Georgia Association of Paralegals Website
Suzette M. Corley w/ United Parcel Service, Inc. & President of GAP
Ms. Corley is the Global Privacy Paralegal for United Parcel Service, Inc. She works closely with the Global Privacy Officer at UPS. Ms. Corley works on a wide range of projects from privacy impact assessments, training, global awareness campaigns and data breach response plans to following all new trends in the regulations and laws. Prior to working as the Global Privacy Paralegal, Ms. Corley was the Corporate Governance and Securities Paralegal for the U.S. and Americas Region of UPS. She was responsible for managing all of the corporate governance activities for the U.S. entity and Latin American entity portfolio. Prior to joining UPS in mid-2008, she was a Corporate Paralegal and Trademark Paralegal with Alston & Bird L.L.P. She has a B.S. degree from Shorter University in Business Management and A.A.S. degree from Middlesex County College in Legal Studies. Ms. Corley has 27 years of paralegal experience in various practice areas ranging from corporate to real estate to IP and lots in-between. She is a member of the Georgia Association of Paralegals. She has served as the past Director of CLE, Vice President and is currently serving in the role as President for the Georgia Association of Paralegals.
Sabrina D. Henry w/ Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP. & Vice President of GAP
Sabrina D. Henry is a Senior Immigration Specialist at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. She possesses over 15 years of experience as a paralegal with a specialization in immigration law. She was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. In addition, she participated in a student-exchange program at the University of Ghana at Legon, where she studied Women’s Involvement in Economic Development. She is also pursuing a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology.
Sabrina currently serves as Vice President of the Georgia Association of Paralegals, Inc. (“GAP”) and the Primary Georgia Representative for the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (“NFPA”). She has served on GAP’s Board since 2011. She is also an instructor in the Paralegal Program at the College of Professional and Continuing Education at Kennesaw State University, where she facilitates the Fundamentals of Immigration Law for Paralegals. She also speaks at seminars and conferences on the paralegal’s role in immigration law, the paralegal profession, and leadership. Sabrina is an incessant educator as she enjoys sharing her knowledge with others and imparting her love, interest, and fascination with immigration law.
Prior to her paralegal career, Sabrina was a High School Business Technology Teacher with the New York City Board of Education and was very much involved in incorporating technology throughout the core curriculum. Sabrina is happily married and has two young sons.
Cynthia Bynum w/ DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office & Bar Liaison of GAP
Cynthia Bynum is a Senior Paralegal in the Public Integrity Unit for the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and is the principal owner of CJB Management, LLC and serves as its Executive Director. As such she supports and provides service solutions that enhance the success of business leaders and the people they serve. Cynthia holds a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Fordham University’s Executive MBA Program, graduated cum laude having earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration and Business Information Systems from DeVry University. She is also a graduate of Emory’s Paralegal Studies Program. Cynthia has held several leadership positions within the legal community and in these roles she has contributed to the expansion of continuing legal education programs, leadership forums and other professional events that empower members of local and regional paralegal associations and employees of businesses that provide legal services. She is an active member of the Georgia Association of Paralegals and serves as its Bar Liaison. Her goal is to provide substantive resources and expertise for continuous advancement of the paralegal profession.
Angela Caruso w/ Morgan & Morgan, Atlanta PLLC
Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, P.A, one of the largest plaintiff’s firms in the nation, Angela gained seven (7) years of professional legal experience working for Claimants/Plaintiffs with Worker’s Compensation and personal injury claims by supporting their attorneys. She is an active member of Georgia Trial Lawyers Association as a Paralegal Affiliate (GTLA), American Association for Justice (AAJ) as a Paralegal Affiliate, Georgia Association of Paralegals (GAP) and the National Federation of Paralegal Association (NFPA). Angela was recently nominated for Paralegal of the Year by the AAJ and awarded Paralegal of the Day on June 10th, 2015 during GAP’s annual Paralegal Week.
Her legal career began when she took a temp position at a Worker’s Compensation firm while waiting for a youth ministry job to open in the Atlanta Catholic Archdiocese. She has a BA degree from Belmont Abbey College and working towards a MTS at Spring Hill College. The firm needed help with their new Case Management Software and light legal assistant duties. The firm shared office space with another firm and she was able to work part-time for both firms before securing a full time position and training as a paralegal.
She has extensive experience in all aspects of Worker’s Compensation law and enjoys sharing this knowledge by training and mentoring other paralegals. Angela has benefited from her relationship with her mentor Patty Dietz-Selke and wants to share that experience with others. Patty inspired her to help student paralegals statewide through GAP roundtable events and serving on paralegal studies school boards.
Angela hopes to continue to help Morgan & Morgan grow their Columbus, Georgia office. She appreciates the support and encouragement she receives from her attorney, Robert L. Hendrix, III, to take on leadership opportunities and strive for excellence. Angela currently serves as a chair for GAP’s Columbus chapter and wants to continue in her efforts to reach and encourage other paralegals in the Columbus area. Her most recent goal is to become an R.P.
Originally, Angela joined GAP to have something on her bio for credibility. But then one night she needed to file a document in ICMS that was due by midnight, and she needed help. Due to the late hour, she could not call any of her co-workers for help. She went to the GAP Facebook page and posted a request for help. In less than five minutes, she had a call from a GAP member that walked her through the process. That inspired her to get involved. She started attending GAPpy Hour events and speaking at Roundtables. Patty Dietz-Selke and Sabrina Henry encouraged her to stay involved in GAP and to take leadership positions. Janet Williams has also encouraged her to study for the PACE and become a registered paralegal. It is the leadership of these women that inspire Angela to become a better paralegal for herself and others.
Angela comes from a large Italian family and enjoys spending time with her nieces, nephews and godchildren. Angela describes her family as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” meets the “Soprano’s” without the guns and tons of cannoli.
C. Melody Cox w/ Webb, Tanner, Powell & Wilson & Director of Membership for GAP
Melody Cox works with Robert Jackson Wilson at Webb, Tanner, Powell & Wilson, LLP in Gwinnett County. She assists in commercial litigation, real estate, eminent domain, municipal law, creditor’s rights bankruptcy, personal injury and other areas of law. She enjoys legal research, drafting, document review, and client intake. She began her legal career as a receptionist in a boutique insurance defense firm in Seattle, Washington. She was promoted to assistant and then paralegal after earning her certificate from Edmonds Community College. She has continued to broaden her experience in various areas of law and business since moving to Lawrenceville, Georgia in 2007. She has most recently taken over some firm management duties. Her favorite aspect of working in the legal field is helping others who find themselves in difficult situations.
This is Melody’s first year serving as Director of Membership for GAP. She is looking forward to sharing the benefits of GAP membership with paralegals working in all areas of law and all settings. Melody has also enjoyed her membership with NFPA and recently contributed an article on eminent domain to The Paralegal Reporter, NFPA’s quarterly magazine.
Georgia Association of Paralegals
The Georgia Association of Paralegals endeavors to advance the paralegal profession and the expertise of its members through:
- Networking
- Continuing education opportunities and
- Strong relationships with Business Partners
Who We Are
GAP’s purposes remain the same as when first formulated over 40 years ago:
- to enhance the role of paralegals in the legal profession;
- to improve the working conditions of paralegals;
- and to maintain a continuing relationship with bar associations throughout the state.
Position Statements
On September 14, 2010, the Georgia Association of Paralegals’ Board of Directors approved GAP’s Paralegal Standards Committee’s recommendations and adopted position statements with respect to GAP’s Definition of a Paralegal; GAP’s Position on Regulation; GAP’s Position on Short-term Educational Programs; and, GAP’s Minimum Standards & Qualification Standards for Paralegals in the State of Georgia.
It is the intent of the Georgia Association of Paralegals’ Board of Directors in adopting these position statements that they serve as a guide to Paralegals seeking positions or holding Paralegal positions in Georgia. It is also the intent of the Georgia Association of Paralegals’ Board of Directors in adopting these Minimum Standards & Qualifications that they serve as a guide for Georgia attorneys, corporations, governmental entities, and all other entities who utilize the services of Paralegals. GAP’s Position Statements.
History
In 1973, a group of Atlanta area paralegals joined together to form the Atlanta Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. Their objective was to provide support for persons entering this new field, and to promote the profession to the legal community. They also wanted to create a forum for contributing to the discussions and decisions of both state and local bar associations regarding training and utilization of paralegals by attorneys. “Paralegalism” soon extended across the state, and it became apparent that people outside Atlanta needed a voice as well. Membership was expanded to include all legal assistants in Georgia. In January, 1976, AALA became GALA – Georgia Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. In 1997, GALA became GAP – Georgia Association of Paralegals, Inc.
