State of the Federation

by Sally Andress, RP

A speech given on May 6, 2000, by Sally Andress, RP, president of NFPA, to delegates to the Spring Convention:

At the end of NFPA's Fall Convention last year, I left the Renaissance Hotel in Atlanta and took a cab to Hartsfield Airport. The cab was driven by a Nigerian man by the name of Charlie Ojuolape. Charlie's initial greeting to me was "May your roads be rough." Since I had just been elected NFPA President, Charlie's words were a bit unnerving. I hoped that he wasn't laying the foundation for the year ahead and my term.

Charlie went on to explain, however, that his comment meant that by struggling to get where we want to go, the end to the journey is all the more rewarding. I have kept Charlie's words in mind since that day as a reminder things do not always happen easily and not to be discouraged by temporary setbacks.

Goals

As I stood before you in New Orleans as your newly-elected president, I outlined the goals that you indicated were important to you in promoting the paralegal profession. Chief among those goals was to educate attorneys and consumers about the role that paralegals play in the delivery of legal services. You may recall the saying "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO KNOWS YOU."

Last year, we prepared to march into the new century, making sure everyone in our path knew who we were. So, what have we done to make ourselves known?

Achievements

Your Board of Directors immediately determined its focus for the year. At the summer Board meeting, each Board member presented the tasks she hoped to accomplish during her term. In all, 35 tasks were identified - quite a lofty aspiration for a 12-member, all-volunteer board!

In retrospect, however, I don't believe that this Board aimed too high. The top ten accomplishments were:

1. The production of a videotaped instructional program on the utilization of paralegal services. In a few minutes, that video will be premiered. This is the tool that we will provide to law schools, attorney bars, consumer groups, and education programs to enlighten them about our profession.
2. The birth of NFPA's consumer education web page, which is being linked to the web page of the American Association of Retired Persons.
3. More than 60 articles about paralegals submitted to state bar journals for publication.
4. An increase in the marketing of PACE through NFPA's PACE Ambassadors and through a mass mailing campaign heralding the end of the grandparenting period.
5. Testimony, both live and written, in Pennsylvania, Georgia, California, and Canada on matters that greatly affect the paralegal profession.
6. An unprecedented increase in membership. The Henry Ford Community College student association joined as NFPA's first student member association. The Paralegal Association of New Hampshire also joined NFPA this year. Thursday, NFPA welcomed its newest member: the Gulf Coast Paralegal Association of Mobile, Alabama. We have learned that the Middle Tennessee Paralegal Association has decided to join NFPA. A new NFPA association is being formed in Raleigh, North Carolina. We anticipate its membership application in the near future.
7. Much work has been expended to strengthen NFPA's member associations. Leadership building, through leadership conferences and workshops, has become a business by-product of NFPA.
8. Your region directors have traveled many miles visiting your associations, educating your members about the benefits of national affiliation, and promoting the mission of NFPA. They have traveled by air, car, and rail. They have spent nights in hotels, motels, your homes, and sometimes airports, just to network, encourage pride, lessen apathy, and spread NFPA's "swirling vortex."
9. Much work has been done, and continues to be done, in achieving our goal to be listed as a profession in Chapter 16 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. We are honored by the attendance of our Canadian colleagues today.
10. A resolution is currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives to commemorate a national day just for paralegals. You are answering the hue and cry to get this day declared by contacting your legislators in Congress.

The Future

I wish Charlie Ojuolape were here today. I would like to tell him that, while our roads may have been a little rough, he was correct in predicting that they would lead us exactly where we wanted to go.

So what is next? Where will the rough roads of this coming year lead us? Ask yourself two questions:

First, if we were guaranteed not to fail, what would we strive to do for the paralegal profession?

Second, short of an advertisement about paralegals during the Super Bowl, what can we do to continue the momentum to direct the future of this profession?

Keep in mind that today's value-added features are tomorrow's standard equipment.

One of my favorite novels is Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. You might recall that, while Alice is now thought of a children's book, Carroll wrote it as a political satire. There is much to learn from Alice. I particularly admire Alice when she says, "I try to believe in five impossible things before breakfast every day."

I challenge you to believe in the impossible. I challenge you to dream about where this profession needs to go in this new millennium.

When we get to Pittsburgh, you will be put to the test to become visionaries. Start dreaming now. The challenge this profession faces is real: GET DISTINCT OR BE EXTINCT. Remember, today's value-added features are tomorrow's standard equipment. We cannot afford to be satisfied with what others have done before us.

The Video

As part of the State of the Federation report, we are premiering NFPA's video production entitled "Paralegals: Enhancing Practice, Professionalism, and Profitability." I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the committee in Dallas, who worked very hard to write the script, find key players, and find locations: Michele Boerder, Kay Redburn, and Valerie Hubbard. It is amazing how these three people could do so much in such a short period of time!

As you know, NFPA hired 12 Promises Productions to produce this video. I must tell you that after this project was completed, I was contacted by a company in Boca Raton, Florida, who wanted to produce something just like this for NFPA. This company wanted a fee of $26,000 and would only shoot for one day. 12 Promises spent the better part of a week shooting on location. An entire day was spent just shooting the footage of Suzanne Richards and me in the office of my former employer in Dallas.

You will recall you authorized NFPA to invest $20,000 for this project. I am extremely proud to announce that, thanks to the diligence of Bryan Stevenson of Hangley Management Services, the West Group is sponsoring this video and has contributed $10,000.

Please join me in thanking Suzanne Richards for her invaluable dedication and assistance in this production. As you could see, Sue is the star of this video, and her contributions make this project a true legacy.

Using the Video

As promised, each association is being provided with a copy of the tape today to take back to your locality with you. But this is not a gift - this is a job for you and your association.

What will your association do with this tool?

NFPA is charging you with the task of contacting your local and state bars and getting this video aired to their members. NFPA will be focusing on marketing the video in other venues. But you are the best emissary to your state and local bars. You have the contacts; you know the key players; you can recruit the advocates. NFPA looks forward to hearing from all of you in Pittsburgh of your success in sharing this film with your legal community.

I will warn you that getting the level of exposure to this video that we want may not be easy. But in the words of Charlie Ojuolape, "May your roads be rough."