Paralegal Spotlight: Wendy Kimbel, ACP, NCCP

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 Wendy Kimbel, ACP, NCCP.

Position Title: Paralegal/President

Major Duties: I provide contract support services for attorneys, primarily in the areas of real estate, wills, trusts and probate.

Who is your current employer? Paralegal Assistance, Inc.

Where is your current employer located? Mebane, N.C.

What is your educational background? I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978.

What paralegal certification(s) do you have? NALA Certified Paralegal; NALA Real Estate Specialist; NALA Corporate and Business Law Specialist; NCCP.

How long have you worked as a paralegal? I have been assisting attorneys in the private practice of law for over 42 years.

What’s one thing you’d like to see the NCBA PD do/accomplish for its membership? I think NCBA PD has already done it. We have an organization, we have CLE discounts, and we have a directory. However, I do wish that the list included fields for principal areas of practice and had a better search feature.

Was being a paralegal your first career or did you transition from another field? I started working for attorneys the day after I graduated from college.

How did you choose the paralegal field? It chose me. When I was about to graduate from college, I needed a job and a local firm had an advertisement for an entry level position. I could type — back in the day, that was a special marketable job skill. A few months into that first job, something happened to my principal attorney that made it necessary for me to learn substantive law very quickly. I did that and never looked back.

What did you never think you would be doing that you are doing now (does not have to be work-related)? Being married. I tried it briefly in my youth, and it didn’t work out. I held out for more than a decade thereafter, and ended up marrying a lawyer. We have interesting after dinner conversations in our house.

Favorite podcast, favorite Netflix (or other streaming service) series? That’s just not my thing.

What are you reading right now? A Michael Crichton novel.

What do you do to relax (and why)? I live quietly and do work I actually enjoy, so needing to relax is not an issue.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment? Getting my NALA certification and two specialties back in the day when it was still not common in North Carolina.

What has surprised you most about working in the legal field? How it totally and permanently affects my view of the world.

What do you find most challenging about the paralegal field? When I worked for law firms as an employee, the biggest frustration/challenge was having all of the responsibility and none of the authority.

What’s the best and worst thing to happen since you started working as a paralegal? The best thing is getting to do this all these years. The worst thing is that it has been all these years and that passage of time has taken its toll.

Share something about yourself that you’re working on improving, and how you think (XYZ) will be better/more productive/run more smoothly once you’ve accomplished your goal. I never have mastered the fine art of getting to the office early in the morning. I still keep trying, and failing, and trying again. However, I have been known to start working while I am eating breakfast.

What role model or influencer shaped who you are now, and what lessons have you learned from them? I have had the good fortune to be trained by and work for some excellent attorneys over the years. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to care about what you do, even when you don’t want to do so. You always have to care about the quality of your work product.

What might someone be surprised to know about you? I am not a person of mystery. What you see — and hear — is what you get, and it’s no secret that I have a big mouth. I have been active in Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue for many years.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming a paralegal? This is not just a job. It’s a commitment to a way of thinking and a way of life. If that doesn’t appeal, go do something else. Burn-out is real. I’ve worked through it a couple of times, and it was miserable. It was also worth it. Living in the legal business is like any other relationship and requires ongoing growth and adjustment.

What do you think will change in the paralegal field over the next five years? I think we’re going to become increasingly specialized in our areas of expertise, just as many attorneys have done.

If you weren’t a paralegal, what would you be doing instead? My first response was, “I think I would be dead, because I’m not starting over now.” My friend and colleague, Donna M. Ragan, ACP, NCCP, explained to me that the question was more likely intended to ask what I’d be doing on a different timeline if I were starting over way back then. The answer to that one is banking. That’s what I had decided I was going to do if the law firm thing didn’t work out.

What sort of trends do you see in the legal field that will bring change in the near future? I think we’re going to be seeing a continued increase in sole practitioners and small firms. I think there are going to be increased opportunities for contract paralegals to provide services to these attorneys.

How would your co-workers describe you? “She’s a might much sometimes, but mostly she knows what she’s doing.”

What do you do when you aren’t working? I hang out at home with the animals and my spouse. Recently, I’ve been churning through e-reader library books.

What is your favorite, perhaps little-known, technology tip? You will never regret investing in the best equipment you can afford and learning how to use it as well as you possibly can. If you don’t control your equipment, learn what you want and lobby to get it. The big thing to remember is that technology works for you; you don’t work for it.

What has been your biggest obstacle in life and how have you mastered it? I have ADD. I haven’t mastered all of its challenges yet.

Share a life changing epiphany: a moment of life-defining change that shaped you into the person you are today. I was stopped at a traffic light at a time when I had to make a decision to seek a more stable job at a bigger firm (go for the bucks and perks) or go all-in with the small firm I was with and do whatever I had to do to make it work. I had failed to downshift when I stopped, so when the light changed, it took me an extra few seconds to get going. It was those few seconds that kept me from being in the intersection when someone ran the red light at a high rate of speed, where I would have been broadsided. It made me realize that I had to choose the route which was most likely to be satisfying and fulfilling. I didn’t go the big firm route.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I have delusions of retirement in eight, when I’ve made my 50 years in this business, but if I’m able, I’ll still be sitting at a computer working for attorneys.

Is there anything else you want PD membership to know about you? My experience is probably not typical because I’ve always worked for small firms and had a great deal of latitude to do as I pleased as long as I got the job done. That has only increased in the fourteen years I’ve been working freelance. It’s not for everybody, but it has made me very happy.

The Division congratulates Wendy Kimbel for her accomplishments and appreciates her for participating in Paralegal Spotlight. If you are interested in networking with Ms. Kimbel, you can connect with her on Linkedin.

If you know an amazing paralegal with an interesting story to share, please nominate them for Paralegal Spotlight by emailing [email protected].

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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, Alicia Mitchell-Mercer, 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.