Cheryl LeGrand finds joy in helping others succeed

Charleston native Cheryl LeGrand is so passionate about her local Guardian ad Litem program that she even has a longterm goal to volunteer fulltime in that field after she retires.

LeGrand is a litigation paralegal at Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms of Charleston, where she works with civil and defense litigation cases, including personal injury, dram shop litigation, employment and defamation.

“I have also worked in other legal areas in the past, including workers’ compensation, construction defects, residential real estate, trucking and even a little probate and estate law,” she says.

She studied business at Mansfield Business College and in 2020, she completed a paralegal certificate course at the University of South Carolina.

Career path.

I chose the paralegal career path because I find this type of work so interesting and rewarding. I am intrigued by the details and preparation involved in investigating the facts of a case and determining the best possible outcome for all parties. I have been watching online trials in recent years and find them interesting and exciting. I also love taking continuing legal education courses not only in this field, but just about any area.

What motivates me:

I feel blessed to work with the best attorneys in the Charleston area and in such an interesting field. I enjoy being part of a team and helping attorneys succeed in obtaining the best results and outcomes for their clients. I also love to learn, and there is no lack of educational opportunities in this line of work. I am the person that gets excited about the successes of others, and you can often hear me “woo-hooing” upon receipt of good news. It is a satisfactory feeling to know I play a role in working for the common good.

My job:

The question “if there is a such thing as a typical day” pretty much says it all. The work and technology are constantly changing. I focus on helping our litigation team make sure all we meet all deadlines, and I concentrate on pristine case management and organization.

Time management tips:

Reviewing all correspondence in detail and making notes of what needs to be done. I create and use a lot of indexes and charts. I use technology to track tasks and create follow-up reminders. I also try to be flexible to best serve our attorneys and clients because on some days priorities can change quickly. The keys are focus, at-

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tention to detail, and willingness to serve.

Advice to teenaged self:

Keep grounded in the goal to be the best you can be. Stay focused, be yourself, stay on the narrow path, and practice positive thinking.

When I’m not at work:

I enjoy spending time with my miniature dachshunds. I love working decorating my home, doing yardwork, gardening, spinning, reading, volunteering in community and church, walking in scenic areas, and trying different recipes for church and other special events.

Legal sta professionals announce 2023 o cers

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At the January meeting of the Legal Sta Professionals of South Carolina, president Katherine Helms recognized the 2022-2023 o cers. ey are Traci B. Wolfe, president-elect; Jamie I. Early, secretary; Sonia L.

Hunt, treasurer, Cheryl LeGrand, functional director of membership and marketing; Susan L. Olmstead, functional director of education and certi cation, and Stacy Russo-Strobel, immediate past president and parliamentarian.

LSPSC’s 58th Annual Meeting and

Educational Conference will take place at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Highway 21 in Beaufort, S.C. Paralegals are invited to attend for continuing education, networking, and the association’s annual meeting. LSPSC is a among court o cials, lawyers, law enforcement o cers and the public. e North Carolina Administrative O ce of the courts has joined 38 other states to use Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey suite. e NCAOC started its pilot program in four counties in central North Carolina — Harnett, Johnston, Lee, and Wake. e go live date was February 13 in those counties, where e- ling is now mandatory. Further, attorneys in other counties who wish to le cases in the four pilot counties will also be required to use the e- ling program.

With plan to launch the system in Mecklenburg County this summer, the NCAOC will continue a slow roll-out with all 100 counties expected to be online by 2025, Wilson said.

Meredith Kohari, a real estate paralegal at Manning Fulton in Raleigh is struggling with the new system. She uses it to do title searches and le documents with the court.

“I have tried ling, but the system is not accepting my documents,” she said in a recent phone interview. “ ere was a lag time, and when I tried to track them down in the system, I had trouble nding them by name, and had to use the attorney number and the le number.”

Porter worries about the mandatory nature of the eFiling system and especially about pro se litigants who may not have a computer or an internet connection.

“I can't imagine trying to le a document using le and serve on my phone,” she said. “And for pro se litigants who have to use their phone to le an answer or initiate an action, I think the requirement to use this program creates an unnecessary barrier to accessing the court system.”

Wilson says the system is optional for self-representing litigants, and for those who do wish to e- le, public Wi-Fi is available in all courtrooms statewide.

“Every courthouse in the state is equipped