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The Votes Are In Meet our 2007 Paralegal of the Year and Runners-Up.
It can be argued that paralegals are
the unsung heroes of the legal profession. They are an established
presence that is valued in law offices, corporations, government
agencies and courts throughout the nation. As with any profession, there
are paralegals who stand out from the crowd. They not only are creative,
passionate, inventive, organized and competent but they also all have
something else in common — they love what they do. Perhaps that is why
they can find the time outside their jobs to volunteer for
pro bono work, assist in
paralegal organizations, get involved with their community and even
invent products. This year’s Paralegal of the Year and runners-up do it
all, do it well and deserve to be recognized as the true heroes of the
profession.
2007 Paralegal of the Year: Mary McKay
Two years ago, Mary McKay, a senior
paralegal and paralegal coordinator at Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker
in
“She is a true hero in my book and has my strongest recommendation for
this award,” wrote Thomas Sasso, a senior chief paralegal for the U.S.
Navy, and one of several people who nominated McKay for LAT’s 2007
Paralegal of the Year. “Her passion for the profession is unmatched, and
she will serve as Paralegal of the Year with honor and commitment.”
For McKay, the second time around is simply a “blessing.” “I was on
cloud nine for several weeks,” McKay said. “I was very happy to hear
that I won because I know that that there are so many paralegals out
there who are very deserving of this award.”
Passion for the Profession
Sasso, a delegate for the
“I’m a strong believer that first impressions are lasting,” Sasso said.
“She has this aura about her that makes you cling to her.”
Sasso searched for McKay during a break in the conference so he could
meet her. During that conversation, McKay offered important advice to
Sasso, who is making a job transition from the military to the civilian
workforce. Since they met, McKay has been helping Sasso with his career
goals, and a friendship has developed, he said.
“I consider Mary my mentor and friend,” said Sasso, who has served in
the Navy for 24 years. “She has taken time out of her busy schedule to
review my résumé and help me with my transition into a civilian
paralegal job. She has been extremely helpful.”
Following the 2006 convention, McKay ran for and was elected NFPA’s
Region III director. Serving as president of the Tampa Bay Paralegal
Association at the time, she resigned because NFPA doesn’t allow anyone
to serve on its board and on a local board at the same time. As Region
III director, McKay went to work on implementing the ideas she announced
at the NFPA convention. One of her primary goals was to increase
communication between the local associations in the region. She
increased the number of seminars at regional meetings and initiated
monthly conference calls between regional delegates. “My role is to get
everybody talking and get their ideas,” McKay said. “I don’t have the
corner on the market of good ideas.”
McKay, who has more than 20 years of paralegal experience, sets the
agenda topics with advice from regional delegates, summarizes the
conference calls and sends the meeting minutes to every region
association. In general, the conference calls are informal and
informative, she said. Delegates might discuss new developments in the
profession, brainstorm ideas on how to host a regional event or share
ways to raise revenue. For example, in a recent conference call one
delegate explained how her association raised money by hosting a “Pamper
Your Paralegal Day,” where law firms could purchase gift certificates
for pedicures and massages to give to their paralegals.
The conference calls have been very successful, as delegates get to
share ideas and develop relationships that are cemented during regional
meetings. This increased level of communication between paralegal
associations in Region III has prompted praise from other paralegals.
“I would venture to say that Region III is most likely the best
informed, most active region in NFPA at the present time,” said Edna
Wallace, RP, a paralegal for Whitham Hebenstreit & Zubek in
For McKay, the experience has been a good one. “It has been a very
rewarding undertaking as Region III director, although it is a huge
commitment, and I’m glad I did it,” she said. “I have the opportunity to
rub shoulders with the best paralegals, who are great examples to those
just entering the profession, and who are truly devoted to the
development of the paralegal profession. To lead others you have to stay
a step ahead of them and with these brilliant paralegals, that isn’t an
easy task.”
Leading by Example
Aside from her volunteer position as
NFPA Region III director, McKay leads a six-member paralegal team at
Glenn Rasmussen, where she has worked for almost six years. As the
paralegal coordinator, she is the go-to person between the firm’s 19
attorneys and the paralegals to coordinate workflow and assist with
other paralegal matters. In 2003, the firm’s managing partner handpicked
McKay to devise a plan to improve the firm’s paralegal in-house program.
She worked closely with Shareholder Ed Rice to undertake this project,
setting monthly meetings with the firm’s paralegals to discuss
roadblocks and brainstorm how to revamp the program and set individual
and team goals. The end result was to give the firm’s paralegals more
responsibility, provide them with more professional training and build
case teams. McKay’s own efforts on the project won her a promotion. She
now coordinates the workload and training of the firm’s paralegals and
assists in all areas of litigation and research.
“The attorneys at Glenn Rasmussen are the best and many of them are
recognized in ‘Best Lawyers in
To that end, Glenn Rasmussen encourages its paralegals to attend
seminars and earn certification. McKay also prepares monthly in-house
training sessions that include attorney instruction for the firm’s
paralegals. The sessions require McKay to plan the time and topics of
discussion as well as help the attorneys prepare for the discussion. In
addition, through her guidance, the firm hosts in-house Webinars where
paralegals connect to an outside vendor on the Internet and discuss
various legal topics via conference calls.
Another important aspect of the program is the cross training of the
firm’s paralegals. Each paralegal has a specialty such as probate, real
estate or estate law. However, McKay advised the firm to train its
paralegals in different areas of law so they can handle a greater
variety of tasks. Although they might not be specialized in every area
of law that the firm practices, they at least have a basic understanding
of each area, which comes in handy if a paralegal is needed for backup.
The revamped in-house paralegal program has won her accolades on every
level in the firm.
“Mary is tireless,” said Greg McCoskey, president of Glenn Rasmussen.
“She is an extremely hard worker and she takes pride in her work and it
shows. The benefits of our paralegal program far exceed the cost.
Through increased efficiency and the opportunity of our paralegals to
expand their education and skills, we are reaping the rewards of our
investment.”
This year, McKay asked each of the firm’s six paralegals to set
professional goals. As a result, one paralegal passed NFPA’s Paralegal
Advanced Competency Exam this year and another is expected to earn her
PACE certification this summer.
Glenn Rasmussen encourages and pays for continuing legal education and
professional designations for its paralegal staff. It was a decision
also made at the insistence of McKay, who has both an RP and a Certified
Legal Assistant designation and is a staunch supporter of both.
“Mary is a real go-to person at our firm,” said Sharon Danco, a
shareholder in Glenn Rasmussen’s corporate finance group. “When you work
with her, you know the job will get done efficiently, correctly and in a
timely manner.”
Danco added that McKay is able to handle very complicated work. “Mary
treats her position with our firm as a professional position, which is
exactly the way we perceive our paralegals,” she said. “We want our
paralegals to work side by side with our attorneys to reach our clients’
objectives. I don’t think you could find a better candidate for
Paralegal of the Year.”
McKay also assists several of Glenn Rasmussen’s attorneys in their pro
bono activities. “She truly distinguishes herself by being proactive,”
said Peter Kelly, a shareholder in Glenn Rasmussen’s estate and trust
practice group. “She doesn’t wait for people to come to her. We are very
proud of her. She has always been an outstanding paralegal.”
Free Time
Somehow, between work and her NFPA
director duties, McKay manages to squeeze in free time for family,
church and other activities. In February, she and 11 other paralegals
from across the nation were invited to review and update textbook
materials for NFPA’s PACE examination. She went to
Following her
In addition to her NFPA activities, McKay has been a church music
director for more than 20 years. She was a music director in
McKay, who completed her paralegal studies in 1987 at the University of
Miami, also taught for Miami Dade College’s paralegal studies program
for 10 years. She still occasionally speaks at seminars for Half Moon
Seminars, Estrin LegalEd’s national SuperConferences and at NFPA
meetings.
Before taking on the NFPA Region III director spot, McKay was an active
member of TBPA, of which she is a founding member, and along with
president, she held many leadership positions within the association.
Her volunteer work ethic has inspired other paralegals according to Alex
Jokay, the education chair for the Northeast Indiana Paralegal
Association in
So, how does McKay, a mother of three children, juggle all of her
responsibilities and still keep her sanity? She sets aside time for
herself. Every morning she sits on her patio at home with her husband,
Phil. They talk “about anything,” drink coffee, and gaze at the lake and
wildlife outside their patio door. “It’s a great way to start your day,”
McKay said. “I look forward to that every morning. … Truthfully, I could
never accomplish all I do [if not] for Phil — he takes good care of me
and does so much for me. He is the best husband I could have ever hoped
for,” she said.
McKay credits her success to those around her. “I don’t believe anyone
is an island,” McKay said. “We need each other in order to achieve our
best. Everyone that comes into our lives influences us one way or
another. Fortunately, my life has been touched by so many great people.
When they are successful, I am successful. I owe all of those people so
much and my success should be credited to them.”
Runner-Up: Mary Jane
In 1994, Mary Jane Leon, a legal
assistant with James E. Dyer in
“The phone kept ringing and it interrupted my counting,”
One day during her lunch break,
“I said, ‘Wow, this is easy.’”
Since that day, hundreds of thousands of people think it’s easy, too.
Leon trademarked her creation, aptly named the Circular Calendar, and
now sells it to court reporters, paralegals, process servers, lawyers,
real estate professionals, scientists and just about anyone who operates
on deadlines. Last year, she sold more than 625,000 calendars (available
at www.circularcalendar.com).
“It’s not rocket science,”
Building a Reputation
Leon, who has more than 30 years of
experience as both a legal secretary and paralegal, has garnered respect
for her innovation, hard work and expertise in the
While
Charles Pyle, a
“It was impressive to see her work,” Pyle said. “She is a real go-getter
with boundless energy.”
Suzanne Rabe, the director of legal writing and an associate clinical
professor of law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of
Law, was
“Mary Jane is smart, very smart,” Rabe said. “She can handle details,
and she can handle complex analytical matters. She can juggle many
responsibilities at many levels and do it all well. … She is genuine and
honest and fun to work with. I never got the feeling that she was just
being polite because I was her supervisor. She speaks her mind, but she
is so good-humored and understanding that I never knew anyone to take
offense.”
Association Innovations
While helping in the design of TPA’s
Sue Mahon, an office manager for the litigation department at Goldberg &
Osborne in Tucson, and a member and former president of TPA,
agreed.“[The e-mail networking system] put the entire membership and
their wealth of knowledge and experience at the fingertips of each and
every member,” she said. “It has become a very fast and efficient way to
get problems resolved in the workplace, especially for paralegals
working for sole practitioners. These are people that quite often have
no one to turn to to get an answer. But now they have a huge bank of
paralegals at their fingertips.”
In addition to the e-mail networking system,
“Mary Jane is one of those people that has a very strong entrepreneurial
spirit,”
“In a personal injury case, just about every health care provider and
insurance company is going to attempt to assert a lien against the
proceeds of the settlement of the case,”
As for being a runner-up in LAT’s Paralegal of the Year contest,
Runner-Up: Michael Misenheimer
In February 2006, Christina Weeks, vice
president of the Georgia Association of Paralegals, received an e-mail
from Michael Misenheimer, a litigation paralegal for Sicay-Perrow,
Knighten & Bohan in
“Amazingly, he said ‘OK,’” Weeks said.
At first, she was unsure about Misenheimer, so she agreed to interview
him at a coffee shop one week later. GAP has not been the same since,
she said. And a friendship blossomed between the two.
“He hit the ground running, and he has helped change our image for the
best,” Weeks said. “If something needs to be done, he gets it done.”
Weeks was so impressed with Misenheimer that she nominated him for LAT’s
Paralegal of the Year.
“Michael is the type of person who exemplifies the qualities of a great
paralegal,” Weeks said. “He does what he says he is going to do and he
does it in a way that exceeds your expectations. I hope that he
continues to grow as a leader within the Georgia Association of
Paralegals and NFPA.”
With seven years of paralegal experience already under his belt,
Misenheimer completed his bachelor of arts in psychology in 2006 from
“Growing up, I always wanted a career that I knew I would be able to
expand and grow as well as give back to the community,” Misenheimer
said. “In my opinion, being a paralegal allows that.”
A paralegal at Sicay-Perrow since 2005, Misenheimer handles all matters
in civil proceedings. His clients are corporations and small businesses.
“I’m working for the bad guys,” Misenheimer said in jest. “That is why I
do pro bono — I need good karma to come my way. I’m more fulfilled that
way. The clients are always more thankful and grateful because they are
people who can’t afford an attorney or a paralegal.”
Arthur Villarreal, case manager for Sicay-Perrow, said Misenheimer
recognizes the firm’s “legal commitment to community service and
enrichment.”
Villarreal added, “He has mobilized this office to act on the moral
commitment to community service in his active work as director of pro
bono services for GAP. The attorneys, fellow and lead paralegals, and
staff of this office support all his efforts and commend his leadership
within and outside the firm.”
Misenheimer obtained his first paralegal job while he was in college. At
the time, he didn’t have any formal training, but he said he was so
eager that the attorneys at the firm, Morrison & Associates in
His career is an impressive feat considering that, up until he received
his bachelor’s degree in 2006, he was a high school dropout with a GED.
His decision to go into the legal field as a career was based partly on
an experience he had as a teenager after his mother fell ill with
congestive heart failure and needed an attorney to help with her medical
claims. The attorney and a paralegal helped his mother on a pro bono
basis. Misenheimer said the attorney’s free services and genuine concern
made a lasting impression.
“The attorney would call and check on my mom, and she would talk to me
about career options,” Misenheimer said. “That was a great inspiration.”
A Dedication to Pro Bono
As GAP’s pro bono director, Misenheimer
coordinates all pro bono projects for the association. In a little more
than one year, he has linked GAP members to several ongoing pro bono
projects that have the legal community buzzing, including Project
Liberty, the Breast Cancer Legal Outreach Program, the Legalmen Project
and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer’s Foundation Living Wills Project.
“It’s good for the paralegal profession to show people that we care
about our communities and we do good work,” Weeks said. “Michael is a
good guy. He’s a good paralegal. He’s smart, thorough and dedicated. He
makes things easier, which paralegals should do.”
Misenheimer linked GAP with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and held the
first training session in January 2007 to assist with the Breast Cancer
Legal Project, a program that provides low-income cancer patients with
legal help in medical billing, insurance claims, divorces, child support
recovery, debt relief and wrongful evictions. He organized everything
with little supervision from GAP’s board of directors. “He got
volunteers, set up a training session and got the volunteers to work
before I even realized we were committed to the project,” Weeks said.
Rather than just coordinate the Breast Cancer Project, Misenheimer
spends about six hours each month interviewing and pre-screening
clients. “They really honestly need someone to talk to,” he said.
For the past six months, Misenheimer has also been an assistant pro bono
coordinator for NFPA. In this position, he collects the pro bono hours
from members in his region and reports them to NFPA’s pro bono
coordinator.
Misenheimer also spearheaded Project Liberty, a pro bono program that
offers legal aid to immigrant victims of crime such as human trafficking
and domestic violence. He assists attorneys who are representing the
immigrant victims as well as coordinates training sessions for GAP
members to participate in the program with the Atlanta Volunteer
Lawyer’s Foundation.
“Michael is one of the most extraordinary paralegals I know,” said
Tamara Caldas, managing attorney for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer’s
Foundation. “He’s not only excited about doing volunteer work but coming
up with ideas and initiatives. He is just incredibly enthusiastic,
creative and dedicated. Every time I turn around he’s initiating or
participating in another project.”
Misenheimer said he is so determined to help out that he is planning to
attend law school, and he is scheduled to take the LSAT in the fall. “I
think pro bono-wise, I can do more as an attorney than a paralegal. I
think attorneys and paralegals have the opportunity to give back [to]
the community more than any other profession.”
Giving Back to the Community
The same year Misenheimer volunteered
to become GAP’s pro bono director, he also volunteered to take over the
responsibilities of the organization’s community service coordinator,
who resigned.
While wearing the director of community service hat, Misenheimer
organized and participated in a breast cancer walk, which raised $3,000
through GAP members for breast cancer research. He also organized and
joined a toy drive where GAP members made contributions at the
organization’s holiday party, collecting monetary donations and a van
full of toys. Other feats include organizing a team of GAP members to
help renovate a public school in “The difference in pro bono and community service is pro bono is assisting those who would not otherwise have access to the legal system get the legal help they need, while community service focuses on giving back to the community with events such as drives for a local shelter, the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, and Toys for Tots,” Misenheimer said. “Basically, community service is not providing paralegal skills to cases but instead gives paralegals a chance to give back to the community.” Misenheimer said he was surprised and excited to learn that he was chosen as runner-up in LAT’s Paralegal of the Year contest, but he said the credit should go to those who support him. “I don’t pretend that I am able to do the things that I do without a lot of folks in my corner to assist me,” Misenheimer said. “I have a great board of directors with GAP, a great employer, Sicay- Perrow, who allows me the time off to conduct pro bono work, and a wonderful pro bono committee who helps me come up with pro bono opportunities and assists in encouraging others to give back. They are all supportive. Then, of course, I am thankful to friends and family who sacrifice not seeing me so that I can do the things I do. Finding time for everything is a balancing act. You have to sacrifice and pick and choose what you can and can’t do, but that is life really.”
Tim Pareti is a Chicago-based freelance writer. He has written articles for the American Bar Association, Chicago Tribune and Texas Lawyer. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University at Commerce and a paralegal certificate from Harper Community College. He is a member of the Lambda Epsilon Paralegal National Honor Society. His e-mail address is [email protected].
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