After I left the Air Force, from 1994 – 2000, I worked as the Managing Paralegal for the Smith, Shaw law firm in Rome, Georgia. This experience in law has proven extremely helpful to me. No matter what career field you work in, the laws of the State, whether they are employment laws, workers' compensation, general liability, or many others, are very important to managers. I served as a litigation specialist, including municipal law, and there was virtually nothing that I did not do while with the firm. While it's true that only attorneys “practice” law, paralegals, especially at the level I worked, have a great deal of responsibility and input into their cases. I conducted hundreds of hours of legal research, wrote legal briefs, conducted complex discovery, drafted direct and cross-examination of witnesses for trial and depositions, interviewed witnesses, and much more. I was very fortunate to be in a position and with a firm that I truly enjoyed. As a result, I rose to the top of this career field very fast, and by 1997 I was teaching classes on legal subjects at Floyd (now Georgia Highlands) College. I was asked by the Institute for Paralegal Education to lecture professionally to my peers in Atlanta, and I did this on three occasions. I was also very fortunate to have several of my legal practice manuals published. To say the least, I developed an extensive knowledge of the legal system, workers’ compensation, employment law, municipal law, and more. I ultimately chose to obtain a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and pursue a goal of working to improve communities rather going to law school (not that lawyers don't work to improve our communities), but my vast experience in the field of law has only made me that much stronger in the roles I pursue. |
