2003 NFPA Paralegal of the Year
sponsored by LexisNexis Document Service~CorpAmerica, Inc.
Official Entry Form

We hereby declare that all information included in this entry is factual and accurate. We also grant LexisNexis Document Service~CorpAmerica, Inc. and NFPA the rights to use and publish all or part of the essay, if it is part of the winning entry, and to name publicly the winning applicant and sponsoring employer(s). If client confidentiality is a concern, we agree to notify LexisNexis Document Service~CorpAmerica, Inc. and NFPA in writing to specify what information may be published from the essay. We agree that this entry, including the essay, will become NFPA's property.

The criteria for Paralegal of the Year is based upon the candidate's on-the-job achievements that contributed to expansion of the paralegal profession. Paralegals working as traditional or independent paralegals/legal assistants are eligible to enter the contest. If the applicant is a freelance or independent paralegal (within the scope of the authorized practice of law), the sponsoring individual may be a client. All entry forms must be signed by the applicant and the sponsoring employer/client. LexisNexis Document Service~CorpAmerica, Inc. employees are not eligible.

The applicant must submit a two-page essay describing how he or she has taken the initiative to move beyond typical job duties and taken on additional responsibilities. (Keep the essay to no more than two pages, in at least 12-point type, spaced at no fewer than 1 ½ spaces per line.) The applicant must explain how an expanded role has served the paralegal's employer and/or others for whom the paralegal performs these additional duties. The applicant should show cost savings, added efficiency, added professionalism, increased visibility, or other factors that have been a positive result of the paralegal's initiative. The applicant should discuss how his or her efforts have been recognized and appreciated by those for whom the paralegal performs paralegal duties.

Judges for this award will consider the applicant's essay with particular attention to the initiative taken by the paralegal, overall contributions to the legal team with which the paralegal works, the framework within which the paralegal functions on the job and how the paralegal has changed that framework, and the effects the initiative has had on the paralegal's career, the environment in which the paralegal works, and other paralegals in the organization. The winner will be chosen on the basis of her or his impact on expanding the paralegal profession and contributions to the paralegal's employer, colleagues, and the paralegal profession in general.