NFPA Press Release

September 1, 1998

CALIFORNIA PARALEGAL SHOWS INTERNET EXPERTISE

Deidra Keels of the San Francisco Paralegal Association has been selected as NFPA's 1998 Cyberparalegal of the Year. The object of the Cyberparalegal competition is to recognize a paralegal's ability to select one of the offered scenarios, locate the largest number of on-point URLs, and explain the significance of the findings at each. The paralegal must be able to locate potentially damaging information and distinguish it from the situation of the client.

Keels works in the San Francisco office of the national firm of Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest firm exclusively practicing labor and employment law. She selected the first optional scenario on alleged unlawful discharge, applying the research philosophy and techniques she has developed as a paralegal and as a teacher's assistant for the Paralegal Studies Program at St Mary's College.

"Searching the Internet is not a panacea for paralegals' legal and factual investigative assignments," observes Keel. "Paralegals must anchor technology with the elements of paralegal experience, along with continued paralegal academic training. . . . The Internet . . . is only the facilitator; paralegals overlay the intelligence and judgment." Keels noted that in the past year she has become more keenly aware of Web site disclaimers, fair use policy, and privacy disclaimers.

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.