Chelsea Deeder: Compassionate Legal Support In Action

Chelsea: I have always enjoyed the legal profession. The path of law school always sounds intriguing, but I didn’t want the debt. This led me to the paralegal role, where I have been fortunate to work for attorneys who allowed me to express my thoughts and case strategy. When I heard about the LLP program that took my role a step further and allowed me to help others with the knowledge, I already have but couldn’t ethically give, I jumped on it.

The process was not an easy one for me. I was splitting my time working as a paralegal on personal injury cases, civil litigation cases, and family law cases. Therefore, I didn’t personally know any other paralegals working in the family law field that was pursuing this licensure. I navigated the process while working full time, being a wife/mom without family around to help, studying, and keeping up with all the LLP news; it was very overwhelming. As a brand-new program and being the pioneering class, there was no one to answer the unknowns. But we did it! The pioneering class are rock stars!

Chelsea:  My experience has been so positive here at Modern Family Law. This firm has supported and advocated for the LLP program more than any other firm I have seen. Knowing the firm is in our corner and advocating for our success is such a great feeling. They are helping us pave the new way of family law and it’s great to be on this journey with them!

Caroline: How have you found the culture and support system here at Modern Family Law?

Chelsea: The support and culture have been amazing. I don’t say that lightly either. Every person in the firm has welcomed me with open arms, allowed me to interrupt them with my silly questions, and provided so much support. Being a fully remote firm, I wasn’t sure how the atmosphere might feel or if it would be lonely, but it’s been the exact opposite. I feel more in touch with my colleagues than I did at an in-person job.

Chelsea: My biggest challenge has been the imposter syndrome. This is something I have always wanted and to be able to help others in this capacity but knowing I’m someone’s representation and helping them make choices is overwhelming sometimes. Every once in a while, I get this feeling like there is no way I can do this or someone else has to be more qualified, but then I remember the Colorado Supreme Court didn’t just give me this license, I earned this. There is a first for everything and I’m doing what I can to help.

Caroline: How do you balance the responsibilities of your new role with the unique challenges that come with it?

Chelsea: Balancing the responsibilities has been helpful with a strong support team. There are 62 LLPs currently navigating this new career and every one of us is there to help the others. It’s incredible to see a group from all over the State of Colorado come together with this same passion and support. Additionally, I’m lucky to work alongside a firm of attorneys who are supportive and helpful in advocating for myself, my license, and my future.

Chelsea: I think the biggest benefit of having the LLPs is it allows the attorneys to focus on the bigger cases in which their expertise is needed. Similar to them needing paralegals to help run their practice, the LLPs can walk clients through those simple processes and go the extra step by offering guidance and advice that an attorney might not have the caseload availability and time to do. We offer a nice bridge between paralegal and attorney to help those who need just that, someone in the middle of the two.

Caroline: How do you see the LLP role evolving in the future?

Chelsea: I hope to see the LLP role evolve with the scope of our practice. Currently, some strange restrictions leave more questions than answers. I would like to see the evolution of some of those restrictions to give LLPs more of a niche in our services to parties that need legal representation but don’t want to or can’t hire a lawyer.

Chelsea: Trust your gut. You will doubt yourself; others will doubt you, but there are people out there begging for people like you to help them navigate these unknown waters. You have the experience and the knowledge, don’t hold yourself back. You have been the paralegal working behind the scenes, and if you haven’t run away by now, then you have the passion needed to take that even farther.