A Success Story (Yours) - PACE

A Success Story (Yours)

I read an article recently in Positive Living where Dr. Norman Vincent Peale reminded us of the power of positive thinking. In the article, Dr. Peale was quoted as saying:

Start Your New Year Right!

1. Want this year to go right? Make things right, right now. List all your
debts (not only money, but debts of gratitude) and pay them off. List any
wrongs and make amends.

2. Practice the art of forgetting. Don’t lug resentments, frustrations,
disappointments and regrets into the new year. Let the past go and forge
ahead!

3. Each day, expect great things. Have high hopes and great dreams.
Believe that life is good, that it is going to be better and that the best is yet
to come. You know something? You’re likely to get just what you
expect.

Dr. Peale’s words of positive intention certainly sound like a great plan for growth and success in 2007, even when it comes to PACE. Professionally, one of the best ways to put that plan into action is to make a commitment to fulfill your hopes and dreams ~ make things right for you professionally ~ make a positive statement about your own professional worth. Don’t let this year come and go with regrets or disappointments because you didn’t take that step necessary to work on your professional development…especially, when IPA is here to offer tremendous support and assistance.

As I have expressed to several IPA members, it has been such a blessing to be able to
help members of IPA achieve their hopes and dreams of becoming PACE Registered
Paralegals. In just a few short months, numerous paralegals have contacted me about
helping them get qualified to take PACE ~ or have requested study material information ~ or have requested one of IPA’s new PACE Candidate Survival Kits because they have purchased the Study Manual and are serious about taking their career to the next level. We even have one “RP in Waiting” who has taken PACE and received word at the testing site that she passed, but is now waiting for official notification from NFPA (stay tuned for the big announcement!!) ~ and we have still another IPA member who will take the test within the next 45 days. Another RP told me she took a recent letter from IPA congratulating her on her PACE accomplishments to her Human Resources Department to have added to her personnel file. As an oldtimer, it is absolutely thrilling to see all of these paralegals work towards further professional development ~ to watch their hopes and dreams coming true ~ to watch these Success Stories being told.

If you haven’t done so, please take the time to read some of the PACE Testimonials which we have been posting on the IPA PACE web page. There are more coming, so check often for updates. Every paralegal who sat for PACE was motivated for some reason to take the examination. It is inspiring to read their Success Stories ~ what prompted them to take this step in their professional careers ~ what this accomplishment has meant for them professionally ~ what they learned in the process ~ what they hope for future PACE RP’s.

PACE is not for everyone, but if you have been on the fence, you couldn’t pick a better time to get on the PACE Track. NFPA has started the process of updating PACE with goals to have revised examinations available by the NFPA Annual Meeting in October of this year. It has been suggested that as the PACE item writers (persons who write the test questions) become more experienced and as the paralegal profession becomes more proficient, through specialization, regulation or otherwise, that quite likely the examination will contain tougher questions. Undoubtedly, the revised exams will contain more questions on technology, changes in the Bankruptcy Law, new Federal rules, and other changes with which we are somewhat less familiar.1

Indiana is one of the leaders nationwide in helping to develop the paralegal profession. We rank near the top in the number of PACE Registered Paralegals practicing per state on a national level. Courtney David Mills has put us on the map as the first paralegal organization to develop a Blawg. Our Board is proactive in its efforts to obtain regulation for Indiana paralegals. Undoubtedly, that day is coming. Indeed, how the paralegal profession has changed since a cluster of us met to form IPA! Don’t let 2007 come and go without seriously considering if PACE is right for you. This not only helps you personally and professionally, but it helps the entire paralegal profession.

Yes, PACE is exactly what Dr. Peale speaks to ~ a great way to make things right (right now), forge ahead with high hopes and dreams ~ and free of disappointments and regrets. With positive thinking and the expectation of great things, you CAN “believe that life is good, that it is going to be better and that the best is yet to come.” If you expect to be successful, you’re well on the way!

IPA is here to do whatever we can to help you proudly achieve your goal of successful completion of PACE. Maybe it is time to add one more Success Story to our PACE Testimonials………YOURS!

By Debi Neale, R.P.
IPA PACE Ambassador
The fourth in a series of
PACE Ambassador Reports

1 Also, be mindful of the fact that PES (the testing administration center) only does scoring runs twice a year now – in June and December. So, if you are informed you passed following completion of the exam, you cannot officially be considered a PACE RP until PES completes its scoring run and you are officially notified from NFPA.

2007 PACE ONLINE REVIEW COURSE DATES:

January 22, 2007
March 5, 2007
April 16, 2007
June 11, 2007
July 23, 2007
September 10, 2007
October 22, 2007

The cost of the course is $395. The student must purchase the PACE Study Manual
before the 7 week class starts. Contact Debi Neale, R.P. at debi@tabberthahn.com or
www.paralegals.org for more information.