Letters
I am taking this opportunity to let each of you know my overwhelming sense of honor at having had the opportunity to serve as President of the Division. This past year has truly been a life-altering experience. I have had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and work with some of the finest legal professionals in the nation.
The goals set by the Board of Directors at the beginning of the 1995-96 fiscal year have been successfully met. Our membership has increased to an all-time high. The four advanced seminars sponsored by the Division were hugely successful. Additionally, several smaller seminars were held by Division Directors at the local level. The Division implemented a community service program by donating 5 percent of the net profits from its seminars to the Children's Miracle Network. Additionally, a pilot program for public television access has been completed for distribution across the state. The Division is working hand-in-hand with local legal assistant organizations to form a unified effort for promotion of the profession, as well as meeting the needs of Texas legal assistants. The Division continues to be included in State Bar activities, such as President Beck's Council of Chairs and the planning of the Annual Meeting.
The accomplishment of the Division's goals this year is evidence of the dedication of its volunteer committee members. Without a doubt, the real workers of the Division are those legal assistants who devoted their time and effort toward achieving those goals. Led by the nonstop energy of the Committee Chairs, these volunteers spent countless hours away from their jobs, their families, and their other interests, to recruit members, oversee Director elections, plan seminars, promote the organization, monitor our professional responsibility, formulate our future goals, research and report pertinent current events, publish this fantastic professional journal, and plan a ''blow out'' birthday celebration at the annual meeting. My heartfelt thanks to each of you for your selfless commitment.
I do not want to minimize the amount of hard work expended by your Board of Directors. These Directors have been your voice in the Division, and have had the demanding job of ascertaining your opinions, needs and wishes, and communicating those to the Board. Four times a year these Directors traveled away from their jobs and loved ones to attend marathon sessions in the board room. Keeping in mind the wishes of their particular district members, Directors oftentimes clash when it comes to decisions that must be made by the Board. Only a person truly devoted to the profession would volunteer for a position in which long hours of deliberation and tension are added to an already stressful career. It has been a special honor to have worked with the 199596 Board of Directors. I am especially grateful for their input and cooperation, which have been instrumental to our successful year.
In addition to acknowledging and thanking all those hard working legal assistant volunteers, there is one other group that deserves special appreciation‹the employers of those volunteers. These attorneys have been generously supportive and patient as their legal assistants have met the challenge of carrying out Division duties while performing their ''real'' jobs. In doing so, they have also been instrumental to the growth of the Division. I want to publicly thank my employer, Koons, Fuller & Vanden Eykel and in particular, Joe Amberson, for affording me the time I have taken away from firm business this year to perform my duties as President.
I have a tremendous amount of faith that our current momentum will continue. The Division has done great things in the past; it will continue to do so in the future. I hope to continue to be a part of that future. The rest of the nation watches us and waits for our lead. I hope you are as proud as I am of being a part of such an inspirational organization!
Sincerely,
Sally Andress President, 19951996
TEXAS PARALEGAL JOURNAL
Summer 1996
©1996 Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas