Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Linda Whipple, who began her career as a paralegal 35 years ago, by now knows as much about practicing law as many lawyers.

"I think she'd be a wonderful lawyer," said her boss, Robert Spohrer, who has told her she should consider going to law school.

"There's a part of me that says, 'Yes, I should do that,' " said Whipple, who lives in Jacksonville. "But there's also a part of me that says, 'You're already at the top ... Why start over?' "

That Whipple is at the top of her profession was made official in late July.

She was named 2009 Paralegal of the Year by the American Association for Justice during the organization's annual meeting, held in San Francisco. The trade association represents plaintiff's attorneys.

Whipple is only the second Florida recipient since the award was started in 1985.

Whipple said she told Spohrer a year ago that she wanted to attend the association's convention in San Francisco, where she has relatives, but didn't think she could afford it.

She was hoping he'd offer to pay. Instead, he told her he'd nominate her for the award, which includes an all-expenses-paid trip to the convention.

In early June he called her into his office and asked her if she still planned to go to the convention.

When she reminded him she couldn't afford it and hadn't won the award, his response was, "What makes you think you didn't win the award?"

That was his way of telling her she had won.

Whipple, who grew up in Jacksonville, started her career in the law in Ocala in 1974.

In 1984 Whipple, by then divorced, moved to Washington, D.C., at the recommendation of a soccer coach who was working with her daughter, Kristen. Kristen would eventually go to the University of Maryland on a soccer scholarship.

While working at several firms in Washington, Whipple enrolled in a program for paralegals run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture studying database management.

After her daughter graduated from college and moved to Colorado, Whipple moved back to Jacksonville and enrolled at the University of North Florida to become recertified in Florida as a paralegal.

She was hired by what is now Sporher & Dodd in February 1999.

A big part of her job is helping prepare electronic exhibits for the courtroom and then handling the technology during a trial.

"Being in a courtroom is always fun," she said. "I love to watch really good lawyers."

After returning to Jacksonville, Whipple became active in Democratic Party politics and served as county chairwoman from 2004 to 2006.

But these days when she's not working she's putting most of her energy into studying for a bachelor's in political science and public administration at UNF.

What she'd like to eventually do after she retires as a paralegal in five to 10 years is work for an international foundation.

Source: Jacksonville.com