Pittsburgh Paralegal Association upcoming events

PPA Board Meeting (02/10/2026)

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

All Members are invited to sit in on PPA's monthly board meetings. The Teams meeting link will be sent after registration.

The Teams meeting link will be sent after registration. Note that the Board meetings are now being held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8pm to better accommodate work schedules.

2026 PPA April CLE - Illuminating Legal Limericks: Part I (04/15/2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Attorney Tom Spahn returns again for a lively and engaging seminar on Illuminating Legal Limericks: Part I.

This interactive program uses limericks (the last word of which the audience will have to guess) to explore ethics issues involved in lawyers’ practice and their firms. Among other things, the program will address: unauthorized practice of law and multijurisdictional practice (including the definition of legal practice, temporary and virtual practice and choice of ethics rules); law firm creation (including law firm names, hiring, and non-competes); law firm operation (including paralegals, trust accounts, fee sharing, and file ownership); marketing (including content limitations, and marketing intrusiveness).

Hybrid Career Building Event! From Resume to Interview: Building a Successful Paralegal Profile followed by Happy Hour (04/16/2026)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Join the PPA and Beacon Hill Legal for an IN PERSON and VIRTUAL Hybrid career building event followed by a happy hour at Bakersfield!

AND

Remi Stumacher from Beacon Hill Legal will present on practical career building and job search advice with a seminar titled "From Resume to Interview : Building a Successful Paralegal Profile".

The in-person option will be at the offices of Baum O'Connor Cullen Chmiel, 912 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 and is followed by a happy hour sponsored by Beacon Hill at Bakersfield, 940 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

The happy hour includes appetizers, a taco bar, and drinks!

A Zoom link is available for those who cannot attend in person.

2026 PPA May CLE - Wage and Hour Issues (05/20/2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Casey Seaman, Esquire of Quatrini Law Group, P.C. will explore the ins and outs of Wage and Hour Issues. Many employees are misclassified and deemed exempt by their employer. An exempt individual is not entitled to many wage and hour protections, most importantly overtime wages. If an employee is not exempt, they are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and must receive time and a half for all hours worked over 40 hours per week. This seminar will explain how this affects supervisory employees, independent contractors vs. employees, and will address other important considerations to consider.

Casey Seaman grew up in a Union family – both her father and grandfather were members of the Teamsters and her mother was an active member of the CWA. As a young girl and a voracious reader, she would often review her father’s union contracts and grievances. She received the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship to attend college and knew that she wanted to attend Law School and practice Labor Law. She also practices with the Employment Law group, representing individuals who face discrimination in the workplace or may need assistance with contracts and severance agreements.

Casey received her B.A., summa cum laude, in History and a Minor in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and her J.D. from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. While at Duquesne, Casey was a member of the National Lawyers Guild, a mentor for the Women’s Law Association, and a writer for Juris Magazine. She is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, where she is active with the Young Lawyers Division and the Women in Law Division. She is also a counselor for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, helping to prepare young leaders for their future.

Casey resides in Pittsburgh. She enjoys trying new restaurants, cross stitching and taking dance classes, but also likes to unwind by reading and spending time with friends and family.

Wills For Heroes (05/30/2026)

Sat, 30 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Volunteers Needed for Wills for Heroes event!

There is a Wills for Heroes event scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2026 at Mt. Lebanon Fire Department, 555 Washington Road (in the Education Conference Rooms) Pittsburgh, PA 15228. The wills clinic is from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We are in need of volunteers to serve as witnesses and notaries. If you are interested or to sign up, please contact Laura Timm.

2026 PPA June CLE - A Thorough Examination of LGBTQ+ Pride Month (06/17/2026)

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

This training will provide attendees with the opportunity to understand the social. cultural and political influences that contributed to the Stonewall Riots, which laid the foundation for the modern-day Pride movement in the United States, as well as contemporary events that continue to inspire and motivate LGBTQ+ activists in the United States.

Attendees will gain an understanding of how anti-sodomy laws, which outlawed homosexual behavior until 2003, following the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, as well as the Lavender Scare and the categorization of LGBTQ+ people as pathologized by the field of psychiatry, contributed to the Gay Liberation movement of the 1970s which ultimately culminated in the modern day Pride movement. Attendees will also gain a rudimentary understanding of terminology and the overall experiences of LGBTQ+ people.

The content included in this training is apolitical and does not endorse any specific political party or candidate for public office; nor does it undermine or discount any individual's expressed political and or religious beliefs.

Presented by Jason Van Ness

Jason Van Ness is a licensed social worker with ten years of direct service, advocacy and public speaking; primarily within the child welfare arena. Jason is also an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church of the United States (PC USA). During his time at the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a master’s of social work in 2023, Jason began working as a freelance journalist and was inspired to pursue law school due to the increase of Christian nationalism in the United States. Jason has been featured in The Advocate, and The Freedom From Religion Foundation and published his first book in 2024 titled Jesus Over the Rainbow: 10 Anti-LGBTQ+ Myths in the Christian Right. Jason is now enrolled in a post baccalaureate paralegal certificate program to bolster his chances of being accepted into law school and is preparing to take the law school admissions test in the fall of 2027. When Jason is not busy writing, researching or in direct service, he enjoys coparenting two adorably dysfunctional dogs (Bella and Frankie) with his husband and is an avid cross fitter and Golden Girls enthusiast.

Wills For Heroes (07/11/2026)

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Volunteers Needed for Wills for Heroes event!

There is a Wills for Heroes event scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2026 at Veterans Breakfast Club, 200 Magnolia Place Pittsburgh, PA 15228. The wills clinic is from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We are in need of volunteers to serve as witnesses and notaries. If you are interested or to sign up, please contact Laura Timm.

2026 PPA July CLE - The U.S. Entity Playbook: Structuring, Supporting, and Staying Compliant (07/15/2026)

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Title: The U.S. Entity Playbook: Structuring, Supporting, and Staying Compliant.

Speaker: Daniel Steigert, VP of Global Business Development with International Business Company Formation, Inc.

Summary: We will be learning about core U.S. business structures, secretary of state filings, and jurisdictional differences affecting entity structures.

2026 PPA August CLE - Artificial Intelligence (08/19/2026)

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Dipo Akin-Deko, JD, Head of Legal, Bower Group Asia will delve into the timely topic of Artificial Intelligence. More details coming soon.

2026 PPA September CLE - Create an Optimal Search Strategy for Common Liens and Other Searches (09/16/2026)

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

PPA presents the September CLE seminar: Create an Optimal Search Strategy for Common Liens and Other Searches

Please register through this link, not the PPA website!

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6ca352aa-5f25-4907-9cd5-7d1f29751a93@8ac76c91-e7f1-41ff-a89c-3553b2da2c17

Formulating a lien search plan to uncover information about a debtor or target company is a vital part of most deals. In this session, we will guide you through this complex process, covering jurisdictional nuances and important considerations related to UCC liens, judgment liens, state and federal tax liens as well as litigation and bankruptcy searches. Participants will learn how to formulate an optimal search strategy and interpret search results.

Presented by: Robert McHugh III, Esq., Transactional Business Consultant, CT Corporation

As a UCC and transactional expert for CT’s East clients, Rob provides consultation on secured transactions, due diligence, entity compliance, and corporate services. Previously, as a global business consultant at CT, he supported global due diligence, entity formations and dissolutions, and annual compliance. Rob has extensive experience in international corporate compliance, assisting Fortune 100 clients with multi-jurisdictional projects. He also worked in investment management compliance, focusing on offshore fund compliance, and held FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses. He is an attorney in Pennsylvania.

2026 PPA October CLE - Building a Summary Judgment Record that Wins (10/21/2026)

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT

GRB Law’s Litigation Department, will present a program titled: “Begin with the End in Mind: How Paralegals Can Start with a Strategy and Build a Defensible Dispositive Record.”

Attorney Lisa Siefert has significant experience in litigation practice, which will provide valuable, practical insight for paralegals working in or supporting litigation matters.

The program is expected to offer guidance on litigation strategy and how paralegals contribute to building a strong record throughout a case in relation to successful Motions for Summary Judgment. Securing this programming in advance helps with planning and promotion and supports continued member engagement.

2026 PPA November CLE - AI vs. Copyright: Who Owns the Art? (11/18/2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly permeates creative industries, the intersection of technology and copyright law has become a critical area of concern. This session explores the legal landscape surrounding AI-generated works, with the goal of providing participants insights and practical guidance to better understand the complex relationship between AI and copyright.

No prior knowledge of copyright law is required, but a basic understanding of legal concepts would be helpful.

By the end of this session, participants will be introduced to key concepts of how copyright law applies to AI-generated works and tools that can help mitigate risks in their creative endeavors.

Presenter Biography: Amber Simon, JD, LLM, lives and breathes intellectual property (IP) and entertainment law. She has earned her JD as well as an LLM in IP. Her primary interest is getting artists and entrepreneurs off the ground, with a focus on media and entertainment.

2026 PPA December CLE - Privacy Considerations (12/01/2026)

Tue, 01 Dec 2026 17:00:00 GMT

This NALA recorded session will discuss common legal privacy concepts found in the US legal landscape. Attendees will explore some of the most prevalent legal definitions under federal and state laws, including commonalities and differences. Regulations around website tracking technologies and HIPAA will also be examined.

Presenter Biography: Lisa Ellis, CP, CIPP-US , has been working as a corporate paralegal since 2012 and currently works in the legal department of a Fortune 1000 company. She works with the Chief Privacy Officer to provide privacy guidance to 28 diverse global businesses.