Cue the Mario Brothers music!

Get ready to kick off 2026 with a totally rad throwback! Our first social of the year celebrates the 1980s—just one of the many unforgettable decades that make up DAPA’s 50‑year legacy. Join us for an evening packed with classic arcade games, great company, and a delicious dinner on us. Dust off your neon, warm up your Pac‑Man skills, and help us launch the new year with retro flair and modern fun.  The deadline to register is January 12 by noon! 

Where:

Cidercade Dallas

2777 Irving Blvd.

Dallas, TX 75207

When:

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Time:

6:00 - 8:00 PM

$12 Covers Admission Fee

Drink Tickets and Dinner Provided

No tickets sold at the door!

No cancellations!

For questions, please email Executive Director,

Laura Kehoe at ed@dallasparalegals.org. 

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The Judicial Process

Our January General Membership Meeting will be via Zoom and presented by 

Alison Grinter Allen & Honorable Erin Nowell

Alison Grinter Allen is a candidate for the 282^nd Criminal District Court. She is Board Certified by the State Bar of Texas in criminal law and she has been practicing criminal law for twenty years. Alison has handled over ten thousand criminal cases in Dallas County, from misdemeanors to the most serious capital felonies.

Alison is  a former Dallas County Public Defender, where she served over two years in the Mental Health division, working closely with our community mental health providers.

Alison has maintained a pro bono civil rights docket throughout her legal career, focusing on voting rights, freedom to protest, and maintaining humane jail and prison conditions.

Alison has served on the Dallas Community Police Oversight Board. She volunteers for the Good Street Baptist Church Legal Clinic.

Alison lives in South Dallas with her handsome and patient husband, three almost-perfect daughters (who go to Dallas ISD schools), two misbehaved dogs, and one grumpy cat.

The Honorable Erin Nowell is a candidate for County Court at Law No. 1. She is currently Of Counsel for Carter Law Group.     For 6 years, Erin served as a Justice (2019-2024) on the 5th District Court of Appeals (Dallas).

Erin served as an Appellate Section Council Member (2023–present) for the State Bar of Texas (SBA). She co-chaired the SBA Outreach & Engagement Committee (2021-present) and served as a Director (2017–2019) for the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) and as DBA Judicial At-Large (2022.)

Erin served on numerous boards and as President of the J.L. Turner Legal Association (2019). She was selected as a member of the prestigious Higginbotham Inn of Court and Mac Taylor Inn of Court.

Erin has been selected for many awards, including the Dallas Women Lawyers’ Association “Jurist of the Year” (2022); the Texas Women Lawyers “Brenda Tso Rising Young Lawyer Award” (2018); the Texas Super Lawyers “Texas Rising Star” (2015, 2016, 2017); the National Bar Association “Top 40 Advocates Under 40” (2016); and the Dallas Bar Association “Minority Attorney of the Year” (2015).

This month's General Membership Meeting is sponsored by 

DataPlus Advantage Inc d/b/a Open Door Solutions

This event qualifies for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit through DAPA.

*** For additional questions regarding this event, please contact Programs Vice President Madison Fitzgerald programs@dallasparalegals.org.

Basics of Patenting Worldwide

Cynthia Minchillo, RP, CP joined Chalker Flores, LLP in January of 2010. She earned her Paralegal Advanced Competency (PACE) Registered Paralegal (RP®) designation in 1997 from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Political Science, cum laude, in 2000 and a Masters of Public Affairs degree in 2003 from the University of Texas at Dallas, and earned her Certified Paralegal (CP®) designation in 2024 from the National Association of Legal Assistants.  

Current memberships include the Dallas Area Paralegal Association and the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas. She has held various elected and appointed positions with her local, state and national paralegal associations, as well as serving as an American Bar Association Paralegal Approval Commission Representative and special site visitor. She is a presenter and author on various continuing legal education topics. Cynthia served as an adjunct faculty member of El Centro College's Paralegal Program from 2005 to 2007 and has been an adjunct faculty member of Collin College's Paralegal Program since 2011.

This event qualifies for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit through DAPA.

For additional questions regarding this event, please contact IP Section Chair, Liz Mendoza at ip@dallasparalegals.org.