Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Paralegal Profile: Nicole Pratt, ACP

By Lynne DeVenny

Employer: Stibbs & Co., P.C., Spring, Texas

Years of Paralegal Experience: 11 years

Education/Degrees: Paralegal Certificate 1992 ? Texas School of Business; Certified Paralegal 2008 ? National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA); Advanced Certified Paralegal 2009 ? NALA

Specialty Areas: Global Business Law, Energy Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Estate Planning and Probate

Career Highlight: I love working for a small firm where everyone treats each other like a person and not someone that is ?beneath? them. Case in point, our firm was involved in a multimillion dollar company merger with a large firm on the other side. I attended the closing which lasted most of the day. I was included in all meetings and went to lunch with the clients and the attorneys. The other side had a ?baby lawyer? that the other attorneys kept ordering around to move boxes, shuffle papers, label documents for signing, etc. That poor baby lawyer wasn?t involved in any of the fun stuff and they had worked on the merger just as much as everyone else. He was just a cog in their firm, not a part of the team. It was sad that he was treated as a lesser person by his peers. I am fortunate that I am appreciated at my firm, and I don?t take that for granted.

Paralegal Practice Tip: Always ASK when a project/task is due and which client is to be billed.

Favorite Internet Resource: I absolutely love South Texas College of Law professor, Mark E. Steiner?s, links to every legal site you could possibly need: www.stcl.edu/faculty_pages/faculty_folders/steiner/internet_links_for_lawyers.htm

Do you use social media resources, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or blogs, for career and/or case development?
I?m beginning to learn how to use LinkedIn. What I find most helpful and enjoyable is the State Bar of Texas Paralegal Division E-Group. There are questions posted regarding all areas of law, how to handle specific situations, looking for forms to use, surveys and humor to brighten our day. It is amazing to see how awesome my peers are on a daily basis. I also enjoy knowing I?m not the only person who struggles with some of the same issues.

Fun Fact: I changed schools ten different times from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

One Thing You Can?t Live Without: My children - they are a true blessing in my life.

Favorite Quote: "You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ~ Adrian Rogers, 1931

Paralegal/Legal Association Memberships: NALA; Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas

Professional Links: http://www.stibbsco.com/; www.linkedin.com/pub/nicole-pratt/9/704/ab3
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Thanks to Nicole for a great profile and helpful information. Hey, readers, you know I don't ask you for much, not even for vanilla latte money, but what I do need from you, would love to have from you, and it would really, really help me out....is your willingness to complete a professional profile. It's quick, painless and a wonderful resource for everyone who reads Practical Paralegalism. If you would be willing to be profiled, please email me at lynne.devenny@gmail.com. All legal support staffers welcome - we're a wonderfully diverse group!

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 10, 2010 (boomark / email).