The Work of a Legal Assistant

If you Google “Legal Assistant” you would find job descriptions that list seemingly boring administrative tasks with perhaps a few interesting things mixed in. You might even find the ever-popular joke:

Legal assistant (n.)
a person who babysits lawyers

People have a lot of ideas about what we (Chris, Charlene, LaTonya, Adair and Danica) do – ideas ranging from Roz in Monsters Inc. to Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.

We wanted to give you an idea of what it’s really like to work at Scott, Tokerud & McCarty.

An average day involves a lot of paper. We file paperwork, draft paperwork, organize paperwork, print paperwork, mail paperwork, shred paperwork and call clients to ask about their paperwork. (Quite a bit of paper around here, good thing we have email these days!) We also spend a lot of time doing what you might expect such as scheduling, interviewing clients, talking phone calls, organizing files, and sitting in meetings.

But it’s the one thing you might not expect that makes our job truly rewarding, the basis for everything we do: connection.

We may work on a lot of paperwork and administrative tasks – but none of those things would make us who we want to be if we weren’t able to connect with our clients, with each other and, most importantly, with Keith and Jon.

The ability to connect with our clients is integral to relationship building and fosters the trust we strive for with our clients. Our job description might say “answer phone and interview client” but what we truly want is engagement with and commitment to each client in a way that is both genuine and long-lasting.

The ability to connect with one another allows our office to create a friendly atmosphere, helping our clients feel welcomed – as if they are joining a group of life-long friends or a family. In a more behind-the-scenes way, the relationships we have with each other allow us to work fluidly – giving each client a more dynamic result.

You might wonder why the connection with Keith and Jon the most important connection we, as legal assistants, need to build. The answer is simple: none of us would be here without Keith and Jon. They have taken us in, taught us, trusted us, helped us grow, and continue to challenge us – expecting 100% commitment to Scott, Tokerud & McCarty’s purpose. Without the respect and mentorship we receive from Keith and Jon, we wouldn’t be where we are today and we certainly wouldn’t have the privilege of giving our best to each client.

From Left to Right: Chris, Charlene, Teresa, Keith, Danica, Jon, LaTonya (Adair not pictured)

The truth is, what we do at Scott, Tokerud & McCarty is quite challenging but also deeply rewarding. We are endlessly grateful to Keith and Jon for the opportunities they have provided and to our clients for allowing us into their lives.

We thank you!

Signed: Chris, LaTonya, Danica, Charlene & Adair (a.k.a. “The Chickens”)