Julie Hejtmanek
Director of Membership
(913) 235-5678
JulieHejtmanek@paralegals.org
Merle L. Isgett was awarded the prestigious 1996 William R. Robie Leadership Award by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA) at NFPA's annual meeting held in Columbus, Ohio, in April. This award is presented annually by NFPA to the paralegal who has demonstrated exceptionally strong leadership within the paralegal profession.Isgett has been actively involved in the paralegal profession for decades. She has served in numerous leadership roles on NFPA's Board of Directors, including president, board advisor, policy vice president and region director. At the local level, she was Vice President of the Paralegal Association of Central Ohio and served two terms as President of the Cincinnati Paralegal Association.
In addition to these leadership roles, Isgett represented NFPA on the American Bar Association's Commission on Nonlawyer Practice, serving as one of only two paralegals on this Commission. The Commission was created to conduct an in-depth analysis of the delivery of legal and law-related services by nonlawyers.
In her role, Isgett attended ten public hearings and every Commission meeting during a four-year period. "My goal was to be a strong and active voice for the paralegal profession for the paralegal profession with the Commission," said Isgett in a 1995 interview.
Isgett received her bachelors degree from Florida State University and her paralegal certificate from the National Institute for Paralegal Training in Atlanta.
NFPA has presented the William R. Robie Leadership Award since 1993. NFPA is honored to bestow this award in the name of Judge Robie whose dedication, not only to the paralegal profession but to the law, was unmatched.
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. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 17,000 paralegals in the United States and Canada.
