ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

PURPOSE

Madison Area Paralegal Association (MAPA) is a dedicated group of paralegals and legal professionals serving the Dane County and surrounding area of Wisconsin. As a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), our primary purposes are to:

Provide substantive legal and professional educational opportunities

Promote the paralegal profession within the legal community

MISSION

Maintain paralegal ethics

Encourage and develop leadership skills

Provide networking opportunities among members, as well as with paralegal students and other legal professionals

Support the paralegal profession by participation on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Paralegal Task Force for regulation of the profession

Promote MAPA within the community through volunteer activities

HISTORY

In 1992, a group of like-minded paralegals and legal assistants founded the Madison Area Legal Assistant Association, which soon evolved into the Madison Area Paralegal Association (MAPA). The founding goals were basic – to provide educational opportunities specific to the delivery of legal services and to create a forum for communication for local legal professionals. Our founders determined that affiliation with the well-established National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) would provide the ideal framework for such an organization. NALA’s focus on consistent professional development through its educational seminars and programs resonated strongly with the group. Additionally, NALA’s long-standing reputation purported the fledgling group the recognition and respect it sought.

The group’s success was apparent from the very start, evidenced by an increase in membership from 10 to 50