With 999 registrants, The National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys held their Annual Fall Conference in Baltimore, MD, Oct. 16th – 20th, at the beautiful Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel. National List’s owner Jeffrey Zuck, Vice President Randy Nicola, Director of Business Development Beverly Unrath and Account Executive Kacey Rask were there.
Kacey Rask reports “This was only my second NARCA Conference since I started at The National List, but you would have thought it was my tenth. Before I could even drop off my bags in my room, I was met with friendly faces and a warm welcome from attorneys and clients, some that I knew and others that I was introduced to.”
Welcome Reception
“Although the conference started officially on Wednesday the 17th, NARCA is so packed full of meetings and sessions that many come in a day or two earlier to try and fit in all their networking. I arrived Wednesday evening and attended the Welcome Reception hosted by the NARCA Defense Bar. There were 51 exhibitors there learn from, and it was a great opportunity to say hello to friends in the industry and kick-start my NARCA Conference experience.”
Client Meeting Day
“Thursday is known as “client meeting” day. This year there were 17 Client User meetings where clients met with their network of attorneys to talk about their growth, future needs, and of course, compliance. Compliance continues to be the main topic of conversations between attendees and at meetings.
“Thursday evening I attended an amazing offsite event hosted by Peroutka & Peroutka, P.A. and Gordon & Weinberg, P.C. The site was the legendary Babe Ruth Museum. It was an experience to remember… As we walked into the museum we were greeted with fresh oysters on the half shell, an open bar and delicious food including lump crab cakes. The main event was the great location, itself. Each attendee was able to hold Babe Ruth’s actual bat and have their photo taken with it to take home as a memento. Peroutka & Peroutka and Gordon & Weinberg hosted a fine party!”
Education Day
“Friday is known as the “education day” of the conference. There were amazing sessions, including “Ready or Not – CFPB Examinations.” We learned the focus of the CFPB’s examinations and investigations of collection counsel, how to prepare for an examination and what to expect. Several attendees shared their experiences.
“Another session included an update on the NARCA Client Audit Task Force. In this session, Matt Russell and Xenia Murphy discussed their work on compiling a list of compliance standards for law firms. There was an open Q & A following their presentation. They made it clear that they are not adding any new compliance requirements. They are just standardizing as many areas as they can to make it easier for law firms to comply. These standards will be published for all NARCA members.
“Friday evening, I enjoyed a casual, Baltimore Harbor dining experience with some friends in the industry. It was a relaxing way to end a very busy and productive conference.”
Peer Group Meetings & PWCI
NL hosted two peer group meetings during the conference, one for legal network managers (19 attendees) and another for law firm operation managers and directors (7 attendees). Beverly also assisted in organizing the PWCI (Professional Woman in the Collection Industry) Reception and Book Exchange, held Thursday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Kacey adds, “We met in a room set up with great appetizers and wine, in a fun, relaxing environment. I received the book, The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom, and I parted with one of my favorite author’s books, Message in a Bottle, by Nicholas Sparks. Beverly exchanged the book Crucial Conversations for Made in America.”
The results of the election for NARCA Board of Directors are as follows:
President-Elect: Joann Needleman – Maurice & Needleman, P.C. Board of Directors: Richard Alphin—Lloyd & McDaniel, PLC Mark Groves—Glasser & Glasser, PLC Charlie Litow—Litow & Pech, PC Yale Levy—Levy & Associates, LLC Joseph M. Hall—Law Office of Howard Lee Schiff Harvey M. Moore—The Moore Law GroupAll elected Board members were incumbents, except Yale Levy. A special “Congratulations” from NL goes out to Yale, as a newly elected Board member!
The National List would also like to recognize the following award winners:
TRAK recognized the following firms with awards during their meeting:
- Small Market Award: Johnson Mark
- Mid-Market Award: Litow & Pech
- Large Market Award: Shermeta, Adams & Von Allmen
Resurgent awarded the following:
- Data Management Excellence – Apothaker & Assoc
- Forecasting Excellence – Gamache & Myers; Stewart, Zlimen & Jungers
- Rising Star – Cohen & Assoc
- Top Direct State Servicer – Gamache & Myers
- Top Specialty Servicer – Brachfeld Law Group
- Top Dormant Judgment Servicer – Investinet
- Top Network Servicer – TRAKAmerica
- Excellence in Partnership – Trak; Investinet; Stenger & Stenger; Mel S. Harris & Assoc.
Other awards presented include:
- Community Service Award to Hosto|Buchan, PLLC.
- Donald Kramer Award to the House Financial Literacy & Economic Education Caucus
- President’s Award to Tomio B. Narita and June D. Coleman.
We look forward to meeting old and new friends at the NARCA Spring Collection Conference, May 8-11, 2013, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV.
by Kacey Rask, Beverly Unrath, Nancy Lender The National List of AttorneysCategories: Conferences, NL Insider
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