Massachusetts Paralegal Association upcoming events

When Automated Systems Decide: Lessons from Housing, Disability, and Civil Rights Cases CLE (Tuesday, August 04, 2026)

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:00:00 GMT

As government agencies, housing providers, healthcare systems, and employers increasingly rely on automated decision-making, errors can have life-altering consequences for the people affected. This presentation examines real-world housing, disability, and civil rights cases where automated processes, data inaccuracies, and administrative failures resulted in significant harm.

Participants will learn how to identify automation-driven failures, evaluate the evidence behind institutional decisions, document procedural breakdowns, and develop effective advocacy strategies. The session will also introduce emerging concepts in AI accountability, validation, and transparency that can help legal professionals better assess decisions made by automated systems.

Featuring Teresa Villa, Founder of JusticeTree.ai.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify common risks associated with automated decision-making systems.

• Recognize how data errors can cascade across multiple agencies and
institutions.

• Analyze housing, disability, and civil rights cases involving
administrative automation.

• Apply evidence-based methods for investigating and challenging
questionable decisions.

• Understand emerging approaches to AI accountability and validation.

A meeting link will be sent the day before!

Inside NFPA: A Conversation with National Leadership + Your Free NFPA Membership (Wednesday, August 05, 2026)

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

The Massachusetts Paralegal Association is hosting a special webinar featuring the Regional Director and President of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.

This session offers an inside look at national initiatives, advocacy efforts, and upcoming opportunities for paralegals and legal assistants across the country. You’ll hear directly from NFPA leadership about how the organization is shaping the future of the profession — and how MPA members receive full NFPA membership at no additional cost.

Whether you're a student, a working Legal Assistant, or a seasoned paralegal, this webinar is your chance to connect with national leaders, learn about valuable resources, and understand how your free NFPA membership expands your professional reach.

A meeting link will be sent the day before for registrants.

Paralegal + Legal Nurse Consultant: A Smarter Approach to Medical Evidence (Monday, September 14, 2026)

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Medical records are often the backbone of personal injury, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, elder law, and even family law cases — but few paralegals are trained to spot what a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) would catch. Attorneys often face “large volumes of records requiring review,” “complex hospital records,” “missing records identification,” and “unclear causation” — challenges that Legal Nurse Consultants (LNCs) are specifically trained to solve.

Join us for a practical, eye‑opening session on what LNCs do, how their clinical expertise strengthens legal work, and how paralegals and LNCs can collaborate to produce clearer timelines, stronger demand packages, better causation analysis, and more organized case files.

Featuring Doreen Riordan BSN, BA, RN of Riordan Associates.

You’ll learn:

What an LNC is and the scope of their work
How LNCs translate medical records into attorney‑ready analysis
How LNCs support multiple practice areas — from PI to criminal defense to family law
How paralegals can partner with LNCs to improve efficiency, accuracy, and case strategy
When LNC involvement can make or break a case

This webinar is designed for all MPA members, including paralegals, legal assistants, students, and those working in non‑medical practice areas. Medical evidence shows up everywhere — custody disputes, ADA claims, probate litigation, toxic torts, elder law, employment disputes, and more.

If you’ve ever opened a medical record and wondered whether you caught everything, this session will give you clarity, confidence, and a new collaborative tool to elevate your work.

The meeting link will be sent the day before!