Lifelong learning and giving back

As the functional director of membership and marketing for the Legal Sta Professionals of South Carolina, Mikki Hancock believes in lifelong learning and giving back to her profession.

e LSPSC is a chapter of NALS — the National Association for Legal Support Professionals, and Hancock views her leadership role as a path to education, professional growth and the ability to be the best asset to attorneys as possible.

“I believe that paralegals have a duty not only to their rm, but to themselves to continue learning,” she says. “I have attended many CLEs to broaden my knowledge about the paralegal profession.”

Hancock is a paralegal at the Dean Law Firm in Orangeburg. She says she experienced what she considered an unfair ruling in a court matter, and that inspired her to pursue her paralegal career with the goal of working in criminal law. But her career took a slight detour path away from criminal law, and today she focuses on workers compensation and personal injury.

In addition to her work at the law rm, Hancock owns a handmade cra business called Mikki’s Designs & Decals and she continues honing her expertise through continuing education.

Professional development is key to getting ahead in her career.

“If you can’t move forward, you will become stagnant,” she says.

Growing up:

I am originally from Williston, S.C., and for the past 30 years I have been in the Branchville/Smoaks area of South Carolina. When I say I live in the middle of nowhere, I mean it literally. It takes me at least 20 minutes to get to any kind of shopping. I went to school at Williston Elko High School where I graduated with honors in a class of 53 students. From there, I went to USC-Aiken and majored in accounting. A er some family issues, I was not able to return to school until I was 29. I received my associate degree in public service/ paralegal studies from Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College.

Career path:

While I was attending OC Tech, one of my classmates was working full time for a law ofce that needed a paralegal. She recommended me for the position, and I began my paralegal career while attending classes. I worked for Yarborough, Hutto & Jackson, speci cally for Attorney F. Hall Yarborough. He mainly handled probate work with a little real estate thrown in. Mr. Yarborough retired, and I was le without a job. Fast forward eight years, and I began working for Attorney Clyde C. Dean, Jr. at Dean Law Firm

I love my job because:

Every day is di erent. I work with a great sta and an awesome attorney. No two days are alike because of the diversity of clients we deal with.

My passion outside the law:

I have a handmade crafting business called Mikki’s Designs & Decals. I do everything at home. My favorite saying is, “I have never met a craft I didn’t love.” YouTube gets me into a lot of trouble because I watch a lot of videos about how to do different crafts. Working on tumblers, t-shirts, laser engraving, wreaths, and other products is my stress therapy. While I am working on any craft, my focus is on that craft alone. It gives my brain a chance to recharge before going back to work at the law firm.

Top career success:

I think my main career success is passing the professional paralegal certi cation exam the rst time taking it. I rmly believe it has made me a more valuable paralegal, but at the same time, it taught me so much about di erent aspects of the multitude of elds in the legal profession.

I have learned:

I didn’t have as much patience as I needed for this career. Over the last 10 years, I have gained an in nite amount of patience while dealing with so many di erent types of clients.

Work/life balance:

I married a great man who stands behind all my decisions. He encourages me at every step whether it was studying for the paralegal certi cation exam, bringing work home to do, or going to legal conferences to further my education. Having that encouragement allows me to move forward with my career. Of course, it helps that my children are grown.

Q&A: CHERYL LEGRAND