Paralegal Spotlight: Anna Skaggs’ Journey to Becoming a Paralegal

Peggy Pardue is a white woman with light brown, shoulder-length hair. she is wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a bright blue blouse. She is pictured smiling.

Peggy Pardue

By Peggy M. Pardue on behalf of the Communications Committee

Anna Skaggs is a North Carolina Certified Paralegal who was certified in 2016. She works for Collins Family & Elder Law Group in their Charlotte office.

Anna has been a Paralegal for her entire career and started her journey when she was just 19 years old. She will be celebrating 31 years in June of this year. Anna says, “when you know, you just know.” She had been considering law school but decided to look at the paralegal field. From the moment she sat in her first class at Marshall University, she never looked back or doubted that she made the right career choice. She is so thankful for the teachers, mentors, and attorneys who supported and guided her, and truly loves this work.

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Be a Pro Bono Paralegal at this Year’s 4ALL Statewide Service Day!

Crosby, a white woman with short golden brown hair, wears a pink blouse and black blazer with white dots.By Stephanie Crosby

I am proud to be the co-chair of the 16th Annual 4ALL Statewide Service Day, which will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The 4ALL Statewide Service Day is a pro bono program of the North Carolina Bar Foundation and held in conjunction with the North Carolina Bar Association. During 4ALL, North Carolina lawyers provide free legal answers, information, and resources to callers seeking information regarding North Carolina-related legal matters. Once again, paralegals will be able to participate virtually as call screeners.

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Erin Acaley – The Winner of the Fall 2022 Paralegal Division Student Scholarship

By The Scholarship Committee

The Scholarship Committee had a number of excellent student essays submitted for the Fall 2022 Paralegal Division Student Scholarship. The topic, “What skillsets do you believe a paralegal should have in order to be successful?”, allowed students the chance to highlight not only the skills they believe make them a powerful addition to the legal field but also how those skills can bring them success. While each essay was superb, the Scholarship Committee is proud to announce that Erin Acaley is the winner of the Fall 2022 Scholarship. Below, you can find a little more information about Erin, as well as her essay.

Thank you to all the students who submitted essays. We look forward to your submissions for the 2023 Spring Scholarship!
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A Brand New Year: Looking Back at 2022 While Stepping Into 2023

Yazmeen Gadalla, a woman with dark brown curly hair and teal glasses, wears a teal blouse and black sweater.By Yazmeen O. Gadalla

Welcome, Paralegal Division members, to the new year! As we transition into a brand new calendar year, I would like to take a moment to thank you for being a part of our division and engaging with us. Our council and committee chairs have worked hard to bring quality endeavors to you thus far, and as we continue into 2023, we would like to continue to do so.

With that being said, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what our division has already managed to accomplish this bar year:

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Volunteer to Prepare Expunction Petitions Remotely

By Rachel Royal

On March 4, 2023, the Charlotte Expunction Clinic will again be held at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. This project is a partnership of the following organizations: the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC), the SelfServe Center, the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and Public Defender’s Office. During the clinics, volunteer public defenders offer advice to applicants regarding their eligibility for expunction relief under North Carolina law.

The project has held six prior clinics since 2019. Since August 2021, paralegals have been utilized to review criminal records and attorney analysis forms and prepare petitions for attorney review.

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Paralegal Ethics: Deck the Halls, or Maybe Not!

Sarah, a white woman with short auburn hair, wears a black shirt with white flowers.By Sarah L. White

The holidays are fast approaching, and many of us are looking forward to holiday parties, delicious goodies adorning the breakroom counters, festive decorations, gifts, and more. However, it is not all fun, as the holidays bring an abundance of ethical concerns for the workplace. Below are some helpful tips and reminders going into the holidays.

Holiday Decor

Although there are no specific rules regarding holiday decor, there is an Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution that forbids Congress from establishing a state religion. Also, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals stated, “No holiday season is complete, at least for the courts, without one or more First Amendment challenges to public holiday displays.” Skoros v. City of New York, 437 F.3d 1 (2006).

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The Paralegal Division and Family Law Section Partner Again to Serve Guilford County Residents with Family Law Issues

By the Paralegal Division Pro Bono Committee 

In April 2021, the Paralegal Division and the Family Law Section partnered for the first time to hold a Pro Se Custody and Family Law Advice Clinic for residents of Wake County. This pilot was held at the Blanchard Community Law Clinic and successfully served eleven clients by answering their family law questions and drafting pro se custody packets for several of them.

Since the first clinic was so successful, Guilford County family law attorney, Manisha Patel, approached the Paralegal Division with the backing of the Greensboro Bar Association and its Family Law Section and Pro Bono Committee about partnering for a clinic in Guilford County. The clinic is set for February 11, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon at Elon Law School.

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Paralegal Spotlight: Johana Sanchez

By the Communications Committee

This month’s Paralegal Spotlight is on Johana Sanchez, a Paralegal at Armendariz Law Office, PLLC.

Johana began her legal career in her native country of Venezuela, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Universidad de Carabobo and a Master’s degree in International Criminal Law from the Universidad Latino Americana y del Caribe. However, due to political and social issues, she made the decision to live abroad in Panama. This move led Johana to personal and professional growth, allowing her the opportunity to work as an assistant in a local family law firm, in addition to coursing (but not completing) an MBA at the Universidad Interamericana de Panama. Yet, she desired to continue her professional growth so she decided to move again, this time to the United States. She attended Campus Education Midtown in New York City and Taylor Business Institute in Chicago, places where she would learn English as a second language. Read more

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Paralegal Ethics: Are You Really Being Ethical?

Sarah, a white woman with short auburn hair, wears a black shirt with white flowers.By Sarah L. White

Every paralegal knows the four main ethical guidelines that govern our profession. They have been drilled into us with every paralegal class and continuing education seminar over the course of our careers. Most of us probably could recite them verbatim in our sleep, but just so we are clear, paralegals must not do any of the following:

1. Establish attorney-client relationships;

2. Represent a client in court;

3. Negotiate settlements; or

4. Give legal advice.

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Utilization Committee Update – Regulatory Reform Affecting Paralegals in North Carolina and Beyond

By The Utilization Committee

North Carolina Regulatory Reform Update

It has been two years since the State Bar’s Subcommittee to Study Regulatory Change had its first meeting on June 4, 2020, to study various types of regulatory reform (e.g., limited licensing, court navigators, regulatory sandbox).

Highlights:

  • On June 3, 2021, the Bar’s Subcommittee Studying Regulatory Change voted to recommend that the Bar create a separate ad hoc committee to lay out a plan for limited licensing.
  • On July 15, 2021, the Executive Committee approved an ad hoc committee to develop a limited licensing plan. However, no action was taken on that vote. After that date, the Regulatory Subcommittee continued its work of exploring a regulatory sandbox and other initiatives.
  • On January 7, 2022, Chairman Mark Henriques completed the Subcommittee’s final report on its work over the past 18 months. He presented this report to the Issues Committee on January 19, 2022, with continued discussion on April 20, 2022, and July 20, 2022. The report includes the following recommendations:
    1. Pursue a Limited License for Nonlawyers/Paraprofessionals
    2. Pursue a Regulatory Sandbox
    3. Recommend a Court Navigator’s Program to the Administrative Office of the Courts
    4. Refrain from Pursuing Alternative Admission to the Bar at this Time
    5. Explore Necessary Changes to Permit Alternative Business Structures and Fee Sharing with Nonlawyers
    6. Explore the Possible Liberalization of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Statutes

Read the report to learn more. Read more

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