It’s a beautiful morning in Arizona.
While watching the prairies right from my window in Anthem, I am thinking of all those years when each first of January started with many new year’s resolutions. This time, I think I will play it by ear. I I am reading this great book Crime and Justice in America, A Human Perspective, by Territo, Halstead and Bromley. I highly recommend it.
I am blessed to do what I like to do. I’ve been running my independent paralegal business since 2009. For some people, paralegals are just those who couldn’t become attorneys. For me, I know I didn’t want to be an attorney, but I always loved law. It has to do something with human rights. It doesn’t always means justice, but when in big cases justice prevails, those are the times when everything changes !!! The time of a big change. With that said, what has changed for me this past year?
Years ago, I went to school to become a paralegal. My dad was well known attorney and so it’s my brother. There’s a bit of legacy right there. Then I had to pass the test at the Supreme Court of Arizona to get the license. Then I had to renew my license every two years with mandatory continuous education. Arizona regulates independent paralegals under the rules of legal document preparations. With all of that it took me good ten years to feel comfortable, to feel like an expert and to know that I can really help my clients who chose or have to self-litigate. It was not easy to keep running this business and there were times when I couldn’t survive on the income that I made. Sometimes I thought I’d give up. Once I even put my license in escrow. I was tired, overworked, exhausted. Balancing a day job with business, children, life, name it… Your day job can be 9 – 10 hours a day, your business is 24/7. I didn’t give up and I am happy that I didn’t.
In 2020 we entered pandemic era. Now there was no point to keep going with my office, since my clients could not meet with me in person. At first this was confusing and I, as many other small business owners, thought I would have to close the door permanently. But people still needed me and somehow we managed to meet! Little by little, I started moving my business to online business only. After all, my clients needed my expertise, not necessary to meet me in person. I only needed to find a way to build the confidence level in a different way to service them. Courts are changing the way they operate! My reach is higher than ever and now I can truly work with and for the entire state of Arizona! Better yet, I can keep my passion for travel going. I can see all those beautiful places while I am still working! While I am doing what I like to do and I am good in it! It does come with saying: “Do what you love and money will follow”. There’s lots of wisdom in that saying and I could not agree more. Off to exciting 2022!
Anthem Paralegal 