The Advisory Council Structure

by Robin I. Solomon, Board Advisor

The goals and purpose of NFPA's Advisory Council are to:

• advise, support and counsel NFPA in the continued development of the paralegal profession;
• serve as liaisons with members of the legal community and the general public in promoting and developing the paralegal role in the delivery of legal services;
• study and advise NFPA on regulatory developments and other matters affecting the profession; and
• assist NFPA with research and educational projects, including assistance with securing funding for such projects.

The Advisory Council is to be composed of at least ten, but no more than 25, members representing the following groups:

• accountants,
• allied paraprofessionals,
• association management experts,
• attorneys,
• consumers of legal services,
• ethics experts,
• insurance and medical experts,
• investment brokers,
• paralegal administrators,
• paralegals,
• politicians and lobbyists,
• public relations experts,
• technical experts, and
• the immediate past NFPA board advisor, unless he or she is currently
  serving as a voting delegate of an NFPA member association.

Being an Advisory Council member does not involve specific responsibilities; rather, individual members are called upon throughout the year to contribute valued opinions and information.

The Advisory Council is available to respond to the Board and members regarding issues where outside opinions would be beneficial. Additionally, members of the Advisory Council have served as judges for NFPA's various awards.

During my four-plus years on the NFPA Board, I have come to believe that our Advisory Council is under-utilized. In fact, when conducting our surveys for our Strategic Long Range Plan, our Advisory Council members voiced that very same concern. I would like to think of issues that our experts can address for us, for they are a wealth of expertise and information.

Our current Advisory Council is made up of the following members. I also list their specialties and areas of expertise.

• Glenn B. Asch of Boston, MA - Legislation
• Leonard DuBoff of Portland, OR - Intellectual Property
• Allison Z. Gifford of Philadelphia, PA - Intellectual Property
• Daniel F. Hinkel of Atlanta, GA - Education/Utilization
• George Kuhlman of Chicago, IL - Ethics
• Jay G. Ochroch of Philadelphia, PA - Bankruptcy
• Suzanne K. Richards of Columbus, OH - Ethics, Gender Bias and ADA
• Nancy Siegel of San Francisco, CA - Law Office Management & Economics
• William P. Statsky of Los Altos, CA - Education

As you can see, there are many areas that are not covered. I would welcome any suggestions you have for additions to our Advisory Council, as well as ways to better utilize the members' talents. More information on the Advisory Council can be found in NFPA's Procedures Manual.

Please e-mail your suggestions to me at Advisor@paralegals.org. I look forward to hearing from you!

As the immediate past president of NFPA, Robin I. Solomon is the NFPA Board's liaison with the Advisory Council. She is a paralegal with Fox, Rothschild, O'Brien & Frankel, LLP, in Philadelphia, PA.