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SNAP SHOT

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     Sierra Nevada Association of Paralegals						November 2006
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Visit our web site at www.snapreno.com 
Inside This Issue:
Editor’s Note   -   2                                        
SNAP Calendar   -   3                                    
Getting to Know You   -   3                                                     
Supreme Court News   -   4                           
NALA News   -   5
Continuing Education  -   6                                                                    
Washoe County Law Library   -   7	                                    Nov. Meeting Reservation Form	   -   8
December Celebration Flyer   -   9                 
SNAP Meeting Minutes   -   10	                   
SNAP Officers & Contact Info.   -   11
Job Bank   -   12                                                
Treasury Report   -   13                                          

SNAP Calendar
(Details on Page 3)

November  7 	      Executive Committee

November  14 	      General Meeting 

December  5           Executive Committee 

December 14          Holiday Gathering

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The weather is changing rapidly and the leaves are falling.  The clocks are all set back and, hopefully, all of you took advantage of the extra hour on the clock over the weekend.  I’m sure all of you used it for work – another billable hour!

The trick-or-treaters, all dressed so cute, came by on Halloween.  Gone in my life are the stressful days of getting the kids all decked out in costumes.  Those days have been replaced by planning our group theme for our office Halloween Party.  The paralegals at McDonald Carano Wilson LLP were successful again this year in winning the best group costume theme at our annual party.  We were Trolls, all dressed in bright wigs and funny Troll attire.  I would include a picture, but I don’t want any of them to stare me down in the hallways. 
                                                      (Continued on page 2)         

Tuesday, November 7, is Election Day!    Voting is a citizen’s right and responsibility! 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE     (Continued from Page 1)

Your Board is looking forward to an enjoyable Holiday Event on December 14th.  Please mark your calendars for an early evening gathering.  

Nevada’s Annual Paralegal Day for 2007 has been proposed, but not yet confirmed, for February 20.  Our current Governor would like to wait for the approval of the incoming Governor, who will be decided by the upcoming November 7 election.  We’ll keep you updated.

I recently read an on-line article regarding paralegals, entitled “Best Jobs in America.”  Money Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects.  Yes, paralegals were listed at 27 of 50.  The grades received for our profession were: Stress=C; Flexibility=C; Creativity=D; and Difficulty=A.  Average pay was listed at $61,204.  Top job in the field is a Patent Agent II.  Here’s the website for further information:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/snapshots/27.html

Coming soon: Information on our 2007 Annual Seminar.  Melissa Paschal is working diligently on bringing you a wonderful program.  You won’t want to miss this one.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our General Meeting on Tuesday, November 14, 2007, at noon at the Black Bear Diner in Reno.  Please note that the Board has moved the meeting up a week (from its normal 3rd Tuesday of the month) to avoid the Thanksgiving week “crunch” with all our schedules.  

Please feel free to email me at any time with thoughts or suggestions for SNAP activities throughout the year.  I can be reached at:
lcarlson@mcdonaldcarano.com 
 
Sincerely, 
Laura A. Carlson, CP

	

Editor’s Note

I recently ran across an interesting analysis of the paralegal profession and how it is defined in the various states of this country.  It was a doctoral dissertation and can be viewed at:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12192002-132757/

As of 2002, the date of the document, paralegals were defined by statute in 7 states, by court rule in 9 states, by court ruling in 6 states, and by bar association in 15 states. 13 states had no formal definition.
Nevada is one of those states where “Paralegal” is defined by the state bar association.  The definition can be found in Article I of the Bylaws of the Legal Assistants Division of the State Bar of Nevada.  It reads as follows: A legal assistant (also known as a paralegal) is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency, or other entity in a capacity or function which involves the performance, under the ultimate direction and supervision of an attorney, of specifically delegated substantive legal work, which work, for the most part, requires a sufficient knowledge of legal concepts that, absent such an assistant, the attorney would perform the task.

SNAP CALENDAR

November 7, Tuesday		Executive Committee Meeting, 12 noon at
					McDonald Carano Wilson, 100 W. Liberty, 10th floor
					All members welcome

November 14, Tuesday		General Meeting, 12 noon at Black Bear Diner
					Speaker: Kate Knister, Silver State Fair Housing Council
					Reservation Form on Page 8
			Please bring items for our holiday donation to Committee to Aid Abused
Women (CAAW), in time for us to deliver before their holiday event.
  					Needed are baby diapers, baby wipes, baby powders, lotions and soaps, adult			 		hygiene products, cleaning items, etc.

December 5, Tuesday		Executive Committee Meeting, 12 noon at
					McDonald Carano Wilson, 100 W. Liberty, 10th floor
					All members welcome

December 14, Thursday		SNAP Annual Holiday Celebration, 5:30-7:30 pm
					Best Western Airport Plaza, Reno
					Flyer & Reservation form on Page 9
					
January 16, Tuesday			General Meeting

Getting to Know You …… Irene Duggan

When asked to submit a piece for this section, what came to mind was answering the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Well, when my youngest son was ready to leave for college, my husband, Jim, came home with pamphlets from a nearby community college, describing an ABA-approved paralegal program.  That September, my husband and I and our two sons were all in college!  

The following year, Jim and I went to St. John’s University in New York to complete our Bachelor of Science degrees in Paralegal Studies.  With our degrees in hand, we drove across the country and started a new life here in Reno.

Initially, I was a little worried about the pace in Reno, compared to Long Island, but I have always been busy and the pace has been full speed ahead.  After working a few temp jobs, I was lucky to work for an attorney who taught me a lot in the area of securities and corporate law.  Not being afraid of trying something new, I then went to work in the area of bankruptcy.  When work in that specialty slowed down, I jumped into litigation.  I’m always juggling many hats, but my job has never been dull.  I’m proof that it’s never too late to start a new career, and there is always something new to learn.

When arriving in Reno it was wonderful finding such a great paralegal association as SNAP.  Again, I tried on more hats: Parliamentarian, Website Committee Chairperson, Newsletter Editor, and last year I served as 2nd Vice President.  What a great way of meeting people!

And, for fun, I love taking photographs of outdoors.  Luckily I have a great husband who will stop the car anytime and anyplace so I can capture that “shot.”

Keep coming to meetings and supporting your association.

							---------Irene Duggan			

Would you like us to Get To Know You better?  You may volunteer a brief biography for the newsletter.  Submit to Newsletter Editor, Gloria Jaureguy, at ggjaureg@mindspring.com

	

U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING BENEFITS INJURED PLAINTIFFS

THE U.S Supreme Court handed injured plaintiffs a significant victory on May 1, 2006, ruling unanimously to limit state Medicaid agencies’ claims for reimbursement, to the portion of any tort settlement attributable to past medical expenses.  Ark. Dep’t of Health & Hum. Servs. v. Ahlborn, 126 S. Ct. 1752 (2006).  Agencies may not claim any part of a plaintiff’s recovery for lost wages, pain and suffering, or other non-medical damages. 

Heidi Ahlborn was a 19-year-old college student when she was involved in a serious automobile accident that left her severely and permanently disabled.  The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the state’s Medicaid agency, paid more than $215,000.00 for her medical treatment.

When Alhborn recovered $550,000.00 for her injuries through settlements with various auto insurers, the agency sought full reimbursement of its Medicaid payments, even though, the state acknowledged, the settlement recovery amounted to only about one-sixth of her total damages.  Ahlborn then brought a declaratory judgment action to limit the agency’s reimbursement to the portion of the settlement attributable to her past medical expenses.

The federal Medicaid Act requires Medicaid recipients to “assign [to] the state any rights …. to payment for medical care from any third party” and to “assist the state in pursuing any third party who may be liable to pay for care and services available under the [state Medicaid] plan.”  The Supreme Court rejected Arkansas’ argument, supported by 30 other states and the U.S. Solicitor General, that these statutory provisions entitled DHHS to full reimbursement out of any settlement.  Moreover, the Court ruled, the state could not itself adopt more expansive reimbursement rules, because any reimbursement out of funds paid to the plaintiff for claims, such as lost wages and pain and suffering, would contravene the anti-lien provision of the Medicaid Act.  The Court reasoned that any rule granting “absolute priority” to the state’s reimbursement claim “might preclude settlement in a large number of cases.”

---------- submitted by Melissa Paschal

	

NALA NEWS

UPCOMING NALA DATES
December 1-2, 2006	CLA Exam	
January 15, 2007	Deadline for application for March CLA exam	
March 23-24, 2007	CLA Exam	
May 15, 2007	Deadline for application for July CLA Exam	
July 20-21, 2007	CLA Exam	

Visit the NALA website www.nala.org

View the latest issue of the Affiliates Brief at http://www.nala.org/Aff-Brief.pdf

-------------------------------------
NALA ADVANCED PARALEGAL CERTIFICATION (APC) IS NOW ONLINE!
 
Take your NALA certification to the next level! After three years of development, the APC
program is now on-line with three courses currently available.  These areas are Discovery,
Contract Management/Contract Administration, and Social Security Disability.  For further
details and course descriptions visit NALA’s APC website at
http://www.nala.org/apcweb/index/html.  

		

			       Short Notice!!!!
				Saturday, November 4, 2006
CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER		                    9 am to noon
ANNOUNCEMENTS					Sponsored by TMCC
                       NOTICES
                ARTICLES					Fall CLE-Administrative Law
                         Messages
                  SUGGESTIONS					$40.   Sierra 117, Dandini Campus       
                  NEW TOPICS                                              For more information, contact Katherine
                 WHATEVER……………..		                  		Berning at kberning@tmcc.edu
                       			
 Please submit by the 28th of each month to
your newsletter editor: ggjaureg@mindspring.com	

	

Check our website at www.snapreno.com for upcoming events, and links to great legal sites.

	

WASHOE COUNTY LAW LIBRARY
75 Court Street, Room 101, Reno, NV
(775) 328-3250

November  2006

Library Hours
Monday to Thursday	8 am to 9 pm
Friday 			8 am to 5 pm
Saturday & Sunday 	 10 am to 5 pm

Parking:  Sierra Street is now open. You can park on Sierra and nearby streets to come to the Courthouse. The law library is also open evenings and weekends for easier access to building.

Check their website www.washoecounty.us/lawlib/ to find free programs available to the public such as Legal Seminars.

November 30, 2006 - Free seminar “Representing Yourself in Family Court.”  Speaker will be Muriel Skelly, Esq. 5-7 pm in the R. Z. Hawkins Conference Room of the Library.  Limited space – please sign up ahead of time by contacting the Library at 328-3250

	

Legal Quote of the Month

This may have appeared in an earlier issue of SNAP Shot, but I am going to recycle.

Not only is a person innocent until proven guilty, but “The law presumes every man to be sane until there is evidence to the contrary.”

Community Loan & Investment Corp. v. Bowden, 12 S.E.2d 421 (Ga. App. 1940)

	
SNAP GENERAL MEETING
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 12:00 noon

SPEAKER:	Kate Knister, Executive Director, Silver State Fair Housing Council (SSFHC)
		She’ll discuss the Fair Housing Act and SSFHC’s  activities in this community
                        SSFHC’s website has more information   www.silverstatefairhousing.org
		PLEASE REMEMBER to bring items for our holiday donation to CAAW –
		Committee to Aid Abused Women: baby diapers, baby wipes, baby powders, 
		lotions, soaps, adult hygiene products, cleaning items, etc. 

PLACE:	Black Bear Diner
	2323 So. Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada

COST:	Members & Guests		$18.00
	Student Members		$15.00

Name: _____________________________________________________

Office: _____________________________________________________

Work Phone: __________________ Home Phone:_____________________ 

            Member: ________	Guest: _______   Student Member: __________

Please select one luncheon item (no substitutions please):

Tri-Tip Dip (Steak), covered in grilled onions, 
mushrooms, Swiss, on grilled French roll with fries

Garden Burger with fries

Broiled Chicken and Avocado Club
with bacon, lettuce, tomato, Swiss with potato salad

Grilled South Western Steak Salad
with ancho-cilantro ranch dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jack & cheddar cheeses,
guacamole, multi-colored tortilla strips

Mail your check and reservation form to SNAP, P.O. Box 2832, Reno, Nevada  89505.  Your prepaid  reservation must be received by Friday, November 10, 2006.  Sorry no refunds.

You are Formally Invited to
Sierra Nevada Association of Paralegals’
Annual Holiday Celebration!

An hors d’oeuvre reception will be held
When:	Thursday, December 14, 2006 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Where:	Best Western Airport Plaza, Lear Room
		1981 Terminal Way, Reno, Nevada 89502
Cost:		$25.00 per person and a cash bar will be available
Donation:	A donation to CAAW is greatly appreciated and should be brought to our November general membership meeting to be delivered before their holiday event.  Items needed are:  baby diapers, baby wipes, baby powders, lotions and soaps, adult hygiene products, cleaning items, etc.
RSVP:		Please RSVP as soon as possible by e-mail to lcarlson@mcdonaldcarano.com. 
Mail payment with RSVP form below.
Can’t wait to see you there!
-------------------------------------------------------------
SNAP Holiday Party RSVP
Name:	________________________________________________________________
Number  attending:    ___________   @ $25.00 =  Total $ _______________ enclosed 	
Mail payment to: SNAP, P.O. Box 2832, Reno, Nevada 89505 by December 5, 2006.

MINUTES OF THE SNAP
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
October 17, 2006

The meeting was called to order by President Laura Carlson at 12:10 pm at Black Bear Restaurant in Reno.  A quorum was present.

President’s Report
President Carlson announced that the November general membership meeting was moved from November 21, 2006 to November 14, 2006 due to Thanksgiving.  Further, there will be no general membership meeting in December, as we are having the SNAP holiday party instead.

Nevada Paralegal Association, the Southern Nevada paralegal association (“NPA”) has confirmed they will do a joint event with SNAP for Paralegal Day.  We are still waiting for confirmation from the Governor’s office on the date for Paralegal Day this year.

Laura will meet with the board of NPA in April 2007 and May 2007 to discuss other possible joint events that SNAP could do with NPA.

SNAP information was given to student liaison Mary Ann Cushman to distribute to paralegal students at TMCC.

NALS is having their national convention in Reno this year and is offering a free ethics course on 10/26/06 from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm.  See Christi Saito for a sign-up form.

Other officers’ reports were waived due to time constraints.

First Vice President Christine Saito, ACP, introduced the guest speaker, Rebecca Bruch, who gave an interesting and informative speech and power point presentation regarding how to help your company avoid a wrongful termination and/or sexual harassment lawsuit.  Ms. Bruch indicated that employee manuals are absolutely crucial, even in small companies.  She offered a copy of her power point presentation to anyone who wanted to provide their e-mail address.

There were no miscellaneous announcements. With all business completed, the meeting adjourned at 1:08 pm.

Melissa Paschal, CP
Secretary

SNAP Officers and Chairpersons for 2006-2007

President:
Laura Carlson, CLA
McDonald Carano
Phone:  788-2000
lcarlson@mcdonaldcarano.com

	First Vice President/Education: 				Parliamentarian:	
	Christi Saito, ACP					Kate Cline, CP				
	Washoe Legal Services					Sutton Place Limited
	Phone: 329-2727, ext. 123					Phone: 348-0125
	csaito@washoelegalservices.org				kate.cline@suttonpl.com

	Second Vice President/Membership/Job Bank		Social Activities: 	
	and Web Site Manager:					Misty Taylor 
 	Crystal Huss						Nevada Divorce & Paralegal Services, Inc.
	Attorney Marilyn D. York, Inc.				Phone: 322-5357
	Phone: 324-7979						misty@nevadadivorce.net
	crystal@marilynyork.net

	Secretary:						Librarian:	
	Melissa Paschal, CLA					Doreen Smith-Power
	Steven J. Klearman & Assoc.				McDonald Carano			
	Phone: 323-3700						Phone: 788-2000
	melissa@injurylitigators.com				dsmith-power@mcdonaldcarano.com

	Treasurer:						Student Liaison:
	Jennifer Grundy, CLA					Mary Ann Cushman             		Silverman, Decaria & Kattelman				Phone: 232-4228
	Phone: 322-3223						maryanncushman@mac.com
	Jennifer@silverman-decaria.com
				
	NALA Liaison:						Newsletter Editor:	
	Amy Hodgson 			 			Gloria Jaureguy
	Silverman, Decaria & Kattelman				Phone: 887-0556
	Phone: 322-3223						ggjaureg@mindspring.com
	amy@silverman-decaria.com				

SNAP Shot is an official publication of the Sierra Nevada Association of Paralegals (“SNAP”).
SNAP Address:  Post Office Box 2832, Reno, Nevada  89505
SNAP Shot is published monthly. The 2006-2007 Editor is Gloria Jaureguy. Please e-mail Gloria at          ggjaureg@mindspring.com to submit newsletter information. Deadline for submitting articles for publication in the newsletter is the 28th  of each month.
Please note:  SNAP does not endorse any specific education program. Information provided in the SNAP Shot is to be evaluated by the reader. All editorial material is to be used at the discretion of the reader and does not imply endorsement by the editor, SNAP, its officers or members.
SNAP may make members’ names and business addresses available to legal related entities without the direct consent of each member. Members who do not want their information released must advise the Executive Committee in writing.