Texas Paralegal Division Blog

 January 10, 2019 (Thursday)

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (CST)

“Governmental Immunity”

Credits:  1 Hour TBLS CLE Credit – Civil Trial Law

Speaker:  Daniel Ortiz, Assistant General Counsel, El Paso Water

Summary: Suing or defending a governmental entity, like a City, is unlike suing a private Defendant in many ways including the reality that many types of lawsuit are even barred from being filed against a government.  The Texas Tort Claims Act is worth understanding in order to properly advise your client as to the limitations of recovering against a government.  This presentation will provide you with an overview of governmental immunity and help you become more familiar with the most common type of tort claims, damages, duties, exclusions and exceptions.

(click HERE to register)

“Preparation for Mediation”

Speaker:  Harper Estes of Lynch, Chappell & Alsup

Topic Summary: Mediation is a tool used in all fields of law, and the growing use of mediation to solve disputes and settle differences can be highly effective with the right preparation. A paralegal is often a key member of the team in preparing for mediation, and this presentation will concentrate on successfully maximizing the paralegal’s role for a win-win situation. Hear from a mediator and attorney on how to best prepare your team.

 Time:   12:00 noon CT

 Cost:   $40.00 for PD Members / $50.00 for Non-Members

 TBLS approved: 1.0-hour CLE in Civil Trial Law; Estate Planning and Probate Law; Family Law; Oil, Gas and Mineral Law; Personal Injury Trial Law

 For more information and to register, click HERE

“Helping Your Clients Navigate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)”

Presented by James E. Griffis, Attorney at Harris, Finely & Bogle, PC

Event Description: Are your client’s employees truly exempt from overtime?  What are some common pitfalls employers make?  The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and overtime laws, if not appropriately followed, can get your clients in trouble and cost them thousands of dollars.  This presentation will provide you with an overview of the FLSA, common mistakes employers make, the penalties for such violations, and tips to remain in compliance.  Recent legislation and case law will also be discussed.

Time:  12:00 noon CT

Cost:  $40.00 for PD Members / $50.00 for Non-Members

TBLS approved: 1.0-hour CLE in Civil Trial Law

 For more information and to register, click HERE

“Pre-Trial Party Due Diligence”

Presented by Johnathan W. Charnitski, Attorney at The Brown Firm, PLLC

Event Description: A little preliminary research can go a long way to save your firm time and your client money. In this webinar, Mr. Charnitski will explore simple, but frequently overlooked research methods that will help your office ensure parties to suit are named correctly the first time, identify not-so-obvious additional parties to suit, and leverage statutory cost-shifting provisions.

Time:  12:00 noon CT

Cost:  $40.00 for PD Members / $50.00 for Non-Members

1.0 hour of CLE Credit (TBLS approved for Civil Trial Law)

For more information and to register, click HERE

Speaker line up is available here:  https://txpd.org/TAPS/speakers.asp

Do you know a Paralegal that might have what it takes to be Board Certified? Encourage them to apply today!

TBLS currently offers Certification in 8 specialty areas for Texas Paralegals:

Bankruptcy, Civil Trial, Criminal, Estate Planning, Family, Oil, Gas & Mineral, Personal Injury and Real Estate

The 2018 Paralegal Certification Applications deadline is June 30, 2018. For more information and the applications, visit www.tbls-bcp.org/ the TBLS Board Certified Paralegal website.