Rookie of the Year
By Rachel Ng
November/December 2006 Issue
The oldest of five
daughters, Julianne Fink, NCCP, always was expected to help run the
family retail business in her hometown of Saginaw, Mich. A career in the
legal field never even crossed her mind. However, a few years ago, due
to some life-changing events, LAT’s 2006 Rookie of the Year found
her true calling as a paralegal.
“I like the
camaraderie of the paralegal profession. I enjoy the extra paralegal
activities such as the volunteer work and mentoring new Meredith
[College] paralegal students as much as I do my work,” said Fink, a
paralegal at Kennedy Covington in Raleigh, N.C. “I think it’s the
combination of the two, the work and the extra activities that really
balances out my career. I believe that is why I enjoy the profession as
much as I do.”
Family Business
In 1989, Fink
graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in
communications and a minor in business management. A year after she
graduated from college, she decided to return home to help her father
with his business. Then, in 1993, he retired and the entire family moved
to Cary, N.C. There, Fink got a job working as the customer service
manager for a large retail office supply company in Raleigh, and met her
future husband. She got married, gave birth to Christopher in 1995,
followed by Hannah in 1999, all the while moving to various states,
including North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. While married, Fink
worked as a waitress and in a retail position.
Then, after nine
years of marriage, Fink separated from her husband in 2002, and she and
her children moved back to North Carolina to live with her parents. She
got a job working long hours as a supervisor at a home retail store. “I
never seemed to have time for the kids and I didn’t enjoy what I was
doing,” Fink said. Wanting a more stable 9-to-5 job, but unsure of which
direction to take, Fink took a Myers-Briggs personality-type test
online. “The test showed that the best career for my personality was
law, and more specifically, a career as a paralegal,” she said. “I had
absolutely no idea what a paralegal was.”
That same day, Fink
received a Meredith College brochure in the mail, listing paralegal
courses offered in the fall. “I knew it was a sign from God,” she said.
After taking one class that fall, she was hooked. “I knew this was a
field I would find challenging so I decided to apply to the program as
an intensive full-time student for the following spring.”
The intensive
schedule meant Fink was able to complete the American Bar
Association-approved paralegal certificate program in one semester
instead of two. She attended classes from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through
Thursday, and took night classes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday
and Thursday. In between, she continued working at the home retail
store. In March 2004, two months before graduating, Fink applied for a
litigation paralegal position at Manning, Fulton & Skinner in Raleigh.
She got the job, and the firm allowed her to attend classes in the
morning and work in the afternoon. “I was now going to school full time,
working 30 hours a week as a paralegal, getting a divorce and buying a
home,” she said. “Spring of 2004 was crazy.”
Even though Fink was
balancing a myriad of responsibilities, she managed to make an
impression on her ethics and law office management instructor, Camille
Stell, a former paralegal with 20 years of experience. “I was very
impressed with Julie’s work ethic, her initiative and her participation
in the classroom,” Stell said. “She was clearly bright and was very
excited about taking on the challenge of a new profession.”
During her
commencement ceremony in May 2004, Fink was inspired by a speech given
by Jennifer Swails Watford, CLA, NCCP, a graduate of the Meredith
College paralegal program and LAT’s 2003 Rookie of the Year. “I
remember sitting in the audience listening to her speak. She spoke of
her accomplishments and goals, and I thought to myself: ‘I want to
strive to be the best paralegal I can be. I am proud to be a paralegal
and I want that to show,’” she said. “Who would have thought two and a
half years after hearing that speech, I would have won this prestigious
award?”
The feeling turned
out to be mutual when Watford heard Fink speak at a Raleigh-Wake
Paralegal Association student social a few months later. “It was
inspiring to hear a paralegal, months out of the paralegal program,
speak with such authority, dedication, enthusiasm and excitement about
the profession,” Watford said. “In fact, I left that meeting feeling
more energized and rejuvenated about my own professional paralegal
career after hearing her words.”
The Right Fit
In November 2004,
Fink joined Kennedy Covington’s 30-attorney Raleigh office after she
found out about the job through Stell, a business development
coordinator for the firm.
“Having been an
instructor for 15 years, I have developed a knack for spotting
superstars. I thought Julie would be a superstar,” Stell said. When her
firm had an opening, Stell told the firm, “Julie doesn’t have much
experience, but she makes up for it in drive, willingness to learn,
excitement about her new career and her energy level.” Fink first worked
as a litigation paralegal in the firm’s financial service department.
The department represents large banks whose customers have claimed
bankruptcy and defaulted on loans. Fink drafted memos, maintained
dockets, filed documents with county clerks and prepared e-filings with
bankruptcy courts. She also maintained client contacts.
During this time,
Fink also had a chance to expand her skills. When a partner in the
firm’s environmental section asked her for help drafting prehearing
statements for a client, she jumped at the chance. “I didn’t know
anything about environmental law, but I love to take on a challenge,”
Fink said. The attorney was so impressed with her work, she sent an
e-mail to Fink’s supervising attorneys and partners in charge praising
her skills and efficiency.
A New Direction
After a year at
Kennedy Covington, the firm asked Fink to join its corporate business
and technology section. “At the time, Julie was the newest paralegal in
our office, so it was thought the transition would be easier on her,”
Stell said. That, combined with the fact that Fink had taken business
and corporations classes at Meredith, worked in her favor to obtain the
new position.
“Since they had
never had a paralegal, I was excited to get in there and show them what
a paralegal is able to do,” Fink said. Because of her education and her
experience working with the firm for a year, Fink felt comfortable in
the new department. “I look at change as an opportunity to grow and
learn something new,” she said. “I am so grateful and flattered that
they wanted me to be a part of their team.”
Fink currently
assists 10 attorneys. “They all treat me as an equal and value my
opinion and thoughts. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys to work
with,” she said. Many of the attorneys have their own specialty, which
means Fink, the sole paralegal in the department, juggles several duties
at once. “I can work on a trademark matter one minute, bylaws the next
and then draft a Form D to send to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission,” she said. “I am also in communication with the Secretary of
State in many states for various filings and Uniform Commercial Code
filings.”
In addition, Fink
conducts legal research, prepares drafts of agreements, certificates and
other transaction documents, manages large diligence projects and
closings, and assists clients.
Fink’s supervising
attorney and mentor, Grayson S. Hale, has been overseeing her work for
the past year. “I generally consider Julie an extension of myself, as do
the other attorneys in our section,” he said. “She is proactive, often
identifying issues and problems and making sound suggestions for
resolving those issues and taking the initiative to solve the problem. I
know if Julie is taking care of a project that it will be done timely,
correctly and accurately.”
Firm partner Kent
Christison is the former chairman of the business and technology section
and has worked with Fink on business transaction matters. “She brings
enthusiasm, vision and advanced planning, a sense of client service and
attorney teamwork, excellent legal skills and a strong work ethic to all
matters on which she works,” Christison said. “She demonstrates those
attributes every day in a demanding and stressful profession, and it’s
clear to me that she is deserving of the Rookie of the Year award.”
Fink is known in the
office for going above and beyond her duties, and that is one of the
reasons Stell nominated her for the LAT award. “I saw how she was
always willing to do what is necessary for the good of the client and
the betterment of the law firm,” Stell said. “[Her attorneys] have
respect for her as a professional, and they value her participation on
the team. It has been great to see a team with no paralegal adjust so
quickly to utilizing Julie and doing so effectively for substantive
assignments.”
Recently, Fink
applied for and received the North Carolina Certified Paralegal
accreditation. “I believe this certification, coupled with my degree
from Meredith College, will differentiate me from others in my
profession. I was pleased my firm supported the certification effort,”
she said. The North Carolina State Bar Board of Paralegal Certification
was formed in 2005 and is chaired by Mike Booe, a Kennedy Covington
attorney. Certification eligibility is based on work experience,
paralegal education or a combination of both.
Making a Difference
Fink joined the
Raleigh-Wake Paralegal Association when she was a student at Meredith
College. Seven months later, she was asked to fill the civic/community
chairwoman position. “I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to
help others in the community, so I gladly accepted,” she said. “I
organize charity work for the RWPA members to participate in to help our
community.”
This year, she took
on the 1st vice president position while continuing her role as
civic/community chairwoman. “[As 1st vice president], I am in charge of
all memberships,” Fink said. “I approve the applications, forward the
information on to the other members of the board and answer questions
from new members about RWPA.”
“She has always been
willing to pitch in a helpful hand no matter the circumstance — even
taking on two leadership roles within our board in one year. That is not
an easy task, even for a veteran paralegal,” said Watford, RWPA’s patron
and sustaining chairwoman. “She has exceptional organizational skills
that have made each of our civic and community services a success under
her leadership. Julie is continuously searching for other areas where
RWPA can contribute to the legal community and our community in
general.”
Grateful for the
help she received from RWPA when she was a student, Fink also finds time
to mentor Meredith students. “[Mentors] help the students with their
résumés, interview skills, questions they have about being a paralegal
and finding a job,” she said. “We are a sounding board for the students,
and if one of us doesn’t know the answer, we tap into the organization
to see if someone does have the answer. It’s a wonderful tool.”
In addition, through
RWPA, Fink is involved with the Wake County Guardian Ad Litem, an
organization that aids families in Wake County, especially foster
children. Every year, members of RWPA collect new backpacks and fill
them with school supplies for these children. And every Christmas, Fink
receives wish lists from several foster children and organizes the
purchasing and wrapping of donated gifts, such as shoes, winter coats,
clothes and toys. “The past two years the business, litigation and real
estate sections at Kennedy Covington’s Raleigh office have each taken
five foster children (for a total of 15), and as a section they
collected money, and purchased and wrapped gifts for their foster
children,” Fink said.
In 2005, Fink
started a “Dress for Success” program through Wake County JobLink. She
recruits volunteers from RWPA to help women work on résumés, interview
skills and cover letters. “We gather gently used business attire and
accessories for women to wear on their interviews and hopefully the
first couple of weeks of their new job,” she said. “I think the greatest
gift you can give someone is a chance at a job. A job fosters
independence and self-confidence.”
A Helping Hand
Although her job and
RWPA responsibilities keep her busy, Fink still finds time for charity
work with her church.
This spring, she
joined the DivorceCare group at Hope Community Church. The group helps
women and men cope with their divorces and being single again, as well
as get themselves and their children through this trying time in their
lives. “Even though I live paycheck to paycheck, I want my kids to know
that we can make a difference in people’s lives just by caring and
giving our time,” she said.
Fink also is helping
her church start a women’s group that will help women find homes,
furniture and clothes. They also will provide cleaning, packing and
other general duties for women who need it, and baby-sitting services so
women can go on job interviews. “I think being a single mom has put a
soft spot in my heart for other single mothers and their children. When
you have gone through something yourself, it’s so easy to empathize with
someone who is going through the same situation,” Fink said. “You can’t
help but be grateful for where you are and what you have, and you want
to be able to help anyone else you can to get to that same place. I am
so blessed with a good job, a beautiful home and a great family, and I
will never take those things for granted.”
The paralegal
profession is a demanding one, and Fink credits her parents and siblings
for providing unconditional support. “It’s truly a ‘village to raise the
children’ atmosphere in our family,” she said. “I would not have been
able to go to school and work at the same time if it were not for the
help of my parents. Living with them for two years allowed me to quickly
achieve my goals of purchasing a nice home for my children and obtaining
a good career.”
Fink said life isn’t
always easy, and everyone has stumbling blocks to overcome. “I had no
idea what I was going to do or where I was going to live when the kids
and I moved back to North Carolina,” she said. “I had nothing, no money,
no car, no house. People say, ‘Julie, you are so strong, you have such a
good attitude,’ and I just tell them my strength comes from my faith.
God provided me with the will and the way to achieve my dreams, and I
will continually try to help others who are going through difficult
times achieve theirs.”
|
