Paralegal Spotlight: Laurie Hayden
By the Communications Committee
Paralegal Spotlight is the division’s monthly publication designed to share division members’ stories with colleagues, inspire present and future paralegal professionals, and strengthen awareness of the profession and association.
Each month we select one amazing paralegal from among our membership and ask them to share a little about their personal and professional life. Join Paralegal Spotlight as we learn more about member talents, skills, personal and professional goals, technology tips, accomplishments, volunteer work, and more.
This month’s Paralegal Spotlight is on Laurie Hayden, a Corporate and Estate Administration Paralegal at Patrick Harper & Dixon L.L.P. in Hickory, North Carolina.
Tell us about your role at Patrick Harper & Dixon L.L.P.
I specialize in corporate transactions, estate administration, and Medicaid applications. In the corporate transactions sector, I form and dissolve corporate entities; draft corporate documents such as operating agreements, bylaws, plans of merger, shareholder agreements, employment agreements, non-competition agreements, promissory notes, stock pledge agreements, consignment agreements, asset purchase agreements, and the like; assist attorneys with documentation related to asset purchases and corporate bank loans; maintain corporate database and minute books; maintain the corporate tickler system; prepare annual reports; prepare annual shareholder and director consents; conduct UCC searches and file UCC statements; obtain certified documents and apostilles from Secretary of State offices; prepare Assumed Business Name Certificates; assist non-profit corporations with IRS tax exemption; prepare amortization schedules; qualify corporations to conduct business in other states; and conduct research.
For estate administrations, I meet with clients; draft documents such as family settlement agreements, petitions, orders and affidavits; complete estate administration forms; prepare estate tax returns; work with Medicaid and other creditors to release claims; prepare seller-side real estate documents and work with closing attorneys and their paralegals.
I also prepare Medicaid and special assistance applications for our elderly clients who have been admitted to a nursing home or assisted living facility but can’t pay for their care. I work with DSS which involves meeting with caseworkers, phone calls and emails to caseworkers, and submitting the necessary backup documentation to process the applications. I also meet with our clients in person, speak with clients over the phone and keep in touch with them through email and correspondence.
What is your educational background?
I graduated from Ohio University many moons ago with a BA in Criminology. I also have a certificate from the National Center for Paralegal Training in Atlanta, Ga.
What paralegal certification(s) do you have? I am a North Carolina Certified Paralegal.
How long have you worked as a paralegal? Many, many years . . . since October of 1986. I started out working for a law firm with 150 attorneys and 12 paralegals. I worked there for three years. The second law firm I worked for had 28 attorneys and 4 paralegals. I worked there for 11 years. I have worked at Patrick, Harper & Dixon for almost 21 years. PHD currently has 10 attorneys and 5 paralegals.
What’s one thing you’d like to see the NCBA PD do/accomplish for its membership?
It would be helpful to have a blog post (or other form of communication) for paralegals that discusses how they resolved a particular issue, especially an uncommon one. In estate administration, we come across odd situations all the time, and it would be helpful to learn how the same or similar issue was resolved by someone else.
I would like to see a program where paralegals can take a test to become certified in their field(s) of specialization. Being certified in a specialization would be advantageous to paralegals looking for jobs and could be a way to increase their salary at their current employment.
How did you choose the paralegal field?
I decided I wanted to attend paralegal school during my senior year in college. My mother was an estate administration paralegal at the time. She loved her job and encouraged me to attend paralegal school after college. I had originally intended to be a paralegal for only a few years and then to apply to law school. However, I ended up loving my job so much that law school didn’t seem that important.
What do you find most challenging about the paralegal field?
Dealing with the Clerk of Court offices. I am constantly finding myself arguing with various Clerk’s offices about how something is supposed to be done. I have had to send copies of statutes and even explain the wording in statutes to Deputy Clerks. Clerks of Court tend to make their own rules, and that can be very frustrating.
What’s the best and worst thing to happen since you started working as a paralegal?
The best thing is all the wonderful and interesting people I have met over the years. I used to work for a law firm that had clients from television, radio and sports (football and baseball). I’ve spoken with Neil Armstrong over the phone. A number of former clients have stayed in touch with me over the years and occasionally will ask me to go to lunch. It’s very touching when a client tells me that I made a difference in their lives.
The worst thing I had to deal with was a client who did not like me. She complained about everything I did and even wrote a note to my attorney complaining about me. She actually told him that I was too happy and didn’t like it when I tried to joke around with her. She would set up conference calls and not answer the phone when I called. She would lie to me. She asked me if I would prepare stock transfers for her as soon as possible, so I went into work at 5 a.m. on the day I was to leave for vacation, got all the stock transfers completed and mailed them to her so she would receive them early in the week. Unbeknownst to me, she had gone on vacation and wasn’t even home when the paperwork arrived. She didn’t bother getting them signed for another two weeks. I was pretty much at my wits end, and was so glad when the project ended, and I no longer had to deal with her.
What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming a paralegal?
In order to be really good at your job, you need to keep learning. The law is constantly changing, so there is always something new to learn. When you learn something new that others may not know about, share it with the attorneys and paralegals you work with. Ask questions but discover for yourself how things are done. You will be a better paralegal (and will advance in your career) if you do the leg work and don’t rely on someone else to show you.
What do you think will change in the paralegal field over the next five years?
I think we’ll start to see more states taking an interest in licensing paralegals to assist the public with completion of court forms and certain documents and possibly representing individuals at simple hearings. There is an increasing demand for access to affordable legal services, which might spur on the movement. There are areas of law that don’t necessarily involve legal advice, like estate administration, family law and corporate transactions, such as forming corporations and LLCs (most tax advice comes from accountants), and paralegals could really shine in these areas and give the public a more affordable way of obtaining legal assistance.
What are some volunteer organizations you have worked with?
For the past six-and-a-half years, I have been the president of the Catawba Valley Paralegal Association (CVPA). I am also the chair of the Membership and CPE Committees and editor/main contributor of the newsletter. It’s really a second job although I work for free. I was only supposed to be president for 4 years max, but we are a small group, and I was encouraged to stay on as president, so I have.
I was also on the costume committee of a youth theater group for 5 years, which was so much fun, although a ton of work. It’s so rewarding to see a show come together with the sets and costumes, not to mention working with young people who put so much time and effort into making the show successful.
Favorite podcast, favorite Netflix (or other streaming service) series?
“Outlander” (Netflix); “Death in Paradise” (Britbox); “Bridgerton” (Netflix); “My Favorite Murder” (Podcast).
What are you reading right now?
“Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II” by Liza Mundy and trying to get through a very large biography on Mary Shelley by Emily W. Sunstein.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Retired and living near a lake or the beach (water is so peaceful). I have been growing herbs and learning about herbal medicine for the past 4 years, so I want to continue my herbal medicine education when I have more time to devote to it. I also want to spend my time reading, perhaps writing a book and traveling both in the U.S. and abroad.
The Division congratulates Laurie Hayden for her accomplishments and appreciates her for participating in Paralegal Spotlight.
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The Paralegal Division Blog is managed by the Division’s Communications Committee. Via the blog and listserv, the Communications Committee provides information written by attorneys, paralegals, and other experts designed specifically for paralegals in the areas of substantive law, ethics, technology, paralegal practice advice, and more. If you are interested in volunteering with the Communications Committee, please contact the Communications Committee Chair at [email protected]. If you are interested in joining other Division committees, you can review a list of committees and sign up here. You may also wish to participate in the Division by using our virtual suggestion box to submit suggestions/ideas to the Division Council, submitting a proposed blog post, nominating a paralegal for Paralegal Spotlight, or completing the Paralegal Spotlight Questionnaire if you are nominating yourself.