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Karen Lyons Brodeur Porter Novelli (617) 587-2804 klyons@brodeur.com |
Sally Andress NFPA (214) 871-2727 Membership@paralegals.org |
TEAMWORK & ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS WIN NATIONAL AWARD
FROM 3M AND NATIONAL FEDERATION OF PARALEGAL ASSOCIATIONS
1998 Paralegal of the Year Overcame Obstacles in Huge Document Project
KANSAS CITY, MO, Oct. 19, 1998--Offering an all-expense paid trip to a destination of choice is one way 3M Company and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) uphold their belief that organization and efficiency on the job should be rewarded. Cindy Arvanites, a litigation paralegal for Seagate Technology, Inc., of Scotts Valley, California, can start planning her trip. Both organizations announced today that Arvanites has been selected as the 1998 3M Paralegal of the Year.
"3M believes that paralegals are an essential component in the delivery of legal services, whether they are serving clients or supporting litigation," said Kaleel Ahmed, marketing manager for Post-it® Flags. As part of their work regime, many paralegals use specific tools, including Post-it® Flags for the Legal Market, to increase their efficiency and productivity in the workplace. In sponsoring the 1998 Paralegal of the Year essay contest, 3M and the NFPA reward the paralegal who best exemplifies efficiency, organization and cost-effectiveness.
Arvanites' winning essay describes a massive document production project and stresses the importance of teamwork to complete the assignment. "The last large scale document collection I participated in showed me there is only one tool I need for success: teamwork," she said. The essay also focuses on the important role that effective organizational skills played in seeing her project through to completion.
To enter, applicants had to submit a two-page essay describing a job situation or project in which they or a colleague increased or mastered efficiency. Three NFPA members judged the essays for a clearly defined situation background, identification of barriers to efficiency, quality execution by the paralegals and results achieved through the paralegals' organizational practices.
Organization and efficiency were common themes in other recognized essays as well. For example, Lisa McIntire, a freelance paralegal in Minnesota, shared her organizational techniques in reconstructing eight years of casually-kept corporate records for auditors' review. "Certificates with any issues were marked with a 3"x 5" Post-it® Note," she said. "This size Post-it® Note allowed ample space for a detailed explanation of the follow-up that was needed, but did not compromise the integrity of the only paper records that the company had."
"Efficiency and organization go hand-in-hand in the legal environment," said Ahmed. "Because organization does not always come naturally to people, 3M is committed to providing paralegals with effective tools like Post-it® Flags to help them do their jobs."
Along with Arvanites and McIntire, four other paralegals were recognized:
About 3M
For more than 90 years, 3M has set the standard for creating innovative products in 30 core technologies. With 1997 revenues of $15.1 billion, 3M has 74,000 employees in more than 60 countries, working together to create and sell thousands of products around the world. Wherever they are found, 3M products respond to real customer needs and change the way people live and work. 3M is based in St. Paul, Minn.
About Post-it Products
From computers and fax machines, to schoolbooks and the refrigerator, Post-it® Products help people organize, remind, and communicate at work and at home. They are available in over 56 shapes, 27 sizes, and 20 colors and are sold at major retail, discount, grocery, drug and office supply stores. Consumers can call (800) 328-6276 to find the store nearest them. For more product information and tips on how to use Post-it® Products, consumers can visit http://www.3M.com/Post-it.
About NFPA
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is an 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.
