Join DAPA for one of our favorite annual events:

DAPA Career Day

Setting A Goal

To Achieve More In 2024!

Ready to set a goal to ACHIEVE more in 2024? JOIN us for DAPA’s Annual Career Day on April 20, 2024, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Dallas College (801 Main Street, Dallas, Texas75202). We are excited to announce our agenda and speakers.

Need to freshen up that resume? Bring a hard copy of your resume, because DAPA’s

Sustaining Members, Robert Half and Beacon Hill Staffing Group will be reviewing resumes in person onsite.

8:30 a.m. Registration Opens

9:30 a.m. Alex Arellano, “Practical Advice for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile”

10:45 a.m. Karen KJ Johnson, “Dressing for Success”

12:00 p.m. Panel

Alexis Arellano

“Practical Advice for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile”

Alexis is a seasoned professional with a strong background in legal and administrative management. Currently, as a Legal Client Solutions Manager at Robert Half International, she excels in advising clients on project management and marketing campaigns. Alexis previously served as a Corporate Paralegal at Exponential Property Group, LLC, and as a Legal Administrative Manager at Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP. Her educational achievements include a Master of Divinity in Messianic Jewish Studies and certification in Grant Proposal Writing from Notre Dame.

Karen KJ Johnson

“Dressing for Success”

Karen KJ Johnson is a highly skilled and influential leader, renowned for her inspirational women empowerment speaking, and her impactful leadership skills. As the Founder & CEO of The Konfident Woman, she empowers women to unlock their inherent brilliance, cultivate executive presence, & build unwavering self-confidence.

KJ possesses a rich and extensive professional background spanning three decades, marked by a distinguished track record in leadership, governance, sales, and fundraising, with a notable presence in both the corporate and nonprofit domains. Her current role as the Executive Director of Dress for Success Dallas underscores her exceptional leadership capabilities.

Furthermore, KJ’s commitment to promoting the cause of women’s empowerment and gender equity is evident in her appointment as the Program & Partnership Director for NAWBO DFW. KJ’s visionary outlook and her exemplary communication skills serve as the bedrock for her mission to enhance women’s self-worth, facilitate their advancement, and advocate for gender equality.

KJ has garnered a multitude of awards, recognitions, and nominations, including the “Top 50 Purpose & Powerful Women, “Top 25 Global Influencer”, “Top 50 Powerful Women in Business to Know, and recognition as an influential African American businesswoman to follow on LinkedIn.

Currently living in Dallas, KJ is a devoted mother to her brilliant son, Chester, and glam ma to her beautiful granddaughter, Legacee (pronounced Legacy).

Oh, and yes, you guessed it, KJ is an optimistic and enthusiastic fan of the Dallas Cowboys –and there’s no changing that.

          Please click the below link for parking options.

         https://www.dallascollege.edu/maps/ecc/pages/parking.aspx

         For any questions, please contact pe@dallasparalegals.org

Medical Section Meeting + CLE

Ten Things You Need to Know About Medicaid & Medicare

On April 23, 2024 at Noon CST

Speaker

Pi-Yi Mayo

Pi-Yi Mayo is a member of the Texas Bar Association, the Houston Bar Association, and the East Harris County Bar Association and Texas Trial Lawyers Association. He is a member and past president of the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Pi-Yi is a past president (2012) and founding member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national organization of attorneys dedicated to serving families of persons with disabilities. He is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and he has earned his V.A. Accreditation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Pi-Yi has built a national reputation as an expert in elder law and special needs trusts. He presents nation-wide on topics surrounding elder law, special needs trusts and public benefits. He has authored more than 50 papers covering a wide range of issues and he has presented hundreds of speeches for attorneys, CPAs, government entities, judges, and most importantly, the elderly, people with disabilities and their family members and care-givers.

Pi-Yi serves as administrator to more than 70 qualified settlement funds from jurisdictions all over the United States and has nearly $80,000,000.00 under management.

Pi-Yi is an avid outdoors man and when he’s not managing the office, public speaking, or practicing law, he enjoys hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. His greatest joy comes from spending time with his family especially his grandchildren

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

*** For additional questions regarding this event please contact Elena Taylor at mailto:medical@dallasparalegals.org

Professional Development + CLE

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

On April 25, 2024 at Noon CST

Speaker

Sybil Taylor Aytch M.Ed., RP.

Sybil is a first-generation American and a native of New York City. She is an educator, author, speaker, and Registered Paralegal who has interviewed, mentored, and trained scores of paralegal students and paralegals. She writes and speaks frequently on issues related to the paralegal profession including ethics, technology, utilization, professionalism, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice. Sybil has extensive experience in complex litigation, commercial bankruptcy law, antitrust law, and trial preparation, specializing in electronic document and discovery management, trial technology, and project administration.

Sybil is the Senior Paralegal in the Commercial Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Creditors’ Rights group in the Phoenix, AZ office of Quarles & Brady LLP. Prior to moving to Phoenix, she was a Senior Specialist and Coordinator in the Corporate Restructuring group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York for 8 years.

Sybil has been an Adjunct Professor in the American Bar Association (ABA)-approved Paralegal Studies Program at Phoenix College since 2001 where she teaches Ethics and Professional Practice, Bankruptcy, and The Paralegal Profession. From 2004-2008, she served as a member of the ABA's Standing Commission on Paralegals Approval Commission where she led site visits to review applications for ABA-approval at multiple educational institutions. She was previously an Assistant Professor at Western International University where she taught Critical Thinking, Civil Procedure, and Comparative Law.

Sybil holds a double Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in French and English from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Educational Psychology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.  

From 2017-2023, Sybil served as Chair of NFPA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. In 2023, she was the recipient of NFPA’s Justice Champion Award and also received an Impact Award from the Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association. She is a previous recipient of NFPA’s Outstanding Local Leader Award. Sybil also serves as Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the International Practice Management Association.

In 2021, Sybil was appointed to serve as the sole paralegal member of the Arizona Supreme Court's Commission on Diversity, Equality, and Justice in the Judiciary. That same year, she was appointed as the sole paralegal member of the Maricopa County Bar Association's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.

Sybil is the co-author of two published textbooks: Ethics And Professional Responsibility For Paralegals (9th edition) and Concise Guide To Paralegal Ethics (6th edition- to be published later this year).

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

*** For additional questions regarding this event please contact Melody Johnson at pd@dallasparalegals.org

Medical Section Meeting + CLE

 A Paralegal's Guide to Optimizing Oral Discovery

On April 26, 2024 at Noon CST

This presentation will explore the crucial role of Paralegals in Deposition Management, focusing on how strategic organization can optimize case outcomes. The session introduces tools like the depositions index and a deposition abstract template, designed to enhance case organization and optimize your results as a Paralegal.

Speaker

Misty Murray 

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

*** For additional questions regarding this event please contact Elena Taylor at medical@dallasparalegals.org

Specialty Section+ CLE

"Preparing for Hearings in Dallas County Family Court"

Your Speaker

Judge Ten Eyck 

Drew Ten Eyck is the Associate Judge of the 301 District Family Court of Dallas County. Judge Ten Eyck received a B.A. in English from the University of Houston in 1995, and received a J.D. from south Texas College of Law in 1998. He worked at the law firms of Short & Jenkins, McCurley, Kinser, McCurley, and Nelson, and Diana S. Friedman, P.C. from 1998 until June 2004.

In June of 2004, Judge Ten Eyck was appointed an Associate Judge in the Dallas County family Court and has worked in the family courts since that time.  Among his awards, distinctions, and community service projects, Judge Ten Eyck is a four-time recipient of the Hartmann Judicial Pro Bono Service Award from the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, having received the award in 2007, 2015, 2017, and 2019. He has served as a Community Court Partner in the Victim Advocate Program Grant with the Family Place in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.

Judge Ten Eyck  also participated in the trial court which helped plan and implement an initiative with Dallas CASA to ensure that every child in CPS family law cases has a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Judge Ten Eyck has presented and taught at local, state, and national continuing education seminars on topics such as family violence, supervised visitation, and related issues, and numerous judicial topics. He has also been the co-author of family law articles for the Advanced Family Law courses between 1998 and 2004.

In his free time, Judge Ten Eyck enjoys scuba diving, and  cycling.

*******For more information regarding this event please contact Debbie Churchill at mailto:debbie@connatserfamilylaw.com

 Specialty Section+ CLE

"Leadership in Law and Life"

Carolyn Wright-Sanders is a former Chief Justice of the 5th District Court of Appeals (Dallas) (the first African American Chief Justice of any intermediate appellate court in Texas) and served as a Judge in Dallas for 35 years. In 2022, she received the Morris Harrell Professionalism Award. Justice Wright-Sanders taught at the Texas Center for the Judiciary and the National Judicial College during her tenure as a Judge.

THE LOCATION:

The Arts District Mansion

2101 Ross Ave.

Dallas, TX 75201

PARKING 

Cost of Parking $10.00

CLE Credit

1.0 hour CLE credit issued through DAPA. 

***********For more information regarding this event please contact Michele Boerder at michele.boerder@morganlewis.com

Specialty Section+ CLE

Put yourself in the Hot Seat: Considerations when building a trial presentation role in-house.

Your Speaker

Christine Riddell-Booker

Chris Riddell-Booker is an eDiscovery/Litigation Support professional with more than 25 years of experience in Federal, state, and local courts. Her expertise is in the technologies and methodologies to preserve, collect, review, produce and present evidence.

 

Ms. Riddell-Booker guides paralegal teams and attorneys through managing Discovery obligations for civil litigation at Munsch, Hardt, Kopf & Harr (Dallas, Austin, Houston). She was with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division until 2013, managing civil, merger, and criminal cases from inception to trial.

 

She is the Meetings Director for the Dallas Chapter of Women in eDiscovery and a Certified member of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS).

 

When not busy keeping up with all the latest places information is stored online, Ms. Riddell-Booker enjoys travel, theater, and walking her dogs.

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

*** For additional questions regarding this event, please contact Cynthia Minchillo at cminchillo@chalkerflores.com

Specialty Sections Meeting + CLE

Due Process – Procedural Due Process and Substantive Due Process

On May 17, 2024 at Noon CST

Via ZOOM

Speaker

John A. Bermingham, Jr., Esq

John A. Bermingham, Jr. Esq. is a licensed Attorney in New Jersey who has over 17 years’ experience as in-house counsel and is currently Associate General Counsel at Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc., where he handles corporate law, transactional matters, business law matters and contract law.  

Attorney Bermingham is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of New Jersey and all other state courts of New Jersey; and admitted to the District Court for the Federal District of New Jersey.  

Attorney Bermingham is a professor where he teaches Constitutional Law, Government Law, Business Law, and various Health Law classes, among others for Purdue University, Saint Leo University, Centenary University and Southern New Hampshire University. Professor Bermingham received his Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies at Arizona State University, his MBA with a Concentration in Criminal Justice at Saint Leo University and his Juris Doctor at Catholic University in Washington, DC.  

Furthermore, John Bermingham was elected by the people of Upper Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania in the November, 2015 General Election to the Board of Supervisors and has been a Supervisor since 2016. John was reelected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 where he will serve until 2027.

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

*** For additional questions regarding this event please contact Elena Taylor, at mailto:etaylor@foxrothschild.com

*****For information regarding this event please contact Teresa Casarez at tcasarez2000@yahoo.com