LEGAL STAFF PROFILE
www.lawcrossing.com
1. 800.973.1177
Peggy Nickerson: Paralegal and Professor, Fulton, MO [By Judith Earley] Former public school teacher Peggy Nickerson was ready for a career change after staying home with her children. After reading about a legal assistant program at William Woods University in Fulton, MO-located about 30 miles from her home-she became the first “nontraditional” student in the program, which was a daytime program held on campus. “From the first course, I was in love,” said Nickerson.
Now she is an assistant professor in the
“I receive gratification when my students find
I made sure there was a law office procedures
legal studies department at William Woods
jobs they love and the attorneys who hire them
course implemented,” she said.
University and also serves as the coordinator
rave about what assets they are to the practice.
for both the paralegal studies program and
Many of my students have gone on to be
“My life/work experience as being a basically
the juvenile justice program. “I teach a
crackerjack paralegals and, yes, lawyers.”
‘nosey’ person and a teacher gave me the characteristics that a paralegal needs,”
minimum of four courses per semester in both programs. I am also a freelance litigation and
How did Nickerson prepare for her current
Nickerson continued. “I can work with all
domestic relations paralegal in my spare time
career? “My paralegal courses were helpful,
kinds of people, and being nosey allows me
through my business, Nickerson Paralegal
although at the time I took them there was a
to be a persistent fact-gatherer, researcher,
Services, LLC,” she said.
lot of ‘theory’ and not much ‘practice.’ Since
and client ‘hand-holder’ in addition to being
I have become Coordinator of the Paralegal
cognizant of confidentiality issues.”
Nickerson began teaching paralegal courses in
Program, I have made sure that almost
the evenings at a community college while she
all courses contain a practical-application
According to Nickerson, one of the most
worked in a personal-injury litigation law firm.
component so that students will get training
important issues facing the law community
“I then was asked to teach a class at William
in drafting, etc. I didn’t know anything about
today is access to legal representation.
Woods University. A year or so later, I was
timekeeping or what a law office was all about
“Paralegals provide the means for some
asked to teach half-time in the WWU program
when I started work at a law office. Therefore,
clients to access legal services by assisting the attorney in representing clients at lower
and then became a full-time faculty member about 13 years ago,” said Nickerson. “When I began teaching half-time, I resigned from the law firm and began doing some freelance work setting up mock juries/focus groups for personal-injury litigation attorneys and doing some freelance domestic work for family law attorneys.” Nickerson said that she absolutely loves to teach and that she loves the law. “I have the best of both worlds...teaching law to both traditionally aged students and adult nontraditional students. Since I earned a graduate degree in library science with an emphasis in legal bibliography, I am the legal
Q. What do you do for fun? A. I am a beach person. Anything or any place with salt water and sand! Give me a beach chair and a good book, and I’m happy.
finally begin to think like legal researchers and find relevant statutes and cases to support their position.”
PAGE
practice in leveraging profits,” said Nickerson.
Q. What CD was most recently in your CD player? A. Jazz! Old jazz, new jazz, classic jazz, smooth jazz! Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Newsweek and Coastal Living. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. Antiques Roadshow and Ugly Betty.
research instructor, and I really enjoy seeing the students’ ‘light bulbs’ light up when they
billable hours while also assisting the law
Q. Who is your role model? A. My father, a retired surgeon, who is the most positive-thinking person I know. Never gets upset about anything. Maybe that’s why he’s still going at age 91.
Nickerson said that over the last 20-plus years, she has seen the paralegal profession grow in recognition. “When I used to have my students ask random people what a paralegal is, they would get responses that ranged from ‘a handicapped person’ (paraplegic) to a ‘pretend lawyer.’ Today, paralegals are recognized by the public as professionals who assist lawyers in providing services to clients.”
continued on back