The Empowered Paralegal

Paralegal, Sergeant Major Terry Pahl (Ret), was recently awarded one of the highest ranking ribbons/honors in the United States Army. We know because his law firm, recognizing the value of marketing the professionalism of its paralegals as well as its attorneys, issued a press release through PRWeb.com. The release goes on to say:

SGM Pahl is the recipient of the Legion of Merit. This award is the 7th highest honor in the United States Army, above a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Soldier’s Medal.

This honor recognizes his “exceptionally meritorious service in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating a 40-year career as the Command Paralegal Noncommissioned Officer, 214th Legal Operation Detachment, United States Reserve Legal Command.”

He served his country with distinction and excellence and upon retirement is recognized for the performance of duty that represents exemplary service in the finest traditions of the Army.

SGM Pahl retired from the United States Army Reserves on March 1, 2012.

He continues work as a paralegal in the civilian field as Family Law Paralegal for the firm. He has more than 26 years of experience as a paralegal in the areas of Civil Litigation, Workers Compensation, Child Support and Family law.

Congratulations to Terry and to the firm fortunate enough to have him as a member of its legal team!

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The 17th Annual Women of Excellence Awards, presented by the Lafayette (Louisiana)  Commission on the Needs of Women, include the Founder’s Award to Nancy Goodwin. According to this report:

Mrs. Goodwin is a paralegal with the law firm of Ziegler & Lane.

Prior to becoming a paralegal, Mrs. Goodwin was the Director of the Louisiana Coalition on Jails and Prisons and Coordinator of the Louisiana Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty. She has spent many years as a paralegal working on prison abuse litigation and death penalty defense. She has also been a long time advocate for disabled people who have been denied Social Security benefits.

Her proudest achievement is that she was able to help continue Bill Ziegler’s law firm as Ziegler & Lane after Mr. Ziegler’s death. She says the best advice she ever received was, ‘Don’t let other people govern your reactions.’ Her motto is; It’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts. Others call her a true hero.

This, of course, follows nicely upon my recent post on pro bono work, but I was also taken by Ms. Goodwin’s dedication to Mr. Ziegler and Ziegler & Lane. I suspect this is in a large part due to respect paid to her by them. One theory is that this exchange of respect is more likely to occur in small firms than large, and perhaps this case illustrates that point, although there is some evidence of it occurring in slightly larger firms. In any case, Ms. Goodwin is clearly able to establish a good relationship with her attorneys. I also note that Ms. Goodwin is listed, with her photo along with two attorneys on the firm’s “About” page, as a “Non-attorney representative.”

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According to the Florida Times Union at Jacksonville.com, Jacksonville paralegal Virgina MaCabe is among those honored by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as this year’s recipients of the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Services. Congratulations to Virginia. This kind of service benefits not only the people served, but the paralegal profession.

I’d like to see a more organized approach to the utilization of paralegals as part of the resolution of access to justice issues in the United States, but until such a system is in place, paralegals like Virginia help bridge the access to justice gap while honoring their ethical obligations to the community, the legal system, and the profession.

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Today’s The Connecticut Law Tribune reports on Patricia B. “Pattie” Chouinard who recently received the first ever Connecticut Paralegal of the Year award. The reward seems well deserved for many reasons. Here are some of the comments from the story that emphasize Pattie’s professionalism:

“Don’t ever turn any [assignment] down,” Chouinard said she tells college students that she mentors and new associate lawyers she helps train. “The best thing you can do when someone asks you to help with X, Y and Z is to say, ‘Absolutely,’ and learn as you go. The hands-on experience is so much more valuable than anything else.”

She’s able to balance the demands of about 20 business lawyers who need her assistance morning, noon, night and even some weekends. All the while she plays critical leadership roles with the Central Connecticut Paralegal Association and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.

She also coordinates the projects and workloads for the other paralegals in the business law department. And she assists the firm with orientation and training of new associates.

“She makes a client’s problems her own and addresses them in a way that makes sure the client is well taken care of,” added Brooks. “If she needs to be here at night, in the wee hours of the morning, she’ll do that.”

Chouinard is especially proud of her involvement with the Central Connecticut Paralegal Association. For 20 years, she’s served on the group’s board of directors in various capacities. She’s currently vice president.

Chouinard has also participated in a bevy of CCPA pro bono activities, including annual Utility Day events at which the paralegals are partnered with Statewide Legal Services. The volunteers help consumers work out schedules to pay off their overdue utility bills.

Last but not least, Chouinard sometimes mentors paralegal students and some, she said, have gone on to become attorneys. “It’s wonderful. Students are like sponges and soak up anything and are willing to learn anything,” Chouinard said.

Before leaving Pattie, I’d like to extend kudos to her firm.  Here’s what Pattie has to say about them:

She adds that the attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin have always made the firm’s paralegals “an integral part of the team…”

Shipman & Goodwin clearly have reaped the rewards of this attitude regarding paralegals while providing an environment where Pattie has been able to fully actualize her potential to the benefit of herself, her profession, her employers, the legal system, and the public. Congratulations to both.

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Sue Allen, a New Hampshire paralegal with 25 years of experience has been nominated as a Champion of Children according to this report. Her list of accomplishments and activites on behalf of children is indeed extensive. What caught my attention most was how many of those activities and accomplishments involved utilization of paralegal skills, even though she did not use them in the context of law.

Ms. Allen served on the Elementary Building Committee “dealing with deadlines.” She then moved onto the School Board where she “helped with negotiations.” Others are not so explicit but each of the activities clearly required use of her organizational, communication, people management, analyzing, prioritizin, planning, and other skills that are part of the typical professional paralegal’s toolkit.

Congratulations to Ms. Allen for the volunteer work she has done for children and for showing the paralegal profession in its best light.

As an aside, all this work and networking cannot but have helped her employer’s business. So the law office’s bottom line is improved by more than the simple utilization of her skills at the office. Perhaps this is one reason why she has been at the same firm for 25 years. I suspect there have been times when Ms. Allen’s outside activities have seeped into the office and interfered with her job activities. The smart law office recognizes the beneficial tradeoff and the good for the community, and encourages rather than discourages this type of volunteer commitment.

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One of the best ways for the legal profession to change it’s image is through public recognition of its members who do good and do it well. CapitalCityWeekly reports on a paralegal who received much deserved recognition:

Sitkan honored for work on domestic violence

SITKA – Elisabeth Schafer, paralegal in the Sitka District Attorney’s Office, has been chosen as “Woman of the Year” by the board of Sitkans Against Family Violence. The award recognizes dedication and service to women and children in the community.

“My work with victims of domestic violence is the most satisfying part of my job,” said Schafer, who has worked as a paralegal in Sitka since 2002. “I know that sometimes I am the first person to whom a victim can safely express herself after years of emotional and physical abuse. It’s gratifying to see former victims in the community looking healthy, happy and safe.”

In addition to her paralegal work, Schafer is a member of Sitka’s Domestic Violence Task Force. She has three adult children and two grandchildren. The “Woman of the Year” award will be presented at a dinner on April 17 in Sitka.

Congratulations, Elizabeth! Your work and your professionalism help not only the victims of domestic violence, but the paralegal profession.

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No comment on this one from dvids. Just a salute to Romeo Belunta:

Romeo Belunta, a paralegal assistant and Tampa Bay, Fla., native with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Mountain Warrior, became the first paralegal from the task force to receive a Combat Action Badge.

A Soldier earns a CAB by actively engaging or being engaged by enemy forces.

Belunta, a former infantryman, earned the coveted badge while performing paralegal duties at Combat Outpost Keating, in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, near his home base of Forward Operating Base Bostick.

Belunta traveled to COP Keating in early July to offer legal assistance to the Soldiers there.

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The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports “The South Dakota Paralegal Association has named Vicki Blake of Sioux Falls the 2008-2009 recipient of the Member of the Year award. Blake is a certified paralegal who works at Zimmer, Duncan & Cole in Sioux Falls.” I look forward to hearing more about Vicki and her accomplishments. Paralegal Associations are run for their members through the active participation of their members.

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dBusinessNews.com reports

Teri Bowling was recently selected as the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Paralegal Award presented by the North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Division.  This award, which is to be presented annually, was created to recognize the contributions of a Paralegal Division member who actively participates in paralegal leadership, paralegal education, paralegal-related civic/community volunteering, and the promotion of the paralegal profession.

The award recognizes Bowling’s contributions to the profession in calendar year 2008 during which she served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the Paralegal Division, adjunct instructor in the Meredith College Paralegal Program, frequent CPE (continuing paralegal education) planner and speaker, and NCBA Wills for Heroes volunteer.

I’d post a picture of Teri, but her firm’s webpage which has pictures of the firm lawyers does not appear to have pictures of their paralegals. An oversight that I assume will soon be rectified.

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