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PROFILE
Profile: Tita Brewster, freelance paralegal Road warrior with more than 5,000 trial hours [by Regan Morris] Tita Brewster has more trial hours than most attorneys. LawCrossing speaks with the freelance paralegal about her career as a road warrior.
Brewster calls herself a road warrior parale-
they can be in San Francisco in any one of the
our needs and that security was going to be
gal. A specialist in complex, large, docu-
federal courts.”
sufficient to where we wouldn’t have to worry, and all of that was true,” she said. “It was a
ment-intensive litigation, Brewster travels
wonderful experience. The people were won-
the United States and the world—wherever
Trials are in Delaware, she said, because
the trials are. And she’s involved in seemingly
many of the companies are incorporated
derful. They’re all extremely well educated
every paralegal association in existence. It’s
there.
and have an incredible work ethic in the Phil-
Brewster recently took on a job with Redwood
them the project. That was quite lucrative for
Based in Las Cruces, NM, Brewster is an
City, CA-based firm Ropers, Majeski, Kohn
the company.”
expert in trademark and intellectual property
& Bentley to shut down a repository of docu-
hard to imagine when the woman sleeps.
ippines, so it worked out beautifully. We gave
litigation, and as a result, she often works for
ments from a case she originally started
Brewster was president of the Paralegal
law firms in Silicon Valley. She’s willing to go
working on in 1994. The case had a repository
Association of Santa Clara County in 1993
anywhere, and she’s been many places.
of several-million documents, and Brewster’s
and 1994. Then she became president of the
job is to conduct inventory on the docu-
California Alliance of Paralegal Associations
“There are very few people in my position who
ments, notify the numerous parties who have
(CAPA). Then she got involved with the Na-
have over 5,000 actual trial hours,” she said.
documents there, and then hire an imaging
tional Association of Legal Assistants (NALA)
“So when people are in a bind and they don’t
company to scan and store the documents.
as its ethics chair and then professional
have people to support a trial, they call me.”
She can do some of the work at home.
development chair. She has also served as
A paralegal for 27 years, Brewster spent most
Brewster said she did not intend to hit the
of her career in Santa Clara (CA) County. She
road as a career choice, but cases started
has freelanced several times over her career,
demanding the travel, and she didn’t mind.
NALA’s treasurer, secretary, and second vice
often joining a law firm for the duration of a
president. “And I’m about to try to get reelected to first vice president at our conference in July in
big case and then picking up a new case as
“It wasn’t intentional to begin with, but the
Kansas City,” she said of NALA’s conference
soon as the trial’s over. Freelancing allows
cases started requiring that; and since I have
celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer.
her to work on big cases, then spend time at
a real independent husband and my son was
home.
raised, it just seemed to evolve,” she said.
“In my other life, which is where I am now,
When she moved to New Mexico from Cali-
started working for a judge in El Paso, TX,
we have a toy store. My husband runs the toy
fornia, she planned to work for firms in New
doing some real estate work. Then she joined
store when I’m running around doing what
Mexico and across the border in Texas. But
a law firm as a secretary, working her way
I’m doing,” she said. “I go where the trials
the California firms kept calling “with offers
up to paralegal (although they didn’t use the
are. So in particular, trademark and intel-
that I couldn’t refuse.”
title). When she moved to California in 1980,
When Brewster started doing paralegal work, there were no paralegal schools. She
lectual property litigation, that can take you
she joined a law firm as a secretary and was
anywhere in the United States, although the
She was once sent to the Philippines by a law
lawsuits for patent infringement are usually
firm to look at a facility for offshore coding.
quickly promoted to paralegal. “I think the attorneys realized that the work
filed perhaps with companies in Silicon Valley, which is where I do most of my work…
“The defense steering committee just wanted
that some of their secretaries were doing
The trials are generally in Delaware, although
to know that it was going to be able to handle
was billable, and that was how the paralegal
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PROFILE
profession kind of evolved,” she said. “I loved it. I worked for a law firm at one time who wanted to put me through law school, and I didn’t want to go to law school. The paralegal profession is different from being a lawyer, and I really, really like the difference.” Brewster has advised several paralegal schools on curriculum. Despite years of solid work experience, Brewster decided to get her paralegal certificate in 1983 from West Valley College in Saratoga, CA. Education is key to success as a paralegal, she said. “I would contact a national association and get a mentor if you can,” she said when asked what advice she would give new paralegals. “Join your local paralegal association; get a mentor; and if there aren’t any formal education programs near you, contact NALA. They have some wonderful programs online. Keep your educational requirements up with your state requirements. California is very stringent. So are Texas and Florida, but for the states that aren’t, don’t let that stop you from keeping on top of your game.” Freelancing is only for the experienced. If you do intend to freelance one day as a road warrior, Brewster said don’t work for too many law firms because you run the future risk of losing work because of conflicts of interest in a trial. “If you get out of paralegal school and you qualify to take the national exam to be a Certified Legal Assistant, that is the first step down the road of professionalism and prosperity in this profession,” she said. “I’m telling you, you can make a lot of money and you can be very, very happy. There’s not a day that I don’t wake up thanking God that I have this job. I love my job.”
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