LSI ANNUAL CONFERENCE - MAY 19-22, 2011
Los Angeles, California
Hannalore Dietrich, Governor Pro-Tem
I arrived at the JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles Friday evening (May 20, 2011). The hotel was spacious, and LSI Activities were well under way. The conference theme was "Disco Nights." I met friends from the San Mateo, San Francisco, Mt. Diablo, and Santa Clara associations. I visited with vendors and attended the Welcome Reception/Campaign Party. People were dressed up in "disco" attire, appetizers were provided, and a DJ played '70s and '80s music well into the night. It was really fun!
The Pre-Annual Conference Governor's Meeting was held Saturday morning. The Governors approved the decision to have the current LSI contract administrative assistant become an employee of Robert Half Legal, with LSI paying Robert Half Legal for the employees services and Robert Half Legal providing the payroll, health, and medical benefits for the employee.
At the Annual Conference-General Assembly (1st and 2nd Sessions), Manny Medrano, Esq. spoke about his experiences as a child, which led him to decide law as his profession. He told us about where he worked and the cases he tried. His speech was an inspiration to us all. In addition, LSI held the Election of Officers, asked for Annual Reports of Committee Chairmen and the Special Committee, and the delegates of all the associations voted on which association would host the 2013 Annual Conference. Santa Clara County Legal Professionals Association was chosen to host the 2013 Annual Conference!
In the late afternoon, I attended the Law Office Administration Workshop, where Marilou Mirkovich, Esq. spoke. She works in the Employment Law field, and she primarily works with clients who request investigations. For instance, if there is sexual harassment or discrimination in the work place and a client needs a non-biased investigative report, the client hires Ms. Mirkovich to interview the necessary people involved in the matter and produce a report for the client. She does not give advice, nor does she take sides. Ms. Mirkovich gave us examples of cases on which she worked - very fascinating!
Saturday evening there was a banquet with awards given to various associations for increase in membership, scrapbooks/history books, bulletins. The new CCLS members were presented with certificates. After dinner, a paralegal-turned-comedian kept us in "stitches" with his jokes, and a Los Angeles dance troupe favored us with floor routines, including group participation in line dancing and disco moves. (See "Palo Alto Legal Secretaries Association" on FaceBook for photos!)
This LSI Annual Conference was a huge success, and I was glad I attended.
Report from the August 2010 Conference of the 2010-2011 Board of Governors of Legal Secretaries, Incorporated in Modesto, CA, August 13-15, 2010
Last August I was pleased to be able to attend my first LSI Quarterly Conference as a PALSA board member. (It was in fact my first LSI conference!) I found it to be an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. All four members of the PALSA board attended. It was a great opportunity to meet and talk with other LSI members with board responsibilities as well as regular LSI members.
I drove down on Friday afternoon, which timing I don’t recommend if you can avoid it; the traffic into the Central Valley was stop-and-go heavy and not helped by several serious traffic accidents, and it took hours to reach my destination, Modesto’s Doubletree Hotel. Once there, however, I felt better immediately. The hotel is pleasant and centrally located near a movie theater and the city arts complex, with a very nice in-house restaurant and bar and a parking garage right across the street. Throughout the weekend Modesto was unseasonably cool for August, which meant perfect summer weather.
Because of my late arrival I was unable to attend any of the Friday events, but on Saturday I was present for both Board of Governors’ Meetings, the Membership Luncheon, and the evening dinner event and speaker. The overriding theme of this Quarterly Conference was membership numbers: how to sustain them and keep them growing in the face of the ongoing economic downturn and the slowing demand for secretaries and assistants in all fields.
LSI Vice President Sandra Jimenez, CCLS, was the moderator for the Membership Luncheon, and she spoke about the LSI Experience It! 2010-2011 Membership Drive (a separate effort from the LSI Membership Contest customarily held at the LSI Annual Conference), for which local associations who recruit the most new members would receive recognition and prizes. Over lunch there was an extended discussion of ideas for membership recruitment and retention. E-mailing new and past members with current news and information was suggested. Sending an exit interview questionnaire/form via e-mail to members who did not renew was also mentioned. Local associations had sent in suggestions and questions for the luncheon beforehand, and these were all reviewed and discussed in turn.
In the afternoon more workshops were held and after a break attendees began assembling for the reception and banquet. The speaker, John Garcia, Esq. of Merced, spoke vividly of his time as an ex-convict and the hard work involved in his return to society and achieving his law degree, and it is safe to say his audience was enthralled. It was a fine conclusion to the day.
On Sunday morning the remaining attendees said goodbye at the conference brunch, the last event on the schedule. I had the pleasure of sitting next to delegates from Santa Barbara and was most impressed that they and others from Southern California associations had made the long weekend trip to attend. Going home was a far more pleasant experience, with little traffic, and my first LSI conference concluded on a pleasant note. I felt very privileged to be able to attend with my fellow Board members. It was a real learning experience, for which I’m grateful to PALSA, LSI, and especially the Merced County Legal Professionals Association and Stanislaus County Legal Professional Association for their hard work in arranging the conference.
September 27, 2010
Alison Garcia, PALSA Secretary
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Report of Governor Pro-Tem Jill Wilkinson,
Palo Alto Legal Secretaries Association
May, 2010 Annual Conference at Hilton Sacramento Arden West,
Sacramento, CA
Legal Secretaries Inc., (“LSI”) Annual Conference, May 22 and 23, 2010
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Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the long July 4th weekend this year. It certainly was hot though, but that made it nice for the folks who wanted to see fireworks. No fog!
Let me start out my message by thanking the PALSA membership for allowing me the opportunity to represent Palo Alto as Governor Pro Tem (in for Beverly Kundracik) at the Annual Conference last May 2010. It was a great learning experience. I believe all the associations had a wonderful time the entire weekend.
I left work on Friday, May 21 and arrived in Sacramento around 8:00 p.m. Needless to say, leaving Sunnyvale on a late Friday afternoon, headed toward Sacramento, there sure is a lot of traffic! When I finally arrived I walked through the hotel’s front doors and there everybody was, right at the entrance. I registered and had the opportunity to visit the vendors before checking in since the vendors were actually packing up for the night when I arrived. At that point, I was starving so I grabbed something to eat at El Torito. We don’t have El Torito in my area anymore, so it was certainly a treat. The restaurant was packed.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel to get some much needed rest and to prepare for Saturday. It was going to be a full day.
At 8:00 a.m. the Pre-Annual Board of Governors Meeting of LSI was called to order by LSI President Christa Davis. First thing was roll-call. The Governors sat in their respective seats with a sign displaying the name of the County they represented. I was the only one sitting in the “Palo Alto” section. 36 Governors and Governors Pro Tem were in attendance. LSI Business was then conducted and the meeting adjourned 8:28 a.m. It was announced that the next Board of Governors meeting would be held after the conference on Sunday, May 23.
Next on the agenda was the general meeting which was called to order at approximately 9:30 a.m. There was the Presentation of Colors, Pledge of Allegiance and then the Code of Ethics was read by Yvonne Waldron-Robinson. We had a few inspirational messages and poems and the introduction of our Welcome Speaker, Todd Vlaandern, President of the Sacramento County Bar Association. He talked about the enormous amount of pro bono work he does and efforts on behalf of the indigent. He is very proud and happy that he can help the folks who really need it. After his talk, Windy O. Scott was then introduced. She is the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. I have heard her speak before and she is captivating - very down to earth. She mentioned that women make up 46% of the labor force! And toward the end of her talk, she said something that really made me think - Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Isn’t that something we all wish we could say at times!
Time for a coffee break! The meeting reconvened at 10:50 a.m. More introductions were made, including the introduction of the LSI Executive Committee, past presidents and special guests. General business was conducted. The Registrar of the meeting told us that 106 delegates registered to be at the meeting, but only 101 delegates were in attendance. President Christa Davis initiated the new Executive Board, talked about membership, and encouraged everyone to get new energy and excitement and have a “YES” face! She wants us to ask ourselves a question. If a prospective new member asks, “Why should I join PALSA?” What would you say? It would be great to have an answer at the ready.
At 11:50 a.m. the meeting was recessed and we broke for lunch. The past-presidents of LSI (10 of them) went out to lunch on their own. We didn’t see them again until approximately 2:30 and they all looked as if they enjoyed themselves thoroughly! The meeting reconvened at approximately 2:00 p.m.
Officers of LSI also talked about the Eula May Jett Scholarship. They announced the winners of the scholarship. There were 14 winners! Congratulations to them and on their journey to becoming a legal professional.
At the banquet that night, the CCLS’s were introduced again. A group sang a capella while we ate our salad. Dinner was wonderful. They also had a professional photographer available for those who wanted to commemorate the occasion.
The meeting then continued on Sunday, May 23rd. President Davis called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. There were welcomes and introductions. The biggest event at brunch was the Installation of 2010-2011 LSI officers. President Davis then turned over the reins to Brooke Atherton along with the President’s gavel, pin and President’s Cup. President Davis was then presented with gifts. New President Atherton gave her remarks for the future of LSI. The new Executive Board was announced. After the installation, we had a Closing Song (‘Til We Meet Again) and President Atherton adjourned the meeting around 11:00 a.m.
I then attended the post-annual Board of Governors meeting. The meeting was called to order at 11:05 a.m. on May 23, 2010. Again, roll-call was taken. The Executive Secretary announced that 37 Governors and Governors Pro-Tem were present. Business was conducted and it was announced that the next Board of Governors meeting will be held at the First Quarterly LSI Conference on August 13, 2010 in Modesto, CA.
Dated: July 16, 2010 /s/
Jill Wilkinson, Governor Pro-Tem