About Us

• Waco Legal Professionals Association (Waco LPA) is a chartered chapter of the National Association for Legal Support Professionals (NALS), which is dedicated to enhancing the competencies and contributions of members in the legal services profession, and the Texas Association of Legal Professionals (Texas ALP).

Waco LPA is a nonunion, nonpartisan, nonpolitical, and not for profit professional education association whose primary goals and objectives are:

Continuing legal education through programs at regular monthly meetings and sponsorship and attendance at seminars;

Development of network within the legal community to provide service to the bench and bar; and

Certification in specialized areas.

Professionalism plus education equals excellence

Each member of Waco LPA is required to subscribe to the Code of Ethics of NALS as follows:

Members are bound by the objectives of this association and the standards of conduct required by the legal profession.  Every member shall:

• Encourage respect for the law and the administration of justice;
• Observe rules governing privileged communications and confidential information;
• Promote and exemplify high standards of loyalty, cooperation, and courtesy;
• Perform all duties of the profession with integrity and competence; and
• Pursue a high order of professional attainment.

Waco LPA was organized in July 1956 and received its National Charter in September 1956.  The following brief history of the chapter's beginnings are compiled from information taken from A History of Waco Legal Secretaries Association (Texas), 3rd printing.

It was NALS Vice President, Connie Parmelee, who invited ten legal secretaries to lunch one day in July 1956, for the purpose of organizing a location association of National Association of Legal Secretaries and the Texas Association of Legal Secretaries to be known as the Waco Legal Secretaries Association (Waco LSA).  The one-hour meeting, held in the small conference room of Downtown Elite, resulted in a unanimous vote to form a chapter and the election of Kitty Hawthorne as temporary president.

The following week, the second required meeting (to make application for charter) was held on the patio of the home of the temporary president, at which time elaborate plans were discussed to launch a charter-membership dinner meeting within thirty days.  The important event materialized the last week in August at the Roosevelt Hotel and forty charter members resulted.

During the interim of two months, pending the receipt of the National Charter, the chapter had executed the two required organizational meetings, elected officers, appoint3ed its committee chairmen, reproduced its bylaws, printed a yearbook, published a monthly bulletin, and had delegate representation at the NALS Convention held in Fort Worth.

History was recorded the last week in September when the installation-charter dinner meeting was held in the Roosevelt Hotel Ballroom and the National Charter, dated September 22, 1956, was presented.  Waco LSA was chapter No. 65 in NALS and No. 8 in Texas ALS.

With fourteen new members acquired during the ensuing months, the Waco Association began a full-scale program with a total membership of fifty-four dedicated members.