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New Paralegal Service Geared for Attorneys
By Mike Sharkey Florida - For most of Lisa Montgomery’s professional career, she has worked for someone else. Today, she only sees the boss when she looks in the mirror. Montgomery is the “everything” of Legal Terms LLC, a one-woman paralegal services company that specializes in time-based specific needs for attorneys. As a paralegal for various firms all over town for the past 13 years, Montgomery realized that quite often her services weren’t needed on a full-time basis. “I am trying to get attorneys in Jacksonville to know that I am available and that they do not have to hire a full-time paralegal if there’s just a temporary need,” said Montgomery, who moved to Jacksonville in 1984 and spent eight years as a dental assistant. Montgomery got started in the legal world by answering an ad for a receptionist. Over the years, she began to learn more and more about the profession. “I really took to it,” she said. “I ask a lot of questions. I am very ambitious and have been told I am probably overly earnest. One of the reasons I have gone out on my own is that I am a hard worker, conscientious and I do a good job. But, I have been told that I tend to get taken advantage of. Finally, I got to the point where I wanted to work for myself.” Montgomery believes her business will be successful thanks to two things: filling the needs of attorneys who need paralegal help on a purely part-time basis and the knowledge and experience she has gained over the years working for a variety of attorneys and firms. Her resume includes Holland & Knight, Akerman Senterfitt and six years of Ch. 7 bankruptcy law. “I feel I’m better off because the different firms all have different styles,” said Montgomery. “I have also been in one-attorney offices with me wearing all the hats. I have been in an office where you had to fill out a form just to get a stamp.” Montgomery said she got the idea to become a freelance paralegal after looking at the Jacksonville market and realizing the need existed. She said the practice is common in South Florida, but not in Jacksonville. She’s also very cognizant of her limitations as a paralegal. “I do not practice law, but rather I fill a gap,” she said. “I am very conscious of the ethics and canons of law.” Montgomery opened her office in August and will take the test to become a certified paralegal in December. While she very much intends to remain a freelance paralegal and her own boss, it’s almost ironic that one of her first clients is her last employer — Akerman Senterfitt. “When I left, they were working on a big case,” she said. “Another attorney wants me to come to work for him full-time, but that’s not what I want to do.”
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A Feast
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