LEADERSHIP IN LAW 2023: Lottie Wathen

Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Southeastern Paralegal Institute, 1996

Why did you decide to become a paralegal/legal support staffer?

It was not a deliberate decision. My former spouse accepted a position in Louisville, Kentucky, and I was looking for a job. I had spent five years working in banking as a teller supervisor and knew I wanted to do something different. I answered a blind ad for an administrative assistant position, which ended up being for a small general practice law firm. I had never even considered working in the legal field, as my limited experience with attorneys was the attorney for the bank where I had worked, and he did not leave me with a good impression of attorneys, generally speaking. Had I known it was for a law firm, chances are that I would not have applied for the position. I did apply, was hired and have now been working in the legal field for nearly 32 years. I guess you could say that I did not pick the paralegal life — the paralegal life picked me!

What makes a good paralegal/legal support staffer?

There are so many facets to being a good paralegal. Having worked in some sort of litigation for the bulk of my career, I would say that my perspective on this might be different than what you would get if you asked someone in another, less adversarial area of law. In litigation, one of the most important things is being able to pivot quickly. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone in to the office with a clear vision of the 10 things I intended to get done that day and have gone home later with not one of those items checked off as complete because something urgent came up in another matter. Being flexible enough to drop one task, pick up another and see it through to completion is very important. Other equally important aspects of being a good litigation paralegal are being organized, consistent and a team player. 

How do you spend your free time?

I love spending time with my grandchildren! Life is busy for everyone, so sometimes my free time does not match up with their free time. If there is not a grandchild around to spoil, you will either find me in the kitchen (I love to cook/bake), somewhere with a book in my hand or planning the next vacation/weekend getaway/camping trip with my husband. We love to travel and tend to do several short trips each year (this time of year that includes weekends in Cincinnati to cheer on the Reds), with a longer trip at least once a year. 

Do you have a secret talent?

That is a tough one. I really cannot think of anything I would call a secret talent. I am pretty open, so any talents I may have are typically readily on display.

Your nominator described you as a mentor to many paralegals. Why is investing in younger paralegals important to you?

I have seen a lot of changes in the paralegal profession over the past 30-plus years — from having to “teach” attorneys how to use a paralegal to being seen as an integral part of the legal team at firms where I have worked. While I have learned something from every single attorney with whom I have worked, there is no doubt in my mind that the paralegal I am today is a direct correlation to the amazing paralegals who have mentored me along the way. Some of those mentors likely did not even know they were acting in that role, as they were simply being the rockstar paralegals that they are. Often people forget what it was like just starting out in this profession — I never want to do that. A lot of really amazing paralegals worked very hard to earn respect for this profession, and as the profession continues to change and grow, it is important that we help the newer paralegals continue along that path. I don’t know that I actually see myself as a mentor (although I truly appreciate those who think that I am). I see it as being someone a new paralegal can turn to when he/she has a question about a trial rule or a procedure, needs an example of a pleading, is not sure how to find an expert or simply needs someone to lend an ear when venting is necessary. 

We hear you like to read — tell us about your monthly book club.

I absolutely love to read. I was painfully shy growing up and still consider myself a bit of an introvert until I get to know people (I am aware that many people will find that hard to believe). Reading was my way of exploring the world in the comfort of my own room.

I wish I could take all the credit for the Indiana Paralegal Association’s Book Club, but I got the idea in a discussion with another paralegal when an association from another state mentioned it at a national conference. As a full-fledged book nerd, I thought it would be a great way to interact with other paralegals outside of the typical legal-related meetings/networking. So far it has been a huge success. 

In the beginning, I sent an email to all of our members to see who might be interested in book blub and asked each person to suggest a book (or books) to get us started. We had so many books suggested that two years later, we are still working from our original list (with a few additions along the way). We meet once a month via Zoom, and during the meeting we select our next book using a spinning wheel found on the internet. I put the book titles on the spokes of the wheel so it is a totally random selection. We alternate each month between fiction and nonfiction. 

The great thing about book club is that while we spend some of the meeting talking about the book and part of it getting to know one another — often with lots of laughter. We have even planned social events around the some of the books we have read. It is my favorite “meeting” of my month!

If you weren’t working in legal support, what would you be doing?

I would love to be an event planner! I acted as the wedding planner for my niece’s wedding 13 years ago and found that I really enjoyed it. I have now helped plan several high school reunions as well as wedding/baby showers and my family reunion for a few years. 

What makes a good lawyer?

Boy is this a loaded question! I have been very fortunate to have worked with so many talented attorneys over the years who are also genuinely nice people, so my response is based on that experience. I think that one of the most important traits of a good attorney is to know how to effectively communicate. He/she needs to be able to communicate not only with clients, but also colleagues, judges, opposing attorneys and staff members. Effective communication, whether orally or in writing, can make a huge difference in the outcome for a client and for your team. 

What’s something people might not know about the legal support profession?

Many people do not realize how many areas of work are considered legal support. The practice of law has become so complex while at the same time becoming a profession where most attorneys have a practice specialty that having a good support team comprised of a variety of players is extremely important. When asked about legal support jobs, most nonlegal people likely think of the work done by paralegals/secretaries on television and movies — Della Street, Rachel Zane or Erin Brockovich (yes, Erin Brockovich is a real paralegal, but most people think of the movie), for example. The legal support professionals they may forget about include Paul Drake (investigator), Penelope Garcia (research assistant) or the TARU team on “Law & Order” (tech experts). In today’s world, legal support professional roles are so varied it would be quite difficult to list them all.

What would you say to someone who is considering a career in legal support?

In my roles as the chair of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Affiliate Membership Committee and as a member of the board of directors of the Indiana Paralegal Association, I am often asked this question as it relates to being a paralegal. My typical response is that the job is not as glamorous as they may think it is, but in my opinion, it is an extremely rewarding career. I let them know that they will be tasked with projects that may not fit neatly into the definition they have of what being a paralegal means, so they need to make sure they are ready and able to think like a “jack of all trades” and to never, ever think “it’s not my job.” The reality is that not everyone is cut out to work in the legal arena, but I personally cannot think of anything else that I would rather do.•

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