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Posted December 19, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
The winter 2012 issue of the CALSPro Press is out with great articles regarding new laws & lawmakers, sewer service, technology in the field and a conference recap with pictures.
The CALSPro Press is the official quarterly news & opinion magazine of the California Association of Legal Support ProfessionalsPosted December 14, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
Recently, Serve-Now put together and began promoting a new program in order to shine a “global light” and in so doing, promote awareness of assault on process servers. The program, PAAPRS, which stands for “Promoting Assault Awareness and Protective Regulations for Process Servers,” also includes advice and tips from industry professionals and veterans, and is endorsed by NAPPS as well as other state process server associations.
The board endorsed the project at the last board meeting in December, and as Assault Advisor I’ve been asked to work with Serve-Now in providing some content, as well as to research how the site can help our members and how we can utilize its reporting and other capabilities. I’ve already offered an update on one of the tips (which was enthusiastically received by Serve-Now) and have spoken with Trent Carlyle and his staff several times. As you’ll see when you visit the site, there is an assault reporting capability, embed code for a badge (see below) you can then embed put on your website, a national map of process server assaults, assault prevention tips, and more.
For those of you who’ve been following my writings, one in this blog and many more in the CALSPro Press, you know we’ve been working for some time on trying to figure out the best way to raise awareness about this obviously important issue. Do you think PAAPRS would be a step in the right direction? So I’m asking you, fellow member, what do you think? Please email me your thoughts.
-Mark Schwartz
Posted December 1, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
“Mike Belote is one of the most generous, intelligent and funny people I know. He has served for over 20 years as our advocate, advisor and friend and has done more for this Association, and many of our members, than I could recount in this post. It was my honor to present the award to him at the Annual Conference in Anaheim, on October 6th. Thanks for all you have done for us Mike, and congrats!” – Mark Schwartz, outgoing Rosenthal Committee Chairman
We would like to congratulate the other nominees, Wendy Bowman, and Brett Peters, as well. Their names too will be added to the list of recipients someday.
From the Conference Program…
This year, we thought it would be fun to ask members of the committee to write just a couple sentences about each nominee and I tossed in a few as well.
Mike Belote
Ted Dietz wrote: “Mike is a very approachable and likable guy who will give you guidance and his professional opinion. He sincerely represents our association and its members. “
Jerry Topolos says: “Mike is very bright, has a great sense of humor and is one of the bright spots at the Annual Conference.”
“I have tremendous respect and admiration for Mike and the way he represents CALSPro. He has helped take us to places we couldn’t have arrived at on our own. When Mike speaks, I listen!” – Chad Barger
Connie Melvin says this about Mike: “I first met Mike at a meeting in 1990, and I am sure he thought: “What have I got myself into?” I thought: WOW what a handsome man and he has such a twinkle in his eye! Mike is a friend to all and I have never heard him say he couldn’t or wouldn’t do something.”
Andy Estin wrote this: “I’ll never forget the time our bill for the year came up for a vote while the Board was on a conference call and Mike had us listen live as the bill was voted down! And then he ran to the Capitol and got the bill passed.” Brett Peters offered this insight: “As a lobbyist, Mike Belote seems to have a sphere of influence in the Capitol that is unrivaled. Yes, Mike and his firm are paid for what they do, but he has contributed in ways that are immeasurable, beyond what any contract calls for. Mike is honest, intelligent and one heck of a storyteller. He is one of a handful of people that I’ve been truly glad to know in my lifetime.”
“Mike is one of the most giving and generous people I know. Anyone that knows Mike knows he is a killer lobbyist with one of the best reputations in the capital, and he has the rare quality of being both a fighter and a realist. His insight and love for the people in CALSPro is obvious and we are lucky to have him on our side.” – David Nill
Wendy Bowman
“Working with Wendy for several years now has been a true pleasure. Her sense of warmth and humility brings a personal touch to our association. Wendy works to ensure that we strive to do what’s best for all of our members.” – Brett Peters
David Nill offered this: “Wendy is a great friend to everyone in CALSPro. She has done most jobs and done them well and she has the benefit of coming from the legal sector, which makes her opinion and thoughts incredibly valuable.”
“Every group needs a member like Wendy. She is very professional, willing to do whatever is asked and never expects to be rewarded.” – Connie Melvin
Chad Barger had this to say: “The definition of a hard worker is one who is industrious and diligent in carrying out tasks or duties. Those words describe Wendy exactly. She is extremely smart, a devoted mother and a person I’m glad to call my friend.”
“Tom is a very lucky man. You have to admire a woman, who many years ago said, “I will never work with my husband.” [Obviously, she changed her mind.] – Jerry Topolos
Ted Dietz offered this: “She not only married into our association, she has taken the torch, ran with it and excelled! She is someone you can easily talk to about the complexities of a writ and then her kids playing soccer.”
My thoughts about Wendy: “Wendy is a fantastic Chair and more importantly to me, a wonderful friend. My wife and I love spending time with her and her sidekick, Tom.”
Andy Estin had this to say about Wendy: “Anyone who has to work with Tom Bowman EVERY DAY deserves an award.”
Brett Peters
Jerry Topolos had this to say about Brett: “If I ever went to battle, I would want him by my side.” You and me both, Jerry!
“He used to be a Los Angeles Motorcycle Police Officer and he’s a married father of five (neither one easy to do). A true professional who works hard for the association and its members.” – Ted Dietz
Here are Chad Barger’s thoughts about Brett: “When Brett walks into a room he commands respect. He is a very honorable man and always puts what’s best for CALSPro first. He’s my go to guy and he always gives sound advice, even when I don’t want to hear it. Brett has raised the bar very high for those of us striving to be the best. If there’s one word to describe Brett, it’s consistent.”
Connie Melvin says: “He more or less started getting really active when I was ready to stop. I know he has the respect of all the active members and he does a great job at whatever he is asked to do.”
“As a former Leg. Chair, I know how hard and time consuming the job can be. And I only did it for three years! Brett was Chair twice as long and we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for what he has done, and continues to do, for CALSPro.” – Mark Schwartz
“Brett is one of the best legislative chairman’s we’ve had at CALSPro and he has the ability to be both serious and witty, certainly a job requirement for our legislative chair!” – David Nill
Andy Estin wrote: “One year he ran for President and lost. He was obviously not happy. We have had others in that situation that then, by their conduct, proved the members had made the right choice. Brett kept working hard, though, and was elected President another year.”
Steve Janney, last year’s recipient, had this to say and so we thought it appropriate that he was the closer:
“Mark – Rather than write what is unique about each nominee, I thought I would write about qualities they share that have led to their nominations.
Each nominee is committed, and not just to the legal support profession. They are committed to the important part we play in our system of due process. This commitment shows in their reputations, developed and seen over decades of involvement.
Each nominee is sacrificial, willing to give what is theirs for the greater good of our profession. They have sacrificed personal time and money to serve and move this association forward.
Each nominee is trustworthy. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines trustworthy as “worthy of confidence.” They have earned our confidence, not over the short term but over a period of time fraught with changes that have forced other associations to limit vision and lose influence.”
Congratulations to each of you on your nomination!
Footnote: 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 Mike received at the Conference. Mike also received the perpetual trophy, which has every recipient’s name inscribed upon it, and has been held by each of them (except Bert and Jack Janney, the only two posthumous recipients), since 1979. Mike will exchange it at next year’s Conference for a smaller version so that it can continue to be handed down for years to come. The award plaque on both trophies reads: “Awarded for outstanding and dedicated service toward perpetuation and elevating the photocopy and process serving industries.”
Posted October 17, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
CALSPro would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the CALSPro Annual Conference in Anaheim, “The Happiest Conference On Earth”. ServeNow has posted a short “Conference Highlights” article that you can read here:
Stay tuned to our Blog, Twitter and Facebook for updates and information about next year’s conference. And again, thank you for supporting CALSPro!
Posted October 3, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
ONLINE REGISTRATION & BROCHURE NOW AVAILABLE!
Here are some highlights for Saturday, October 6th
CONTINUING EDUCATION SESSION
Case Law Presentation – Four speakers will provide information on past and present case Law.
Copy Industry Presentation — Mick Isbell will focus on where the industry is headed, recent legislation/bills that threaten the industry and other informative updates. Our copy industry members will truly benefit from Mick’s expertise in this field of legal support service.
SEO Marketing – ServeNow will get us up to speed on Search Engine Optimization for your company. Internet marketing is the fastest way to reach your target market and Adam Camras/Trent Carlyle will be at Conference to inform you in this very important, rapidly changing arena of marketing.
Stephanie Sayler
Conference Chair
Posted August 3, 2012 in Conference, Education, Legislation, Membership
ONLINE REGISTRATION & BROCHURE NOW AVAILABLE!
Here are some highlights for Saturday, October 6th
CONTINUING EDUCATION SESSION
Case Law Presentation – Four speakers will provide information on past and present case Law.
Copy Industry Presentation — Mick Isbell will focus on where the industry is headed, recent legislation/bills that threaten the industry and other informative updates. Our copy industry members will truly benefit from Mick’s expertise in this field of legal support service.
SEO Marketing – ServeNow will get us up to speed on Search Engine Optimization for your company. Internet marketing is the fastest way to reach your target market and Adam Camras/Trent Carlyle will be at Conference to inform you in this very important, rapidly changing arena of marketing.
Stephanie Sayler
Conference Chair
Posted July 30, 2012 in Conference, Education, Membership
Help protect our profession and strengthen your business by joining CALSPro! With others, you can help provide a powerful and unifying voice for California’s Legal Support Professionals. Together, we can be heard!
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Your CALSPro membership will enable you to:
Everyone is invited to join — Whether you’re a business owner, vendor, independent process server, professional photocopier, investigator, legal secretary, paralegal, attorney or work in another capacity in the legal profession, we would love for you to join CALSPro Today!
Larry Kirlin
Membership Chair
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/
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 10th 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 23rd, 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 18th 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!
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
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