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Paralegal Section offers pipeline to jobs, knowledge
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: November 20, 2015
Many Akron Bar Association committees and sections offer members the chance to network and make connections that may lead to future work, but the paralegal section goes a bit further according to Joanne Moore, who serves as its advisor.
“When an attorney who is a member of the Akron Bar Association is looking for a paralegal for a project or temporary position, the bar association sends out an announcement to members of the paralegal section,” said Moore.
“I would say that is the biggest benefit of being a member of the section,” said Moore, a volunteer coordinator for the Summit County Juvenile Court’s CASA /GAL program.
Less than 10 years ago, Moore said paralegals in Summit County did not have an Akron Bar Association committee or section dedicated to meeting their needs.
“They were able to be associate members of the Akron Bar Association and participate in committees and section meetings and work on projects,” said Moore, who graduated from Hammel College’s paralegal program in 1988 and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Akron.
But in 2008, the Akron Bar Association’s Paralegal Committee was created, after Canton native Brandi Stewart set the initial wheels in motion the same year.
“At the time I was a new paralegal working at the Akron law firm Goldman & Rosen,” said Stewart. “I was the only paralegal in the office and I felt like I needed the support of other paralegals. The closest paralegal meetings back then were in Cleveland.
“I talked to one of my bosses who was a lawyer and he thought it was a good idea,” said Stewart. “He knew a few lawyers on the Akron Bar Association’s board so he spoke to them about it. I came up with the mission statement and they reviewed and passed it.”
In the beginning, she said there wasn’t much interest.
“I started faxing flyers to all the law firms and people began showing up to meetings,” said Stewart, now a paralegal at The J.M. Smucker Company in Orrville.
In fact, she said things went so well that the committee transitioned into a section.
Moore, who has been a member since the group began, said the idea to turn the committee into a section came from the bar association.
It now bolsters 89 members, including both practicing paralegals and students. In addition to Moore, the section’s leadership includes William Hunter, chair, Natalie Lindsay-Smith, vice chair, and Colleen Barrera, secretary/treasurer.
It generally meets at the Akron Bar Association from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, with the exception of December, July and August.
According to Thomas Christos Petropoulos, the bar association’s member engagement coordinator, the section hosts programming, which addresses topics specifically related to paralegals’ professional and personal development.
“The section always welcomes practitioners of law to attend their session and be active participants in their dialogues,” said Petropoulos.
In her role as advisor, Moore said she helps to set up the meetings and the programming for next year.
This year’s events have included a tour of the Summit County Juvenile Court in October, where members heard from CASA staff attorney Joe Kernan, who explained the CASA/GAL program.
In November, attorney Mike Goebl presented a seminar entitled “Criminal Justice System From a Paralegal Perspective.”
“Mike gave a great overview and even put us through our paces with some fun questions at the end,” said Moore.
Lindsay-Smith, a senior paralegal in the law department of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and vice chair of the section, said she wants to promote the paralegal profession by engaging section members and reaching out to paralegal students, law students and attorneys in the greater Akron legal community.
“Our section continues to connect with paralegal students in the community,” said Lindsay-Smith. “Moving forward, we are looking for an opportunity to promote the paralegal profession with law students and newly admitted attorneys.
“Paralegals are an integral part of legal services,” said Lindsay-Smith, a member of the bar association and paralegal section since 2012. “We want to share with them how paralegals can be utilized without violating the Unauthorized Practice of Law (“UPL”) regulations.”
A native of Cleveland, Lindsay-Smith said she decided to become a paralegal in the early ‘80s.
“I was working as a legal secretary at the time,” she said. “As legal secretaries began to take on greater responsibilities, the paralegal career was born. Through education and experience, becoming a paralegal was a natural progression for me.”
Lindsay-Smith has been working at Goodyear for just over 10 years, which she describes as a “great experience.”
Much like other Akron Bar Association committees and sections, she said the paralegal section also struggles to get members to meetings.
“We recognize that a paralegal’s time is at a premium. That is why we hold our meetings at lunchtime so they are convenient,” said Lindsay-Smith. “We also offer a box lunch option, at a nominal cost, or people can bring their own lunch to the meeting.”
In Hunter’s case, the Akron native joined the section in 2012, serving as chair since 2013.
“I would say the biggest advantages to membership are the networking opportunities and the chance to learn about different areas of law during our seminars,” said Hunter, who received his paralegal certificate from the American Institute for Paralegal Studies in 1987.
A freelance paralegal in Akron, Hunter is a founding member of the former Northeastern Ohio Paralegal Association (NOPA). He also received the Akron Bar Association’s Section Chair of the Year Award in 2014.
He said during his time as chair, the section has co-sponsored events with other sections and committees.
“I am working on a ‘Meet-and-Greet’ with the new lawyers section for May 2016,” said Hunter.
There are also several events planned early in 2016, including the “Estate Planning, Probate and Elder Law” seminar, which is scheduled for January. Attorney Linda Ulinski, the chair of the estate planning, probate and elder law section, will be the speaker.
Hunter said the following month the section plans to offer a career/resume preparation seminar to members.
“Being a member is a good opportunity to meet other paralegals and lawyers and to make our voices heard in the legal community,” said Hunter.