“It has been really rewarding to feel like I am prepared for this next step.”
Mitchell Hamline student Taylor Wall
Taylor Wall had long been interested in law school but wanted to get other legal experience first.
After receiving her undergraduate degree in political science, Wall started a job at Messerli and Kramer as a file clerk and document processor. She later moved into tax law work and, as an administrative assistant at Wagner Tax Law, her supervisor encouraged her to get a paralegal certificate. Wall completed the work in a year.
As a paralegal, Wall’s duties included collecting financial documentation; evaluating client ability to pay outstanding tax obligations; and helping to ensure accuracy in client tax assessments. That work, she said, rekindled her interest in law school and inspired her to apply.
Now in her final year at Mitchell Hamline, Wall says she chose the school because of its flexible blended-learning enrollment option and organizational support.
“There is a lot of communication from all levels of the administration to make sure we have what we need and quickly address issues,” she said, noting the flexibility allows students who work or raise families to have education access. “It really opens things up for a more diverse student population.”
Law school is a big decision, but Wall encourages paralegals who are interested to “to stick their toe in the water and take that little step, because the rest comes really naturally.” She says her paralegal work–writing and preparing legal documents, drafting appeals and compromise offers–”made it easier to adjust to law school” and reaffirmed her decision to attend.
“It has been really rewarding to feel like I am prepared for this next step and also to know that it is confirming what I was looking for,” said Wall.
In addition to attending Mitchell Hamline, Wall is a board member at U Partner Dance, a non-profit that supports and promotes collegiate ballroom dancing. She competes at various dance competitions and is head coach of the competition team for the University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance Club.
Wall has accepted an offer to join Cozen O’Connor as an entry-level associate after she graduates next spring. The opportunity, she noted, “seems like a nice fit to incorporate the experiences I’ve had as a paralegal with the knowledge I gained as a law student.”
This article was written by Marla Khan-Schwartz, a freelance writer in the Twin Cities, and first appeared in Citations, a publication of the Minnesota Paralegal Association.
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