Michelle Lövblom

I attribute my success to maintaining integrity, intent and caring in all that I do and cultivating a strong spiritual practice that guides my decisions and actions.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to do work you love and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

1) Maintain dedication to a job where you are acknowledged and appreciated for your work and contribution to the firm's success. Leave those that foster attorneys who do not appreciate you, will abuse your time and attempt to diminish your talent and contributions to them or the firm.

2) Always stay confident and consistent. Let your skills and determination speak for themselves.

3) Stay current in your legal knowledge and technology advancements.

4) Do not give up your personal time when it is ignored or a request is unnecessary. It can become an expectation, not a valid need. That time is something you and your family can never get back.

One of the biggest challenges in the legal field now is the consolidation of smaller firms into larger corporations with vast numbers of offices throughout the country. This is especially so for insurance defense firms. Their main objective is not the law itself, but making massive amounts of money from those who do it. They have many attorneys but are severely understaffed with paralegals who are expected to handle extremely large caseloads yet do very little senior level work. Secretaries are overworked but do not have the billable time requirements that paralegals do. Paralegals often perform and bill for tasks that insurance companies refuse to pay as it legal assistant or secretarial in nature. They are expected to be creative in their billing language to avoid rejection.

Another issue being experienced by firms with offices in numerous or every state is the networks used to connect them. There are constant disconnections which interrupt workflow. The software programs used on these networks are often very slow to respond and constantly crash causing frustration, loss of work product and more valuable time. In my most recent position for a top 10 law firm, I lost anywhere from one to two billable hours every single day due to network and technology issues. This time had to be made up despite the almost impossible to meet demands.

For many the hardest challenges, especially to those of us who are used to and understand the importance of it, is the nearly complete lack of personal interaction. Up to ninety-nine percent of communication in large firms is via email. If you have questions about a case or a task, it must be emailed to the attorney. Then you wait for a response which can take hours or days to receive. The number of emails received can reach over 20 an hour and add up to hundreds a day. Many firms expect you to send an acknowledgement of receipt email for each one you receive, doubling the amount of time expended on them. The worst challenge is the difficulty in identifying emails with time sensitive tasks sent without a priority when they are lost in your inbox for hours.

This lack of personal interaction is not limited to staff but often extends to clients as well. It is especially difficult for those who are not having frequent conversations with their attorneys or their paralegals and remain unaware of their case progression. This can leave them feeling powerless and abandoned.

My deep commitment to supporting my legal teams is very important to me. The values that are most important in both my work and personal life are integrity and kindness. I strive to act with transparency, uphold ethical standards, and build trust through my interactions with others.

I have a very strong belief in helping and supporting those in need from a place of love and not obligation. My commitment to less advantaged women and children began as a nurse in upstate New York assisting low income mothers and their children in the mid 1980s. My commitment has continued in my role as a mentor to new and at risk mothers and their children. The tools I offer in a hands-on, supportive and teaching role assist them in better caring for themselves and their children. This often reduces the risk of women and child abuse. I am continually amazed at the resilience and capacity to love of these women!