Legal service professionals from law offices around the state and representatives of local chapters are looking forward to attending the 56th annual meeting of the National Association of Legal Secretaries next month in St. Louis.

The NALS Educational Conference and National Forum will take place Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 11-14, at the Sheraton Westport Hotel. Access www.nals.org for complete details.

The opening plenary on Friday will be devoted to “Preparing for Disaster,” a discussion on dealing with a natural or manmade catastrophe.

A special program Saturday afternoon, “What We Do and Why We Do It,” will cover the training and responsibilities of volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Other educational presentations include “Unlocking the Mystery of the Legal Description” and “Indian-Tribunal Law: More than Keeping the Peace.”

The Tulsa-based NALS Foundation will hold a reception and gala dinner on Saturday night.

Keynote speaker for the closing plenary on Sunday is Briana Walker, a wheelchair-bound Southern California legal secretary who was paralyzed in a 2002 automobile accident. She has published two books: “Dance Anyway” and “Does This Wheelchair Make my Butt Look Big?”

The article, “Please Don't Push Me Around,” about Walker's recovery, rehabilitation and experiences as a legal professional, was published in the spring issue of @Law, the NALS magazine.