The Education of a Paralegal: Straight from Bruno Herself
"I wanted to go to law school so badly," says Bruno in an article on ParalegalFocus.com, "but the lack of money stood in my way. When I read an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled 'A New Profession in the Legal Ranks,' I got excited.
"Courses for paralegal personnel leading to a B.S. in legal administration and a certificate program in legal assistantship were announced," Bruno continues. "The American Bar Association had long advocated the establishment of paraprofessional assistants for the legal professions. In recognition of this need, the students would be trained to function as part of a team, and under the supervision and direction of their employer."
In 1972, Bruno began her educational journey at a law school in Culver City, California. Only 100 students joined her, and of those 100, only 33 graduated. Bruno herself graduated with a general litigation certificate. While she was in the program, however, she also took courses in law office management procedures, learning about the latest office equipment. Beyond that, Bruno also "received extensive training in several areas of the law and the foundations of Anglo-American jurisprudence."
"As one of the pioneer paralegals of the 70s," Bruno says, "I helped create and define a new profession in the legal field."
The Responsibilities of a Paralegal: Preparing Briefs, Interpreting Legal Documents, and Assisting in Legal Accounting Procedures
As she delved further and further into her new profession, Bruno discovered that her responsibilities would include preparing briefs, taking depositions, researching legal work, interpreting legal documents, and assisting in legal accounting procedures, among others.
"I began my career as a paralegal trainee for the city attorney of Simi Valley, California, and later worked for Troy Malin, a prestigious firm in Century City. In 1975, I moved to Atlanta, where I worked in real estate for Hansel Post, a large firm. Through networking connections, I accepted a position in municipal law with Troutman Sanders, later transferring to litigation, my specialty. I loved my job and worked at TSLA for five years."
The Successes of a Paralegal Career: From Writing to Joining Associations
Aside from joining the Georgia Association of Legal Assistants (now renamed the Georgia Paralegal Association) and holding various positions in that organization, Bruno was also the 1979 national representative for the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.
She has also written countless articles for various publications:
"In 1980, I wrote the Paralegal's Litigation Handbook for the Institute for Business Planning, a subsidiary of Prentice-Hall, Inc., [which was] followed by the Standard Legal Secretary's Deskbook in 1986.
"In 1993, I wrote the second edition of the Paralegal's Litigation Handbook (PLH 2E)…for West Publishing Company."
And that's not all. Bruno has also written for Legal Assistant Today, the National Paralegal Reporter, Legal Economics and Management, the American Lawyer, the National Law Journal, the Connecticut Bar Association Journal, the State Bar of Georgia, the Hawaii State Bar Journal, the Boston Association of Legal Administrators, Pennsylvania Lawyer, and the Delaware State Bar Journal.
She's conducted seminars and workshops in numerous settings, including paralegal associations, colleges, and universities.
"My speaking engagements have included [events at] the University of Delaware, the University of Tennessee, and the National Institute for Paralegal Training. I presented a workshop on how to increase your salary at the Paralegal SuperConference in Washington, DC," Bruno notes. And as if writing and conducting seminars weren't enough, Bruno also began her own paralegal placement agency in 1979.
Final Thoughts on Becoming a Paralegal
Bruno's go-getter attitude helped shoot her to the top early on. After receiving a litigation certificate, she entered the work field, gained experience, and began to succeed in all she did — from conducting seminars and workshops to writing for major legal publications, Bruno entered the paralegal field at its beginning and has remained in it ever since.
