be treated professionally, and what they can do to change that; and
2) whether the other legal professionals who are not treating them
with the desired professional respect can be influenced to do so –
and if not, whether it’s time to move on to other opportunities where
they will be treated with professional respect.
In-house paralegals are not automatically classified as exempt
employees. The Department of Labor has very narrow exceptions
by which any paralegal may be considered exempt from FLSA
over-time regulations; it’s a multi-factor analysis, based on what the
individual paralegal actually does and their specific qualifications.
Paralegals are already regulated by each state’s own bar/ethics/
UPL laws and regulations. There seems to be much conflating of
“regulation” with “licensure,” thereby causing a lot of confusion
about these issues.
I’m not sure that mandatory licensure of paralegals will do
much to move the needle on the exempt/non-exempt issue. For
so long as state bar UPL laws/rules do not permit non-lawyers
to work without the supervision of lawyers, nor allow them to
“exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to
matters of significance,” the DOL will likely not find licensed
paralegals to automatically be exempt.
How was 2017 for you, professionally?
I’ve been reflecting on my professional goals, accomplishments, and
challenges encountered this year. I had some specific professional
goals I’d hoped to achieve this year – both specific to my job, as
well as extra-professional. 2017 presented some unanticipated
challenges, and some of my job-specific goals for this year had to be
tabled. However, those challenges presented other opportunities
for professional growth at work. Additionally, on the extraprofessional
front, I’ve also encountered some interesting challenges,
opportunities, and unexpected accomplishments.
What professional goals did you have for this year and were you
able to achieve them? Did you encounter unanticipated challenges
or opportunities that impacted pursuit of those goals or led to other
achievements?
Answer 1: The week is a success if I can just keep my head above
water! The papers on my desk create a wind block, the emails are
non-stop, and the attorneys are grumpy. Goals – what goals? I
survived. I achieved that goal. Does that count?
Answer 2: One of my professional goals for this year was to get my
paralegal certification through the Ohio State Bar Association. The
test is given only once a year, and I missed the deadline to submit
my application due to unforeseen surgery. I was disappointed that
I had to wait another entire year to take the test. But I now have a
professional goal for 2018!
Answer 3: My professional goals included pursuing administrator
credentialing for a software solution and working on deploying it
company-wide to facilitate contract administration. Those goals
were delayed due to unforeseen circumstances that impacted our
small legal department early in the year.
On the other hand, those unforeseen circumstances presented
challenges when I was the sole person staffing our legal
department for a little over three months. This put me in the
position of triaging and responding to various legal issues for
a portfolio of over a half dozen companies, including liaising
with appropriate outside counsel. This also raised my profile by
interfacing directly with company executives on a number of
high-level projects with significant financial implications. It was a
quite stressful three months, but I managed to navigate the daily
challenges during a time of rapid growth and expansion across
the numerous companies. This challenge ultimately resulted in
a greater rapport between myself and key executives, as well as
between myself and my boss, who has an even greater appreciation
for my professional judgment.
8 Q4 - 2017 www.ParalegalToday.com
MY SPECIALTY
DONNA MEISELWITZ
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS ADVOCATE
Paralegals who work at nonprofit organizations
are often quite passionate about the cause advocated
by the organization for which they work, and many
of them specifically choose to work in the nonprofit
sector out of an emphatic desire to serve others,
especially the most vulnerable in society. Donna
Meiselwitz, legal advocate at Harbor House in
Appleton, Wisconsin, is no exception. Harbor House’s
mission is “to lead a community-wide partnership in
the awareness and prevention of domestic violence
and abuse and to offer safety and support to diverse
families in crisis.” Meiselwitz works tirelessly in
Harbor House’s Domestic Abuse Programs to support
that mission and the clients they serve.
Meiselwitz’s academic credentials also reflect her
passion for her chosen career path as a paralegal
specializing in domestic violence advocacy. She
earned her associate’s degree in paralegal studies
from Lakeshore Technical College, a bachelor’s degree
in interdisciplinary studies, women and gender
studies with a minor in pre-law from University of
Wisconsin-Green Bay, and is currently pursuing
her master’s degree in professional counseling
at Lakeland University. It’s probably no surprise
to Meiselwitz’s professors that her career would
unfold as it has, considering the leadership roles she
undertook and accolades she received while pursuing
her paralegal degree — elected president of the
Lakeshore Technical College Paralegal Association
(2008-2009); inducted into Lambda Epislon Chi
(LEX), the national honor society for paralegal/
legal assistant studies, in 2008; and chosen as the
Lakeshore Technical College paralegal student of
the year in 2009. She currently serves on Lakeshore
Technical College’s Paralegal Advisory Board and is a
member of the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin.
We interviewed Meiselwitz to learn more about her
work and what fueled her decision to pursue a career
as a nonprofit paralegal.
Your job title is “legal advocate.” What exactly
does the specialty of domestic violence advocacy
entail?
Domestic violence advocacy encompasses a variety
of disciplines – namely civil law (restraining orders),
criminal, family, and landlord-tenant law.
How many attorneys and paralegals work at
Harbor House?
I am the only paralegal — and legal professional
for that matter — employed at our nonprofit.
However, we have attorneys from Legal Action of
Wisconsin who come in one day a week, and local
attorneys volunteer their time as well, so my work
is performed under the direction and supervision of
licensed attorneys.
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