42nd Annual Conference

October 19, 2010

Conference Photos

Palm Springs 2010: Reflection On A Successful Conference:

by Stephanie Sayler
2010 Conference Committee Vice-Chairperson

We had a very successful Conference this year and many people assisted in making that happen. Besides your Officers, Board of Directors , Committee members, and California Advocates Management team, we owe gratitude for the time that our sponsors, vendors and speakers devoted to our Conference.

Tony Klein (Attorney Service of San Francisco; Process Server Institute) and John Perez (New Jersey Legal Process Service) gave us invaluable presentations that benefited our membership by teaching us not only how to perform our services correctly, but also how to do so profitably . Thank you to you both for your guidance in helping our members to offer new services and to do so professionally. Being successful at serving those “Difficult Process Serving Assignments” not only makes you a shining star in the eyes of your client, but provides a tremendous boost to your reputation and increases profits. I, for one, will not just send my client a “Not Found” report without going through the steps Tony provided us to turn that failed effort into a served document with a hefty profit! Being able to prepare and serve foreign deposition subpoenas, and understanding how to research the specific state requirements, will again build trust and satisfaction from your clients while you grow your business.

Johanna Sweaney Salt and Bruce Gray of Kaufman, Schmid, Gray & Salt, LLP, were the two CPA’s that presented a wonderful educational session on taxes and accounting that affect our companies. They provided us a list of “do’s and don’ts” that were directly applicable to our industry. In addition, they taught us how to handle the upcoming changes in the 1099-Misc reporting and answered specific questions regarding application of sales tax to the services we offer. Do you charge your client sales tax on the pages of records provided on disk? What if you only electronically send those pages? Would you like the answers to these questions? Then please attend conference each year…. The information you are provided annually should not be missed (and if you email me, I will gladly answer these questions for you!)

Steve Janney’s Presentation on “Preparing for a Disaster” not only provided the nuts and bolts for the before, during and after a disaster plan, but he instilled the “can do” spirit that he and his staff exuded during the stressful challenges of overcoming a hardship. Because Steve and all of Janney & Janney already have the right attitude as they approach each day, they successfully “didn’t miss a beat” while working off sidewalks, hotel rooms and vehicles. If you don’t think this will ever happen to you, please get your head out of the clouds. My office has endured both a fire and a flood, and I think many of you have experienced the same and know there were areas that we all could’ve improved upon. Steve’s presentation helped our members get their arms around the most important business areas that need guarded.

Please plan on attending next year’s conference in Reno. It’s not only a fun place to visit, it’s also very near Lake Tahoe, which is a recreational mecca for you and your family. The face-to-face interactions with other members is invaluable, and the knowledge you will gain from attending conference may be priceless to you in the upcoming years. As our economy challenges many of us each day, please stay actively involved in your association to get the “edge” that you need to keep your company viable. Next year’s conference will include several new events and will be held in September! I would like to hear from you if there are topics you would like included in next year’s conference. I’m open to hearing your suggestions and look forward to implementing some new and exciting programs so that we have another great CALSPro Conference in 2011.

Conference Photos

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