Paralegal Division Commemorates 25th Anniversary
The NCBA Paralegal Division held its 25th Anniversary celebration on Friday, December 1, at The Mayton in downtown Cary. Dozens of Paralegal Division members, including 2023-24 Chair Lakisha Chichester and several past chairs, participated in the joyous occasion.
“The Paralegal Division holds a special place in my heart,” Chichester said. “I became a student member during the 2011-2012 bar year. I never imagined that one day I would chair the Division. Chairing the Division has been particularly meaningful because I had the privilege of planning the Division’s 25th-anniversary celebration.
“The celebration was a tribute to every member, past and present, who has played a role in shaping the Division into the vibrant, dynamic community it is today. The Division’s first chair, Sherri Wall, attended, making the event extra special. We reflected on the Division’s journey to the milestone anniversary. We are now looking ahead and steering towards a future of continued success and innovation for the Division and the paralegal profession.”
From left, Paralegal Division Chair Lakisha Chichester and former chairs Teresa L. Bowling, Stephanie C. Crosby, Tina Dadio, Sharon L. Wall, Katie M. McVeety, Stephanie Durham-Rivera and Shawana Almendarez.
Although this was indeed the Paralegal Division’s 25th anniversary, efforts to form the division date back some 40 years and include a couple of unsuccessful attempts to gain recognition from the NCBA Board of Governors.
That all changed in 1998 when Betty Quick was serving as president of the NCBA and Gray Wilson, a future president of the NCBA and N.C. State Bar, was appointed chair of the formation committee. Wall and Vice Chair Richard Reich head a long list of individuals who worked tirelessly to establish the division, and the North Carolina Paralegal Association also played a key role.
“Congratulations to the Paralegal Division of the NCBA on the 25th anniversary of its formation,” Quick stated. “It was a forward-thinking decision when the NCBA Board of Governors voted to form the Division as an integral part of the NCBA and to give a voice to the Division at board meetings. Joint participation in all NCBA activities has proven to be beneficial for both NCBA and paralegal members.”
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Another key figure in the establishment of the Paralegal Division was the late Executive Director Allan Head, who supported the division from its inception in 1998 until his retirement at the end of 2016. It was only fitting, as noted during the event, that the 25th anniversary celebration fell on the 50-year anniversary of his employment date with the NCBA in 1973.
The organizational meeting of the Legal Assistants Division was held on May 15, 1998, and the development of a three-year strategic plan followed shortly thereafter. Committees were also appointed to create a webpage, review the bylaws, support the centennial celebration, plan CLE programs, draft a Code of Ethics, launch a membership drive, pursue pro bono opportunities, and conduct surveys.
“Let the journey begin!” proclaimed Wall in her Chair’s Column, and so it did. Twenty-five years passed quickly, punctuated by 9/11, the Great Recession, and a global pandemic. Within the division, 2005 was a real game-changer, because that was when the N.C. State Bar implemented the Paralegal Certification Program.
Through it all, the Paralegal Division has grown and prospered, fueled by the energy of dedicated individuals who epitomize the words of Aristotle, who famously observed that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Additional information regarding the establishment of the NCBA Paralegal Division is available through the earliest editions of the LAD News, as the newsletter of the Legal Assistants Division was known when the division was formed. The inaugural edition of the newsletter is accessible here and the second edition covering the organizational meeting is accessible here. Listings of the Distinguished Paralegal Award recipients and the past chairs follow:
Distinguished Service Award Recipients
2009 Theresa Bowling
2010 Virginia Burrows
2011 Phylis Hines
2012 Stephanie C. Crosby
2013 Kaye H. Summers
2014 Sarah H. Kaufman
2015 Yolanda Smith
2016 Wanda Nicholson
2017 Alicia Lewis
2018 Sarah L. White
2019 Lakisha Chichester
2021 Alicia Mitchell-Mercer
2022 Grace Ward
2023 Katie Riddle
Paralegal Division Chairs
10/97-98 Sharon L. Wall
1998-99 Sharon L. Wall
1999-00 Richard H. Reich
2000-01 Virginia M. Burrows
2001-02 Grace C. Ward
2002-03 Sharon G. Robertson
2003-04 D. Grace Carter
2004-05 Jennifer H. Avriett
2005-06 Katie M. McVeety
2006-07 William O. Everhart
2007-08 Stephanie C. Crosby
2008-09 Teresa L. Bowling
2009-10 Phyllis M. Hines
2010-11 Marion A. Young
2011-12 Yolanda N. Smith
2012-13 Karen L. Mendorf
2013-14 Karen L. Mendorf
2014-15 Nicole D. Hutchins
2015-16 Denise Hargrove
2016-17 Annette Phelps
2017-18 Debbie Harris
2018-19 Leslie Pegram
2019-20 Tina Dadio
2020-21 Stephanie Durham-Rivera
2021-22 Shawana Almendarez
2022-23 Yazmeen Gadalla
2023-24 Lakisha Chichester
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.