Paralegal Peter Nater Celebrates Grammy Award Win - An Inspirational Profile

Summary

Peter Nater, a paralegal from Culver City, California, recently won a Grammy award for his work in the music industry. Nater has been involved in the music business for 30 years and has been a paralegal for 15 of those years.


Nater first became interested in the music industry when he was a student at UCLA. He was fascinated by the way the music industry works and wanted to be a part of it. After graduating from UCLA, he was offered a job in the legal department of a major music label.

Nater's job as a paralegal involved researching music copyright laws, contracts, and other legal documents that are important for the music industry. He also drafted music contracts, handled copyright disputes, and consulted with artists and labels on legal matters.

His success in the music industry was eventually recognized and he was able to secure a prestigious Grammy for his work. Nater plans to continue working in the music industry and hopes to inspire others to pursue their dreams.

Peter Nater is a paralegal from Culver City, California, who recently won a Grammy award for his work in the music industry. Nater has over 30 years of experience in the music business and has spent the last 15 years as a paralegal. During his time as a paralegal, Nater researched music copyright laws and drafted contracts, handled copyright disputes, and advised artists and labels on legal matters. This dedication and hard work paid off when he was awarded the prestigious Grammy award. As Nater moves forward, he seeks to inspire others to pursue their dreams in the music industry.
 

The Career of Peter Nater

Peter Nater is an experienced paralegal with more than thirty years of experience in the legal field. He is a graduate of the Northeastern University Paralegal Program, and has worked in a variety of legal settings, including private law firms, corporate legal departments and government agencies. In 2009, Nater was an instrumental part of a team of lawyers, paralegals and investigators that led the successful conviction of a major financial criminal in a high profile case.
 

Grammy Winning Client

One of Peter Nater's most memorable cases involved a Grammy-winning artist whose instruments and recordings were stolen. Peter Nater was responsible for providing legal support and conducting investigations to help locate and recover the artist's instruments and recordings. In the end, the client was able to recover the items and was pleased with the successful outcome.
 

Paralegal with a Passport

Peter Nater's legal career has also taken him around the world. In 2012, he accompanied a corporate legal team to Costa Rica where he conducted research, assisted in negotiations and handled translation services as part of a large international transaction. Two years later, Nater was again on the road, assisting a legal team in a merger and acquisition in Panama.
 

Peter Nater's Contributions to the Legal Community

In addition to his work as a paralegal, Peter Nater is a generous contributor to the legal community. Since 2010, he has served as an Advisory Board Member of the Northeastern University Paralegal Program, and has often recruitment prospective students and provided career mentoring and guidance. In addition, he contributes to legal periodicals, and is a frequent speaker at legal conferences and seminars.
 

Securing Pro Bono Cases

The work of Peter Nater extends beyond the corporate and government settings in which he works. On a frequent basis, Peter Nater volunteers his time and services to secure pro bono cases for individuals in need of assistance. He has successfully obtained a variety of favorable outcomes for his clients and is proud of the fact that he has made a difference in the lives of those he helps.

<<But Nater, 46, a paralegal in the department for 15 years was dead serious. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra won a Grammy for Best Salsa Album for "Across 110th Street." Nater, the band's trumpeter, was in Puerto Rico visiting family after a gig when he heard the good news. As planned, he then boarded a red-eye flight back to New York and was back at his desk in the Law Department Monday morning.

The band's leader, Oscar Hernandez, was in Los Angeles to accept the award on February 13.

"As a matter of fact, the day we won the Grammy was my 15-year anniversary at the job," he said.

Music has always been Nater's first love, but he said he was concerned about the financial instability of a musician's life. About 18 years ago, a friend told him the paralegal profession was growing. He decided to study at the Paralegal Institute in New York.

He now works in the Special Litigation Unit on cases involving the New York Police Department.

"For the moment, we handle high-profile civil suits against the city, and I work with the attorneys, helping them gather records, evidence, and witnesses to help defend the city in these city suits," Nater said.

And while a Grammy is one of the highest honors a musician can receive, it does not assure riches, especially when you consider the band has 13 members. When asked if he planned to quit his day job, Nater said no, "but if I hit the Lotto…"

"I like my job. But if I ran into a good amount of money, I would just do the music," he said. "That I love."

Nater, who started playing the trumpet at age 12, has performed around the world with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and he also plays with the Giants of Latin Jazz, a mambo group in New York. The bands have performed at celebrity parties, including Marc Anthony's surprise birthday party hosted by his wife, Jennifer Lopez. He has also played for Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and he appears on Cyndi Lauper's new DVD, "Live At Last."

How does he find the time? Well, for one, Nater doesn't go on every out-of-town gig. Sometimes the bands bring in substitutes. And many gigs are on weekends and holidays.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, which was created in 2002, blends New York, Puerto Rican, and Cuban styles. Only one other member of the band has a day job.

"At this point, I can pick and choose the gigs I want to do," he said. "So it's not like I have to take every gig that's offered to me; it's not like my source of income. So it's more relaxed as far as when I want to play."

Nater said the Law Department is supportive of his music because "I get the job done and I don't usually take days" off work. He uses his vacation days for musical tours. He has lots of advice for paralegals with creative interests outside of work, but his main pearl of wisdom is get a government job.

"If they can, get a job with the government, which usually doesn't ask you to work overtime," he said. "Because it's hard to take a gig if you don't know if you're going to have to work overtime. Whereas a lot of private firms at any time—they can ask you to stay overtime. So that's one convenient thing about working for the city—is for the most part, I'm not required to work overtime."

He said he is very rarely asked to work overtime in the Law Department, mainly, he thinks, because of budget constraints.

"I think you generally get more vacation time too with a government job," he said. "And that works for me too because when I need to travel, I use my vacation time."

Also, if you have to travel for a weekend gig, for example, always take the red-eye flight.

"I usually try to stay awake as much as possible when I get to wherever I am because if I'm only there a day or two, I want to see as much as possible," he said. "So when I travel—and you're limited on time—sleep on the plane."

Nater said he's happy with his paralegal career now because he gets to work on interesting cases. Earlier in his career, he was assigned to "slip and fall" lawsuits, which he did not enjoy as much. He now investigates police shootings, police chases, and other cases involving the NYPD.

The New York City Law Department is one of the largest public law offices in the country, handling more than 90,000 cases and transactions each year. The Corporation Counsel heads the Law Department and acts as legal counsel for the mayor, elected officials, the City, and all its agencies.

Nater, who grew up in New York, advised paralegals to explore different areas of law and focus on the areas that interest them the most. And he says he would also recommend the profession to starving artists looking for job security.

"I thought it would be a good idea to have a pension when I get older and Social Security because at the time, a lot of the gigs were off the books, so there wasn't money going to Social Security," he said. "I haven't become rich from playing, but I live comfortably because I have a secure day job and I get to do what I love, to play. And the job is interesting."

For Nater, police cases are the most interesting.

"I have a little seniority, and I get to do the interesting cases," he said. "Try to pick an aspect of law that you find interesting; otherwise, it can be rough to be doing something that you're not going to enjoy. There are so many different fields of law that just about anybody can pick one that they'll find interesting."