CALSPro - California Association of Legal Support Professionals

44th CALSPro Conference. Get ready!

Posted December 2, 2011 in Conference, Education, Membership

Get ready for CALSPro Conference 2012 and bring along the family to enjoy Disneyland. Remember – The CALSPro Conference returns to its usual date of Columbus Day weekend – October 5-7 and will be held in Anaheim next year.

You are your best asset and need to stay informed. There are not many people today that make wagon wheels or fix typewriters for a living, and by not participating and learning about current and future industry developments, you risk standing next to the covered wagon.

It’s not too early to start planning! So please mark your calendars and remember to invest in yourself by attending next year’s conference.

As we get closer to conference time, information and updates will be posted here: http://www.calspro.org/events/annual-conference/

Bert Rosenthal Award Recipient

Posted November 4, 2011 in Conference, Membership

The Rosenthal Committee meets yearly (eight of us met in June) and in a rigorous, sometimes emotional process, nominates those who it feels have given the utmost of service and dedication in promoting and protecting our industry.  The committee consists of the current president, past presidents (who are still members) and all past recipients.

The first Bert Rosenthal Memorial Award was awarded to Bert himself, In Memoriam, in 1978.  Bert was one of the founding members of CALSPro and as such, is represented by one of the thirteen diamonds in the pin that hopefully will be presented to one of the below nominees at this year’s Conference.  In 1979, the tenth anniversary of our Association, his wife Dorothy wrote:  “During Bert’s initial years in the process serving industry, he dreamed of the time there would be an Association of Professional Process Servers.  Certainly his dream was realized, and gratefully, he did live to see its emergence as the prestigious organization that it is.  Bert truly loved the industry and he put so much of himself into it.  Were he here on this 10^th Anniversary, he would be so proud of all of the accomplishments of CAPPS.  For Bert, I can only say “Congratulations CAPPS for a job well done.”  Dorothy wrote those words over thirty years ago, yet they still ring true today, don’t you think?  Bert would be oh so proud of us, and what we have become, and I’m not referring just to the Association, but also to the individuals he befriended and mentored.  Today, due to the legacy of those individuals, and their legacy, Bert’s legacy is even more impressive.  Jerry Topolos summed it up nicely in his 1978 award speech.  He said:  “We are not only honoring a man.  We are honoring those who will be recipients in the future.  The Association has come along way, and we feel it’s about time the energies and contributions of certain members were recognized and recorded for posterity.”

The following individuals were nominated for this prestigious award:

Mike Belote

Robert DeFilippis

Steve Janney

John Perez

Brett Peters

At the banquet on Saturday night, September 23^rd, 2011, the award was presented to Steve Janney!  Here is a bit of information about Steve:

Steve was born into a “legal support service” family in 1951.  His dad, Jack Janney, was an early member of the Los Angeles process serving community (and was also a recipient of the Bert Rosenthal Memorial award).  Steve served his first paper on January 23, 1969, his 18^th birthday, when he finally conformed to the civil code of procedure by being “over the age of 18 and not a party to the action.”  No Business and Professions Code for process servers existed back then.

Steve graduated from high school in 1969 and Biola University in 1980.  He likes to say “I squeezed 4 years into 11.”  He graduated with a degree in Education and a minor in Theology.  After a year in graduate school, he joined his dad and brother Doug as the process manager of Janney & Janney Attorney Service.  In 1983 he married Dana Walker, and they have 3 children, Linda, Matt & Paul.

Steve has served in a variety of positions in CALSPro.  He was the newsletter editor, has served several terms on the board of directors, was elected twice as secretary-treasurer, chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and has served 3 terms as President of our association.

When asked about his life in the legal support industry, Steve said, “I think back over the past 40 years and I never would have imagined being where I am today.  After 40 years, I would describe myself as a blessed man.  I have had enough joy in my life not to be overwhelmed by sorrow, and enough sorrow to appreciate the joy.  I have a life filled with purpose for today and hope for tomorrow.   I have learned the difference between knowledge and wisdom, valuing the latter over the former.”

I was honored to present Steve the award in September.  Notably, he received the first CALSPro version of the trophy and pin, which was appropriate as it was Steve who guided our Association through that change.  Congratulations to Steve and his family!

CALSPro Conference Wrap Up

Posted September 30, 2011 in Conference

Greetings Everyone,

We wrapped up our 43rd Annual Conference on Sunday and I wanted to share some of the news of the weekend with you.   The Peppermill Resort, a hotel known for really nice rooms at a reasonable rate, was our meeting spot this year.    The Conference Committee, lead by Stephanie Sayler, decided that this was the year to change things up.  The theme of “Sell, Service & Succeed” set the tone and Stephanie made sure that education and networking were top priorities.

An incredible off-site party at Pinocchio’s with door-to-door chauffeured shuttle service started things off right.   Great food, adult beverages, fun music and some time to leave work behind made this a great Friday night!     We started Saturday with the annual business, a highlight, of course, being the election of our new Board and Officers.   Our new Board of Directors for 2011-2012 are Wendy Bowman, Cliff Jacobs, Jeremiah Jones, Michael Kern, Larry Kirlin, Brett Peters, Robert Porambo, Stephanie Sayler, Rich Stitts, Sam Virk and myself.     Our officers this year are Mike Kern, Secretary-Treasurer, Cliff Jacobs, Vice President and me, in for a second term as your President.  I really appreciate your support and confidence in my efforts over the past year.   The CALSPro leadership worked very hard this past term and I couldn’t more proud of our accomplishments.

There were a number of highlights over the weekend, one of which was the unveiling of our new web site.   If you have not yet had a chance to check it out, you ought to take a look.   I think it’s safe to say that the web site surpassed all of our expectations in design and content and as David Nill, pointed out, “It’s Alive!”   This is work in progress and the site will continue to change and develop. This is a very exciting move for CALSPro.

Saturday’s full agenda included three speakers. Stephanie really wanted to punch up the value to the attendees. Granted, Association business is a necessary part of every conference, but this year we wanted to move through that relatively quickly and get back to speakers and education that benefited the membership directly; information that we could each take home with us to improve our business.

At promptly 10:30 AM and yes, we were watching the clock, Eric Vennes, got started with a topic near and dear to all of us – Insurance.   What makes Eric unique is that he is a process server, a business owner and an insurance agent.   He’s one of us and completely understands the challenges.   Eric’s presentation can be summed up easily: Always 100% relevant.   Next, Gretchen Lichtenberger spoke on a number of topics relating to the service of process, but particularly the science of service at mailing locations, breaking it down for full understanding of the CMRA’s obligations relating to the service of process. Then we wrapped it up with an amazing presentation by Michele Stuart of JAG Investigations on internet profiling and intelligence. I think we all felt like we could have buckled in for this presentation because it was non-stop. Tons of information, advice, tricks, tips and truths about what’s going on out there on the internet. One tidbit: Did you know Facebook has stored each and every picture uploaded on to their site? Millions of pictures. Each and every snap shot is being held in storage for the purpose of being shared with a facial recognition software provider. Yes, there was a gasp the room over. One of many, quite honestly, during this incredible presentation by Michele. This was a highlight and exactly what we were looking for in the new CALSPro conference format.     Sunday’s early morning session provided the opportunity to anyone who wanted to take the CCPS test and then Cliff Jacobs, our Continuing Education Chair, lead right in to a full-on demonstration of our online learning educational programs.

If you were not able to attend this year, you missed a really great conference. The conference next year will be in Anaheim and I hope you can attend. I can promise you an exciting, fast paced and interesting event you won’t want to miss.

Best Wishes,

Chad Barger
President, CALSPro

Committee Wants to Hear From You

Posted September 28, 2011 in Conference

Dear CALSPro Conference Attendees –

Thank you for attending this year’s conference. Please follow the link below to complete our survey no later than Friday, October 7^th.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M69WQBG

Sell, Service and Succeed

Posted September 23, 2011 in Conference

You are invited to join the celebration of CALSPro’s 43rd Conference. The conference will provide you with opportunities for education and learning about the latest industry news as well as networking and fun!

Below lists the keynote sessions with a line-up of incredible speakers! But there is entertainment and fun too! Please don’t miss our Friday Night Welcome Event held at Pinocchio’s this year – shuttle service will be provided by one of our sponsors! Pinocchio’s is a local favorite which will be a fantastic location for re-connecting with friends, meet new people, enjoy food, libations and camaraderie!

Day 1 - Keynote Sessions and Annual Business Meeting

KEYNOTE SESSIONS:
You won’t want to miss our Keynote Sessions.
Eric Vennes with Pacific Coast Insurance Group will provide a session on Setting Up for Success.

Gretchen Lichtenberger, Registered Process Server will inform us on Serving Process at a Mailing Location.

Our Keynote Speaker will be Michele Stuart with JAG Investigations, Inc. She will provide information on investigative methods through Internet Profiling and Intelligence Gathering.

CALSPro will also be conducting their Annual Business Meeting on Saturday September 24th  from 8:30 am – 10:00 am and from 1:45 pm – 2:45 pm.

Day 2
Continuing Education Sessions:

On Sunday, September 25 CALSPro will offer the CCPS Examination Review along with the CCPS Exam. The Final session of the conference will be “Expand Your Knowledge with Online Learning”  This session will certainly provide conference attendees with a wealth of information on educational learning online.

2011 Rosenthal Memorial Award

Posted September 19, 2011 in Conference, Membership

I’m honored to present to you the Bert Rosenthal Memorial Award nominees, class of 2011. They are:

Mike Belote

Robert DeFilippis

Steve Janney

John Perez

Brett Peters

Membership Has Its Privileges

Posted September 17, 2011 in Conference, Membership

Have you ever wondered how legal support professionals that are not CALSPro members become informed of the important changes in the laws each year. CALSPro has been the source for this type of information for its members for over 40 years now. Whether you realize it or not, CALSPro has consistently provided these benefits for both members and non-members of the legal support community for all this time.

So why join CALSPro? Perhaps belonging to your state association keeps you more closely dialed in to the pulse of our profession and don’t have to rely on others to keep you well informed. Maybe you feel that it is good karma to give back to the association that has protected this profession from adverse legislation over the years, even working on sponsoring pro-process serving bills and legislation. Quite possibly, the relationships cultivated by networking with other CALSPro members has been the driving force behind your growth and success as a legal support professional; and if you want even more, then it may make sense to get involved.

Online Education to be Demonstrated at CALSPro Annual Conference

Posted September 17, 2011 in Conference, Education

Ok, so it’s Sunday morning at conference and you’ve had a really great time thus far. The banquet was fantastic, and afterwards-”What happens in Reno…” What better way to glide into the conference home stretch than to get a real time glimpse into the online educational opportunities available to CALSPro members and their staff. On Sunday morning from 10:15am through 11:15am, you will have a unique opportunity to observe and participate in the first 15 minutes of three of the over 2000 courses available on the CALSPro website.