CAPA Board decided that CAPA represented traditional Paralegals and that it would be
proactive in pursuing the interests and goals of traditional paralegals rather than just responding to the proposals of others.
Tita Brewster, PASCCO, was elected President for the CAPA 1993 term.
1993
The Fifth Annual CAPA June Conference, "Strength through Alliance", was held on June 25, 1993, hosted by PASCCO at the
Marriott Hotel in Santa Clara. PASCCO initiated the idea of the conference theme,
"Strength through Alliance", which then became a continuing theme for the annual CAPA conferences.
In July 1993, Jon S. Montgomery, Chair of the CAPA Certification Committee, presented, and CAPA
circulated, a proposed paralegal certification program with the
purpose of preparing and administering the California Certified
Paralegal Exam and California Certified Paralegal Advanced Specialty Exam.
This proposal was submitted to all paralegal associations, national paralegal associations and various other groups and
individuals for a constructive critique of the certification proposal. After
review of all the responses, CAPA found that NALA already administered an excellent Paralegal Certification Program
nationwide, which met the same goals of CAPA. Therefore, CAPA submitted a letter to NALA requesting
that NALA and CAPA work together to implement a California Specialty Certification. NALA accepted.
CAPA presented a panel discussion on The Effective Utilization of Paralegals at the State Bar's Women in the Law Conference.
The State Bar Convention was held in the fall in San Diego.
CAPA presented the same program, The Effective Utilization of Paralegals, that was presented at the Women in the Law Conference.
Tita Brewster, PASCCO, was elected President for the CAPA 1994 term.
1994
CAPA approved hiring Tony Nevarez, Lobbyist, to represent CAPA's proposed legislation, defining the
term paralegal in the Probate Code. Mr. Nevarez was not able to continue as lobbyist for CAPA. CAPA decided to withdraw its proposal from legislation
due to unexpected opposition from organizations opposed to the current legal system and the regulation of the practice of law
as well as AARP and SFALA. Later in the year the CAPA Legislative Committee met with
Larry Doyle, lobbyist for the California State Bar. Mr. Doyle suggested that CAPA add the definition of
paralegal to the Code of Civil Procedure.
SFALA withdrew its affiliation with CAPA as CAPA moved toward a paralegal definition which would not
include those non-lawyers who did not work under the supervision of an attorney and toward a voluntary certification program for
California paralegals in cooperation with NALA the only national
paralegal association with a certification program. They were not the goals of SFALA.
The Sixth Annual CAPA June Conference, "Strength through Alliance - Paralegals Move Mountains", was
held on Saturday, June 18, 1994, hosted by SPA in Visalia.
The State Bar Convention was held in September, 1994 in Anaheim.
CAPA started its negotiations with NALA to work together in developing the CAPA specialty exam. A committee was formed,
consisting of Tita Brewster, Jon Montgomery and Rosemary Sanchez to discuss the business terms with NALA. The
committee met with NALA in La Jolla, California and again in Denver, Colorado. A proposed contract between CAPA
and NALA was given to each association for review prior to the June, 1994 meeting. The contract was approved
by CAPA at the June, 1994 meeting. NALA's board meeting was held in July, 1994, and the contract was approved at its board meeting.
NALA was extremely supportive of the specialty certification for California. NALA viewed this as advantageous to the profession and
that this was the first contract of this type in the nation.
CAPA approved the application of Legal Assistants Association of Santa Barbara (LAASB) as a member of CAPA.
CAPA approved the application of Inland Counties Association of Paralegals (ICAP) as a member of CAPA.
CAPA approved the application of Long Beach Paralegal Association (LBPA) as a member of CAPA.
CAPA approved to split the Vice-President position into two positions: Vice President of Policy and Vice President of Administration.
CAPA amended its definition of a paralegal to read as follows:
"A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, is a person who performs, under the
direction and/or supervision of a licensed attorney, substantive
legal work traditionally, but not exclusively performed by a lawyer.
A paralegal is qualified to perform such legal services through formal
education, training and/or experience in substantive and procedural law.
Paralegals are retained or employed by law firms, corporations, governmental agencies or other entities.
Paralegals may also be authorized by administrative,
statutory or court authority to perform legal services."
Hazel Lange, PASCCO, was elected President for the CAPA 1995 term.
1995
On January 15, 1995, the Certification Committee reviewed the resumes that were submitted to serve on
the California Certification Board. The Committee appointed the following representatives to serve on the Board:
- Deborah Anderson, CLA - Paralegal
- Lana J. Clark, CLA - Paralegal
- Kay E. Kasic, CLA - Paralegal and Chairperson
- David S. Milton - Attorney with the California Bar
- James M. Petrucelli - Attorney
- Andrea Wagner - Educator
- Janet Kaiser - Administrator/Paralegal Educator
David S. Milton resigned later that year for personal reasons and was replaced by James G. Luce, Esq.
The Seventh Annual June Conference, "Strength through Alliance - Paralegals Make $ense", was held on
Saturday, June 24, 1995, hosted by LAPA at the Red Lion Hotel in Culver City.
CAPA offered its first CAS examinations to CLA paralegals on December 2, 1995.
The advanced specialty areas were civil litigation, business organizations and business law, and real estate.
The Public Law Section Committee of the State Bar invited a member from CAPA to participate in the Public Law Section.
The State Bar Convention was held on September 28 - October 1, 1994 in San Francisco.
CAPA distributed the results of the first CAPA Salary Survey.
Hazel Lange, PASCCO, was elected President for the CAPA 1996 term.
1996
Jon S. Montgomery and Cynthia Manbeck Jankowski co-chaired and OCPA hosted on behalf of CAPA a Mardi
Gras - Monte Carlo Night. Through the efforts of OCPA and other CAPA association
volunteers this event was a very successful and rewarding evening.
Because of this effort, CAPA was able to utilize these funds to support the Commission for Advanced California
Paralegal Specialization, Inc., and support the paralegal statutory definition through the legislative process.
Through the efforts of CAPA's Legislation Committee and James Michael Petrucelli, Esq., on February 2, 1996,
CAPA submitted a proposed resolution for the recovery of paralegal fees and definition of the term "Paralegal" to the
Conference of Delegates of the State Bar of CA. But by March of 1996, Mr. Petrucelli advised CAPA to
withdraw its proposal at that time. CAPA's Legislative Committee, co-chaired by Hazel Lange, CLA and Stacey Hunt,
CLA, CAS, sought assistance from individuals and committees to support CAPA's adoption of a formal paralegal definition.
The Los Angeles Daily Journal agreed to underwrite the printing, design and typesetting of RECAP.
The Eighth Annual June Conference, "Strength through Alliance - 20 Years of Unity", was held on
Saturday, June 22, 1996, hosted by SVPA at the Sacramento Hilton Inn.
CAPA submitted a comment letter to the State Bar of California on proposed legislative initiatives
relating to the unauthorized practice of law.
CAPA had an exhibitor booth at the national meeting of the Association of Legal Administrators.
The Legislative Committee, co-chaired by Hazel Lange and Stacey Hunt, CLA, CAS proposed and at its
November, 1996, annual board meeting, CAPA adopted an expanded definition of "paralegal."
CAPA approved a CAPA liaison position to the Public Law Section of the State Bar.
Jon S. Montgomery of OCPA was elected President for the 1997 CAPA term.
1997
CACPS introduced the California Family Law Specialty Examination (an addition to its family of
California state specialty examinations).
CAPA updated the paralegal listing in Eureka, a California-based career information database.
CAPA approved its Mission Statement.
CAPA launched its Internet Homepage at www.CAParalegal.org.
CAPA approved Montrose Travel as a Member Benefit Provider.
CAPA held its first Leadership Conference at the Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Raquet Club, which provided a full
day of seminars focusing on effective association management. 65 paralegal association officers and directors attended.
CAPA purchased an exhibit backdrop/stand for use at State Bar and other legal conferences.
CAPA held its Ninth Annual CAPA Conference, "Strength Through Alliance - CAPA's Mission," hosted
by LAASB at the Santa Barbara Holiday Inn.
The Law Practice Management and Technology Section (LPMT) and Fresno County Bar sponsored CAPA's
paralegal definition on the floor of the State Bar Conference of Delegates in Long Beach, CA. The paralegal definition
was narrowly defeated.
CAPA sent a letter to the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court requesting support for CAPA's paralegal definition.
Jon S. Montgomery of OCPA was elected President for the 1998 CAPA term.
1998
CAPA adopted an Affiliated Associations Agreement and expanded the reciprocity between member associations.
SDALA changed its name to San Diego Paralegal Association (SDPA).
CAPA discussed the various educational statements promulgated by AAfPE, LAMA, NALA and NFPA with a goal
of adopting its own position paper on paralegal education standards for California paralegals.
Delaina Finch and Linda Rylett, Vice President of Administration, drafted a CAPA position paper on
paralegal education which was circulated to all CAPA associations for comment.
CAPA board discussed Assembly Bill 1418 proposed by State Senator Hershel Rosenthal which would create
"Legal Document Assistants." Concerns were raised about the deceptively similar nature
of that term and "legal assistant" and the potential damage to the public.
CAPA agreed to increase the information on CAPA's webpage and to provide links to affiliated associations.
The Legislative Committee began to explore other avenues of obtaining endeavoring a statutory paralegal definition.
The Tenth Annual June Conference "Strength Through Alliance - Gateway to the Future," was held on
June 27, 1998, hosted by PASCCO at the Hyatt St. Claire in San Jose, CA.
Kay Kasic and Janet Kaiser's terms with CACPS ended and the following officers were elected:
- Lana Clark, CLA;
- Jean Cushman, CLA, CAS;
- Dixie Bright, CLA, CAS;
- Brian McCulley, Paralegal Educator from Fresno City College,
- Honorable James Petrucelli.
OCPA hosted a dinner to honor educators from 10 paralegal ABA approved schools and developed a pro forma
program for CAPA to assist other associations in improving relations with their local paralegal educational programs.
OCPA voted to approve hosting the 1999 annual June Conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.
"Coloring Outside the Lines" by Deborah Hartsough of SDPA, an article to be used as a marketing tool,
was distributed to board members for suggestions and comments.
The CAPA Board waived the bylaw requirement of a two-term limit to allow Jon Montgomery to serve as CAPA President for a third term.
1999
CAPA decided to coordinate a response to U.C. Davis regarding the sudden closure of the U.C. Davis
paralegal program and its public views of the paralegal profession.
Stephanie Dawkins drafted a pro forma paralegal career path to be included in the CAPA's California
Handbook on Paralegal Utilization.
The Law Practice Management Section discontinued working on CAPA legislation because the section's
Legislative Committee disbanded.
Hazel Lange, CLA and Stacey Hunt CLA, CAS to continued to co-chair Legislative Committee for 1999.
Governor Pete Wilson signed SB1418 on September 30, 1999, which authorized the title of "Legal
Document Assistant," for the self-help Providers under B&P Code Section 6400, et. seq.
CAPA voted to offer its Handbook on Paralegal Utilization at a special discount to members of CAPA affiliates.
CAPA approved one scholarship per association to attend the annual June conference. To be eligible, the member must
be a member in good standing and not an officer or director of CAPA.
CAPA approved the creation of a resource directory for its members.
CAPA held its Eleventh Annual CAPA Conference, "Strength Through Alliance-Sailing into the 21
st
Century," Chaired by Carolyn Yellis CLA and hosted by OCPA on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
This was the largest CAPA on conference with over 300 people in attendance and over 40 exhibitors.
The Second CAPA Leadership Conference was held in November in Bass Lake and focused on Marketing the
Certification program, the paralegal profession and local and state association membership.
CAPA approved the CAPA statement on education which sets forth guidelines as to the educational
standards for persons wanting a successful paralegal career.
Carolyn Yellis, CLA of OCPA was elected President for the 2000 CAPA Term.
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