NFPA Press Release

S. Kristine Farmer
NFPA Vice President & Director of Positions and Issues
VPPI@paralegals.org

May 29, 2003

NFPA COMMENTS ON NEW HAMPSHIRE BILL SB 83

May 28, 2003 -- Together with its member association, the Paralegal Association of New Hampshire (PANH), the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) submitted comments to the New Hampshire legislature concerning the absence of a definition of the term "paralegal" in Senate Bill 83. In a letter to Representative Henry Monk, chair of the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee, NFPA applauded the state's strong history of supporting paralegals and the paralegal profession.

NFPA and PANH indicated their concern over the lack of a meaningful definition of "paralegal" in the text of SB 83 and suggested the use of NFPA's definition. They further recommended using only that term, as opposed to both "paralegal" and "legal assistant," due to the difficulty for the general public to understand the differing roles within the legal field. The letter, signed on behalf of the two groups by S. Kristine Farmer, NFPA's vice president for positions and issues, emphasized that members of NFPA and PANH do not endorse or support the unauthorized practice of law.

The full text of SB 83 and NFPA's response can be found at www.paralegals.org/Development/Regulations/home.html

Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 15,000 paralegals in the United States and Canada. NFPA is the national voice and the standard for excellence for the paralegal profession through its work on the issues of regulation, ethics and education. PANH is a state-wide non-profit organization dedicated to the development of the paralegal profession.