We want to help you with the NALA CP Exam! Join us for this in-depth 6-day study course to dive deeper into the materials and information you will need to pass the NALA exam and become a certified paralegal.
Course Sessions:
All sessions will be held virtually.
PLEASE NOTE: Attendees are responsible for providing their own study materials. The NALA Certified Paralegal Exam Fundamentals is available at NALA.org.
MEET THE SPEAKERS:
Andre Davison, MLIS
Andre Davison is an accomplished Knowledge and Information professional with over 30 years of experience in the legal and corporate sectors. He has been recognized for his efforts in diversity and innovation initiatives within the legal industry. In 2018, Andre was awarded his law firm’s diversity award. He was also the winner of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Innovation Tournament in 2019. In 2020, he received the Fastcase 50 award, honoring the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders. In 2021, Andre was elected as a fellow to the College of Law Practice Management. Most recently, Andre received the HBA President’s Award, recognizing his outstanding service as the 2023-2024 co-chair of the HBA County Law Library Committee. Each year, the HBA President awards the HBA President’s Award to select HBA committee and section leaders for their exceptional service and dedication to the Houston legal community and legal profession. Currently, he serves as a board member on the AALL Executive Board. Andre holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Houston. He earned his Master of Information Science in Information Systems and a graduate certificate in Digital Content Management from the University of North Texas.
Tracey Cryer, TBLS-BCP, ACP
Tracey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston. She also attended law school for one year at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She obtained her Paralegal Certification from NALA in November 2017. She obtained an Advanced Certification from NALA in Trial Preparation in July 2018. And, she is a Civil Trial Law Specialist, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization-Paralegal Division since December 2022.
She is currently a Senior Litigation Paralegal at the law firm of Kean Miller in Houston. She has been in the legal industry since 1993, working for some of the most respected, top lawyers in the country. She has served on the review committee for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization-Paralegal Division Helpful Hints (exam) Guide since 2023 and is a presenter for the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the NALA CP exam for both Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association and Houston Paralegal Association.
Quinncy McNeal, Pro Bono Counsel
Quinncy counsels overlooked minority companies and individuals across the nation, widening and streamlining legal options as they seek a foothold in the marketplace. Whether it is an individual entrepreneur protecting intellectual property as she forms a for-profit company, a neighborhood aiming to shape a non-profit organization for at-risk youth, or an existing group of businesses seeking growth through the use of available incentives and programs, Quinncy enjoys making connections, closing knowledge gaps and helping pro bono clients thrive.
Quinncy is passionate about making connections that lead to positive change. He regularly encourages colleagues regarding the professional and personal rewards of handling pro bono casework. Quinncy also collaborates with non-profit advocacy groups including NAACP Houston, Texas Defender Service, Tahirih Justice Center, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Innocence Project and others to identify how legal representation can help minorities.
Prior to focusing his practice exclusively on pro bono matters, Quinncy regularly handled extensive complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, dispute resolution, compliance counsel and transactional matters, including a secondment to one of Japan’s leading companies. Additionally, before pursuing a legal career, Quinncy was a television journalist throughout the state of Texas and in Wisconsin. Colleagues and communities value that he uses his talents, experience, network and skill toward opening doors – one by one – for pro bono clients.
Stanley Sun, Assistant County Attorney
Stanley Sun is an attorney in the General Counsel division at Harris County Attorney’s Office. He attained a Bachelors of Science in Math from UNC-Chapel Hill and his Juris Doctor from Duke Law. Before transitioning to public service, he began his career working on renewable energy, midstream transactions, and real estate. In his free time, he enjoys creating art, studying languages, and playing chess or tennis tournaments.
Patricia Smith, ACP
I have been a paralegal for almost 20 years and worked in California and Texas. I continue to work as a contract paralegal on a project basis. I am an adjunct professor at HCC and Lonestar colleges and an investigator for the medical examiner’s office. I have experience in criminal, civil ligation, and labor & employment law. I have done projects in oil & gas and immigration. I am a member of the State Bar of Texas, paralegal division, Houston Paralegal Association, Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association, Texas Bar College Paralegal Division, American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and hold an ACP from NALA. I have been presenting annually at AAFS on various topics, including legal topics, forensics, and case studies since 2012. I have been a guest lecturer at Missouri Southern State University Criminal Procedures and Crime Scene Investigation courses.
Amy Rainwater, TBLS-BCP
Amy Rainwater is a board-certified paralegal in Patterson-UTI Management Services, LLC’s Corporate office where she assists in litigation and labor and employment matters. Ms. Rainwater started her paralegal career in 1989 at the Center for Advanced Legal Studies. In 2012, she earned her paralegal certification in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Prior to joining Patterson-UTI in 2015 as a senior paralegal, Ms. Rainwater was a trial paralegal in Baker Donelson’s Houston office for nearly 8 years. She served as an integral team member in their Business Litigation, Construction and Labor & Employment practice groups. Over the years, Ms. Rainwater has assisted in multiple arbitrations and trials, handling the pre-litigation investigations all the way through their appeals to the Texas Supreme Court.
Ms. Rainwater believes in giving back to the profession that has given her so much over the years. She does this by staying active in the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association where she has been a member since 1991. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association in many capacities. She was honored to be elected as the president of HMPA in 2019 to 2020 and then again from 2023 to 2024. Ms. Rainwater remains active on the HMPA Board of Directors today.
Ms. Rainwater also remains active in the State Bar of Texas, Paralegal Division where she has served as the District 10, Elections Sub chair and as the Online CLE Chair. She is also a member of NALA – The Paralegal Association.
Valerie Rucker, CP
Valerie has been with McDermott International since 2019 and is currently a Senior Principal Ethics & Compliance Specialist managing data privacy and compliance matters. She previously was a Senior Principal Paralegal at McDermott supporting data privacy, HR and Benefits. She has worked in the legal field since 1980 both for law firms and in-house and in addition to being a paralegal has also served as a Paralegal Manager, Word Processing Supervisor and Benefits Manager.
Valerie graduated cum laude from the University of Houston with a degree in Psychology (while working full-time) and has earned the designation of Certified Paralegal from the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is also an inactive licensed real estate agent. A long-time member of the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association, Valerie is a past President of the organization and currently serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer. She is also a frequent speaker at CLEs and a former adjunct instructor at area ABA-approved paralegal programs, teaching Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Civil Litigation and general legal topics.
Charlene Silva, CP
Charlene Silva, CP, has worked in the legal field for over 20 years focusing primarily on real estate law. She is proficient in residential and commercial closings, land survey review, as well as complex title commitment analysis, and assists in various aspects of real estate financing. Her experience includes contract preparation and management, zoning/land use, redevelopment projects, landlord-tenant matters, corporate governance and compliance, and aircraft transactions. Charlene currently works at Holland & Knight, LLP and supports its real estate attorneys on transactional matters across the country for various types of real properties such as office buildings, warehouses, industrial, retail, and raw land closings for energy projects and master planned communities.
Charlene received an AAS degree in Paralegal Studies from the Union College of Union County, NJ. Charlene’s dedication to her profession is demonstrated by her pursuit of the voluntary Certified Paralegal (CP) credential from NALA, which she earned in May 2024. She loves giving back to the paralegal community by serving on the Board of the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association where she is a member of the CLE and Membership Committees and also assists in other special committees. She is an active member of NALA and served on the Board of the New Jersey Paralegal Convention from 2018 to 2020.
Joya Williams, MBEC, CCEP, CP
Joya currently works for Drax as the Business Ethics Business Partner for North America. She has a Master’s degree in Business Ethics and Compliance, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and an Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies. She has obtained three certifications as a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional, Mediator and Legal Assistant. She has over 20 years of legal experience in ethics and compliance, litigation, tax, and bankruptcy.
She serves on the Boards of Greater Houston Business Ethics Roundtable, and Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association. Her professional memberships and networks include The National Society of Leadership and Success, National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc., Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, Due Diligence Networking Group, Corporate Compliance Exchange Group, Houston Corporate and Ethics Roundtable, and Greater Houston Business Ethics Roundtable.
Anita Hamilton. CP, MPS
Anita Hamilton has over 40 years of legal experience and has been employed with Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea, BenMaier & Eastham (“SBSB+Eastham”) since 2018 where she is currently the Case Manager to senior partner Dana Ladner. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Paralegal Studies program at Lone Star College where she teaches Rules of Civil Procedure, Torts, Legal Research, and Introduction to Law.
Anita is a graduate of George Washington University with a Master’s of Paralegal Studies degree; she received her Bachelor’s in Business Management degree from the University of Phoenix and her Paralegal Certificate from Lone Star College. Anita is a Certified Paralegal through NALA, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association as the Parliamentarian and NALA Liaison. Anita is also a member of the State Bar Paralegal program and NALA.
Anita is very passionate about the paralegal profession and offers her knowledge and experience by volunteering as a speaker with HMPA’s CP review courses.
Payment/Cancellation/No Show Policy for this event:
Tickets to this event are non-transferable. You must pay for your tickets at the time that you RSVP for this event or your reservation is subject to being canceled without notice.
Cancellations to this event must be made in writing and emailed to hmpa.office@gmail.com no less than 48 hours before the event date in order to receive a refund. Any cancellations not made by the deadline will be non-refundable.
Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to hmpa.office@gmail.com. Thank you for your cooperation!
