Texas Paralegal Day

October 23 

 

 

Did you know that the State Bar of Texas was the first bar association in the United States to create a separate division for paralegals? What was originally “the Legal Assistants Division” and is now “The Paralegal Division” of the State Bar of Texas (the "Division") was created on October 23, 1981. The members of the division thought we were worth recognizing, so with their encouragement, on April 5, 1993, Texas Senate Concurrent Resolution 69 was signed by the President of the Senate, Bob Bullock, and the Speaker of the House, Pete Laney, commending the Division and the legal assistants of the State of Texas, and resolving that the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas had declared October 23 as Texas Legal Assistants Day.

 

AAPA was officially formed in 1981 as well.  And in October 2001, the Bexar County Commissioner's Court, at the urging of AAPA and its then-President, Sarah Roberts, also formally issued a Proclamation declaring October 23 as "Legal Assistant's Day" in Bexar County.  (See the actual Proclamation here.)

 

Beginning in 2005, the Texas House of Representatives signed proclamations acknowledging October 23rd as "Paralegal Day" (as a result of the Paralegal Division's formal name change), for one or two years at a time. However on January 22, 2009 the Texas Senate issued Proclamation No. 1144, declaring October 23 to be Texas Paralegal Day indefinitely.  (See a copy of the 2009 Senate Proclamation here.)

 

 

Paralegals in San Antonio and across the State of Texas celebrate October 23 in honor of our profession.