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Tita A. Brewster: 2006 President Elect, National Association of Legal Assistants

published July 03, 2006

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( 15 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)
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<<"I must say that being installed as the President of the National Association of Legal Assistants will be the penultimate emotional highlight," she said.

As a freelance senior litigation paralegal, Tita A. Brewster travels around the country assisting firms with intellectual property litigation. Specializing in misappropriation of trade secrets and patent infringement, she works directly with the case's senior trial partner to ensure he or she is getting the optimum level of paralegal support.


"I have over 5,000 actual trial hours and have made somewhat of a niche for myself in that my trial experience is unusual," Brewster said. "In that most of the cases I assist with are venued in different parts of the United States and some require document collection throughout the world, I have the flexibility of traveling anywhere, anytime with 24-hour notice and am prepared to spend the necessary amount of time to complete the assignment wherever it may be."

Brewster—who lives in Las Cruces, NM, and works for various firms located in Palo Alto, CA—splits her time between the two areas. She also travels to the different states where trials are being held and telecommutes, as well. She said the traveling is one of her favorite perks of the job.

"I most enjoy the flexibility and the travel opportunities," she said. "I can work for several months non-stop and then be able to spend time at home in New Mexico. In my other life (in New Mexico), my husband and I own and run a toy store. I also have the opportunity to do work for charitable organizations in my community when I am home."

When Brewster is hired by a firm, it is her responsibility to organize and lead a team of paralegals as they prepare large document-intensive cases for trial. She said sometimes this can be difficult; nevertheless, she enjoys her job very much.

"Having to put together trial teams and set up war rooms out of hotels can be a challenge but one I also enjoy," she said. "Working with different people under stressful circumstances can be difficult, but I wouldn't be doing this type of work if I didn't like or weren't drawn to the challenges presented."

"The firms I work for have a great respect for their paralegal support and run their cases on the 'team concept,' where the 'organizational chart' is lateral as opposed to hierarchical," she said.

Brewster has been a paralegal for more than 28 years and has spent most of her career in litigation. However, she has also had experience in insurance defense and bad faith, construction defect, medical and legal malpractice defense, antitrust, family law, contract litigation, workers' compensation, and product liability.

"When I first started my career in the legal profession, there was no clear-cut title 'paralegal,'" she said. "I began as a legal secretary, and my job evolved into what it is now. It became clear to the attorneys that I could assist in additional work that could be charged to the client at a lower rate. This concept became quite popular; and with the experience of clients in this day and age, paralegal support is oftentimes a prerequisite of hiring an attorney or law firm."

Over the years, Brewster has seen major changes in the paralegal profession, with paralegals being given more and more responsibility and becoming an integral part of the legal field.

"We now do many of the tasks only attorneys were doing in the past," she said. "We are often asked to help with the training of young attorneys and passing down our experiences to help them become more proficient at their jobs. Specialization has also become an integral part of the legal industry, much as it has become in the medical field. More available continuing education—especially for paralegals through NALA—enables us to continually sharpen our skills and become a more valuable part of the legal team."

In addition to her daily work as a paralegal, Brewster is also a trained Court Appointed Child Advocate (CASA); a member of both the El Paso, TX, and San Jose, CA, paralegal associations; and an associate member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the American Bar Association, among other things.

"My involvement with my local and state paralegal associations have brought me much pride," she said. "I must say that being installed as the President of the National Association of Legal Assistants will be the penultimate emotional highlight."

In the past, Brewster spent two terms as National Ethics Chair for the organization, served as Chair of its Professional Development Committee, and co-authored several chapters of the NALA Manual for Legal Assistants. Her advice to paralegal students is to take the NALA CLA exam upon graduation.

"This credential will be a valuable tool for you in your job search and your professional standing," she said.

published July 03, 2006

( 15 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.