Meet the Judges
Criteria for Selection of Candidates
Achievements that contribute to expansion of the paralegal profession and improve the efficiency of performing paralegal duties, including creativity, leadership, expertise in specialty, skills, knowledge, CLE, mentoring abilities, career highlights, honors, awards and recognitions, challenges faced, and career encompassed the criteria for the selection of the TOP 15 PARALEGAL EXPERTS. The experts practice in various areas of law.
The Nationwide Search for the Top Paralegal Experts for LESSONS
Identifying the 15 most successful paralegals was a lengthy and difficult process. A distinguished panel of judges selected the candidates based on definitive criteria. The panel includes the following professionals: Therese A. Cannon, attorney at law, paralegal educator, author, law school dean, and member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals. Currently, Ms. Cannon is the Associate Director of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the US; William P. Statsky, attorney at law, paralegal educator, and author; James Wilber, Esq., principal, Altman Weil; and Gary Melhuish, the Manager for Litigation Support Services at the Philadelphia office of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP.
Theresa A. Cannon - Biography
Therese A. Cannon is the Associate Director of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which is one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the US. Prior to being appointed to this position, she served as Dean of the School of Law at John F. Kennedy University, Associate Dean of the College of Extended Learning of San Francisco State University, where she directed the Paralegal Studies program. Teri served as the Educational Consultant to the Standing Committee on Paralegals of the American Bar Association from 1996 to 2006.
Ms. Cannon was a member of the Standing Committee, served on its Approval Commission from 1991 to 1996, the last two and a half years in which she served as chair. She also served as Educational Standards Consultant to the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California for eight years. Ms. Cannon earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA and her law degree at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and is a member of the California Bar.
Ms. Cannon is the author of Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Legal Assistants, now in its fourth edition, and A Concise Guide to Paralegal Ethics, both published by Aspen Law & Business. She also co-authored Paralegals, Profitability, and the Future of Your Law Practice with Arthur G. Greene, published in 2003 by the Law Practice Management Section of the ABA. She authored both editions of ABA Approval: A Reference Manual for Legal Assistant Educators, published by the American Bar Association in 1997 and 2004.
Therese is a past president of the American Association for Paralegal Education and served on its board for six years, including a term as president. She is on the advisory boards of Legal Assistant Today magazine and the International Paralegal Management Association and serves on the Standards Committee for the PACE of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. She is a past member of the Certifying Board of National Association of Legal Assistants.
Gary Melhuish - Biography
Manager, Litigation Support Services
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
Gary Melhuish is the Manager for Litigation Support Services at the Philadelphia office of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Previously, he was the Paralegal Director in the Washington, DC office of Fried, Frank, Harris, and Shriver & Jacobson LLP. He is the immediate past president of the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA) and formerly adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University Paralegal Studies Program, where he taught legal ethics and legal technology.
Mr. Melhuish has 25 years' experience as a legal assistant at law firms of Ballard Spahr; Fried Frank; California Federal Bank; and at the law firm of Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. He received a B.A. from the University of Maryland, an M.A. from Michigan State University, and a paralegal certificate from the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia. Mr. Melhuish is a frequent speaker at meetings of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), Paralegal SuperConference, DC Bar, National Capital Area Paralegal Association (NCAPA), and IPMA training seminars and conferences.
William Statsky - Biography
Attorney, author, and professor, William Statsky, who is currently an editorial consultant for Thomson Delmar Learning (West Legal Studies) for paralegal and law textbooks, is well known for his prolific writing for paralegals and lawyers. Professor Statsky’s seminal textbooks include Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems, and Skills (6th ed., West, 2002), Essentials of Paralegalism (4th ed., West, 2005), and Legal Research and Writing: Some Starting Points (5th ed., West, 1999), and they have been used in paralegal schools, colleges, and universities for many years.
Publications
• Case Analysis and Fundamentals of Legal Writing (Statsky and Wernet, 4th ed., West, 1995)
• Legal Thesaurus Dictionary: A Resource for the Writer and Computer Researcher (West, 1985)
• Family Law (5th ed., West, 2002)
• Torts: Personal Injury Litigation (4th ed., West, 2001)
• Legislative Analysis and Writing (2nd ed., West, 1984)
• West’s Legal Desk Reference (Statsky, Hussey, Diamond, and Nakamura, 1990)
• Essentials of Torts (2nd ed., West, 2001)
• Family Law: The Essentials (2nd ed., West, 2004)
• Rights of the Imprisoned: Cases, Materials, and Directions (Statsky and Singer, Bobbs-Merrill, 1974; Supplements: 1976, 1978)
Since 1990, Bill has made significant contributions to NFPA as a member of its Advisory Council and as a member of the certifying board for NALA in 1995 and 1996.
Mr. Statsky’s pro bono activities include hospice volunteer (www.pathwayshealth.org), Family Law Clinic, Volunteer Lawyers of Santa Clara County (www.probonoproject.org), tutor for jail inmates, Vision Literacy (www.visionliteracy.org, recording textbooks for the blind and dyslexic (www.rfbd.org), and food deliveries for Community Services Agency (www.csacares.org).
James Wilber - Biography
James Wilber is a partner with Altman Weil, Inc., a law office management consulting firm, with its East Coast offices in Newtown Square, PA; its Midwest office in Milwaukee, WI; which serves clients in the UK, Europe and throughout the world from its US locations. Jim works in the WI office.
As one aspect of Altman Weil’s many consulting services, Mr. Wilber leads consulting projects regarding paralegals and paralegal departments, i.e., paralegal development and improvement for law firms and corporations. He has become an expert in increasing the profitability of paralegals. In addition, he emphasizes to his client firms the better utilization of paralegals. Previously, Jim has managed law offices and has been responsible for the hiring, training, supervision, and development of paralegals. He has written articles on how paralegals can enhance profitability and about the underutilization of paralegals.
Prior to joining Altman Weil, Mr. Wilber practiced law and managed law offices for 14 years. His law office management experience is extensive: as a managing attorney in both the public and private sectors, he was responsible for the hiring, training, supervision, and development of lawyers, paralegals, and law office managers. Other duties included responsibility for financial analysis, budgeting, law office technology and computer applications.
James Wilber, a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management, has written and lectured extensively on management issues in the legal profession. He is the Editor of the Report to Legal Management and is the Editor of the International Practice Manager of the International Bar Association. Jim has been published and quoted in numerous publications, including the ABA Journal, the American Lawyer magazine, the National Law Journal, and the journals of many state bar associations. He is an officer of Committee 10 (Practice Management and Technology) of the International Bar Association.
Mr. Wilber is a cum laude graduate of the inaugural class of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, having served as Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in English Literature.
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LESSONS
Table of Contents
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Litigation
Dwayne E. Krager
Nancy B. Heller, RP
Michele M. Boerder, CP
Patricia G. Gustin, CP, CFEI
Susan G. Ippoliti
Intellectual Property
D. Grace Carter, NCCP, CP
Victorialei N. Naka’ahiki, RP
Deborah A. Hampton
Legal Research and Writing
Celia C. Elwell, RP
Commercial R.E.
Susan M. Custer
Residential R.E.
Jill J. Hale, PP, PLS, CLA
Corporate and Business
Siobhan S. Smith
Family Law
Jennifer Arnold, CLA
Bankruptcy
Mathew D. Laskowski
Mary E. Rolland |
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