Washington Paralegal Wins NFPA's First Cyberparalegal Contest
July 24, 1997
Sally Andress, RP, Director of Membership
(214) 871-2727
SallyAndress@paralegals.org
Environmental paralegal Jane Block proved her research abilities and Internet expertise by surfing to the lead in the first Cyberparalegal contest sponsored by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). Block, who works in the Seattle office of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky, LLP, will receive a plaque and an NFPA polo shirt. Her research results will appear in the NFPA's National Paralegal Reporter.
In her workplace Block uses the Internet to locate missing witnesses and to check on fines assessed to environmental polluters. She regularly uses the EPA database CERCLIS. "I believe I won," she says, " because I documented my research from cyberlink to cyberlink so anyone could follow the trail and verify its accuracy.". She entered the contest to demonstrate her belief that electronic research skills are vital to client service.
Contestants responded to four scenarios. The object of the competition was to locate the largest number of on-point URLs and explain the significance of the findings at each. As with traditional written research, electronic research demands the ability to locate potentially damaging information and distinguish it from the situation of the client. Block located federal, state, and local statutes, opinions of federal and state courts, and a variety of home pages. Only one of her 38 references required the use of an on-line service; all others were available through the Internet.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 17,000 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.
