Donna Clanton

I attribute my success to having attorneys that were willing to show me the ropes. I had some really good, influential attorneys that helped me out when I was a paralegal, and by learning those things from them, I was able to pass those on when I trained new paralegals. I got to testify in trials, I got to testify at the grand jury, and it was because I had attorneys who believed what I did was important. That mentorship and belief in my work made all the difference.

The best advice I ever got was from a Secret Service agent when I had applied for jobs with both Secret Service and the Department of Justice. He told me, 'You don't want this job. It's just a clerk job, there's no upward mobility. Take the job with the Department of Justice.' And I did that, and I thought that was the best advice anybody ever gave me because I loved my job.

Don't be afraid of it. It's not going to say it's an easy field, but it's a good field to be in. Apply for those jobs and see what happens. You might find that you have a passion for the field. I think people out there, women in the world or even men, don't realize that it's easier to get into the field than they think. You don't necessarily need a BA degree - you can go get a paralegal certificate, which is usually about a year program.

I think the biggest challenge is that people don't understand the field. Lawyers will hire paralegals, but they use them as clerks instead of using them to do legal work, like writing briefs and doing investigative work. Of course, it depends on what type of attorney you're working for. Another challenge is that people don't realize you don't necessarily need to have a BA degree - you can go get a paralegal certificate, which is usually about a year program. I think people out there don't realize that it's easier to get into the field than they think. As for AI, I think it's hindering things. When I started, we were using paper documents, and now most documents are sent through the computer or on CDs. But I think AI could lead you down the wrong path - is it real, or is it AI?

My work ethic was probably my best value in my work life. This was the first job I had where you didn't finish everything by the end of the day, where some of your projects took months, so I had that perseverance. At the end of the day, I always thought I did the best I could and put in the effort that was deserved of the project I was working on. Organization is one of my strong points, and I use that in my work and in my home. I'm surrounded by friends that are strong women that have been in professional fields.