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Anita Haworth Brought A Wealth Of Life And Work Experience To Her Legal Career As A Paralegal Without Having A Long-Term Plan But Came Upon The Opportunity That Presented Itself When She Was Working For Law Firm, Through Another Job.
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Anita G. Haworth: President of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations and Senior Litigation Paralegal with Campbell Kyle Proffitt, LLP, Carmel, IN[By Kenneth Davis]
Anita Haworth brought a wealth of life and work experience to her career as a paralegal. Prior to entering the paralegal
field, she worked as a bartender, a waitress, and a Sears employee, was in the Air Force ROTC, and even worked in
construction. She said that she didn’t really have a long-term plan to become a paralegal but came upon the opportunity
through another job. Her opportunity to become a paralegal presented itself when she was working for law firm Bayliff,
Harrigan, Cord & Maugans, which is based in her hometown of Kokomo, IN. Haworth said she worked her way up to
her current position at the firm.
“I started working there as a part-time file
clerk, became the full-time receptionist,
then clerk typist, then legal secretary,” she
said. “When the paralegal position came
open, I talked them into giving me the job.
It was just the natural progression. That’s
when everybody did it that way.”
Haworth officially became a paralegal in
April of �989 and continued to work at
Bayliff Harrigan until �995, when she joined
Campbell Kyle Proffitt in its Carmel office.
She said she found the job at Campbell Kyle
through the Indiana Paralegal Association’s
job bank. She is now a senior litigation
paralegal at the firm.
Haworth discussed the areas of law in which
she works:
“I do some asbestos and some family law,”
she said. “We do some civil law as far
as contracts or contract litigation; it’s all
litigation, some criminal work, and some
personal injury.”
Haworth works for two attorneys at the firm:
Senior Partner John D. Profitt and William E.
Wendling, Jr., also Senior Partner.
“John is semi-retired and does mainly family
law,” she said. “Bill keeps me busy full-time
with the other types of cases and some
family law […]. I do quite a bit of document
management for Bill’s cases and assist with
the technology issues in the firm.”
Haworth said she performs a variety of tasks
at her job and that each day is different.
“On a day-to-day basis, I could be doing
anything,” she explained. “I could be
interviewing a witness, I could be drafting
discovery or responding to a complaintreally
just about anything,” she explained. “I
have drafted a few [discoveries], mainly
in asbestos cases, motions for summary
judgment, and, occasionally, I get to do a
little bit of legal research. But mostly the
attorneys do that or the law clerk [does]. I do
a lot of information gathering or investigative
types of things, too.”
Haworth said that she also works with
litigation support vendors, drafts complaints,
and prepares for mediations, among other
sundry duties.
“I am also a member of the disaster recovery
committee,” she added. “And we are
considering case management and document
management software.”
She said what she enjoys most about her
job is the “variety and challenge of the
work,” as well as the “great attorneys and
paralegals that [she works] with.” Haworth
added that her colleagues are “highly
respected in the community and just really
have a lot of integrity.”
Haworth said that some of the most difficult
challenges of her job are “managing the workload,
stress, and dealing with emotional clients.”
In addition to her heavy workload at
Campbell Kyle, Haworth spends a lot of
time involved in paralegal association work.
She’s the current President of the National
Federation of Paralegal Associations
(NFPA), a member of the Indiana Paralegal
Association, and an advisory board member
for Ivy Tech State College. Furthermore,
she was just appointed to the Thomas Edison
Paralegal Program Advisory Board and is a
paralegal member of the Indiana State Bar
Association.
Haworth said one of her duties as President
of NFPA is overseeing its national magazine,
the National Paralegal Reporter, which is
published bimonthly.
“I work with the editor and the publisher,
and I have a committee,” she said. “We call
it an editorial committee, so they help me
come up with ideas for articles and things
like that.”
Haworth discussed some of her other duties
as President:
“I’m responsible for all NFPA contracts,
oversee all aspects of NFPA, and liaison with
other legal entities,” she said. “I am co-chair
of NFPA’s upcoming Technology Institute,
July �9th through 20th, 2007, in Pittsburgh,
PA (at the Omni William Penn). We are very
excited about this eventit will be great! I
am also responsible for the agenda for and
presiding over the NFPA Annual Meeting.
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PAGE 2
www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
Our next Annual Meeting is scheduled for
October �8th through 22nd, 2007, in Tampa, FL
(at the Hyatt Regency).”
She added that she’s also responsible for
NFPA’s newsletter, which comes out each
month that its national magazine does not.
“So one month I’m writing for the Reporter,
and the next month, I’m writing for the
[newsletter],” she said.
When asked how she manages to work
full-time as a paralegal and also tend to
all her responsibilities as President of
NFPA, Haworth laughed as she gave the
following answer:
“It’s pretty tricky. Both are full-time jobs,
that’s for sure.”
Haworth attended the University of Evansville
in Evansville, IN, right after high school.
At the university, she studied criminal
justice and was also in the Air Force ROTC.
However, her father got sick, and she had
to leave school. She later attended Indiana
University, Kokomo, taking engineering and
computer classes, but got married and left
college again.
Haworth obtained her paralegal certificate
in �99�. And in �997, she took the Paralegal
Advanced Competency Exam and became
a registered paralegal. She returned to
Indiana University, Kokomo, in �999 to
complete her bachelor’s degree. She
graduated with honors in 2004 with a B.S. in
Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology.
Haworth had the following advice for
paralegal students:
“Get a good paralegal educationfour years is
betteror a bachelor’s in a related area with
a paralegal certificate,” she said. “Good
grammar, spelling, and the ability to write
are essential. Get involved in a paralegal
association. Do an internship. Becoming
a paralegal is not the path to becoming
an attorney. Going in with that opinion is
the wrong idea, and it’s offensive to the
dedicated paralegal. Although I’ve known
paralegals that went to law school, that is
pretty much a rarity. Most paralegals are
professionals, and this is not just a job.”
Haworth has worked on two murder trials,
which she said were highlights of her career.
“The second one taught me how vulnerable
and damaged defendants can be,” she said.
“And you can then understandnot agree
withhow the individual came to do what
they did.”
Haworth added that some other memorable
moments of her career involved “two very
large cases that were document-heavy.”
“I learned how very valuable the new
technology can be,” she said.
Haworth said the biggest highlight of her
career was working with legal aid and
helping a couple who couldn’t read.
“I will never forget going to a legal aid
interview to find out that the husband had
a third-grade education and the wife had
a seventh-grade education,” she said.
“Neither of them could read, and they had
received an eviction notice and did not know
what to do. It was so wonderful to be able to
help them.”
Haworth said she believes that one of the
most important issues facing the legal
community today is providing quality legal
services to the poor and middle classes.
“Many people simply cannot afford to hire
attorneys,” she commented. “Paralegals
can make the difference in helping people
get representation because of the work that
paralegals can do.”
She added that she believes “paralegals need
to be regulated, and there should be minimum
standards for entry into the profession.”
Haworth said her life and work experiences
were beneficial in helping her prepare to
become a paralegal.
“In high school, I wanted to be a police
officer and have always wanted to work
with and help people,” she said. “I think
my experiences taught me how to work
with people and recognize problems. I was
divorced many years ago, so I have that in
common with our family law clients. My
parents gave me a good, solid, Midwestern
upbringing. They taught me respect for the
law, were loving and supportive, and instilled
in me a strong love for God.”
Haworth has been married to her husband
for the past 2� years and has two stepsons
and six grandchildren. She said she really
enjoys archery and target shooting, as
well as crocheting, sewing, gardening, and
spending time with her family. In addition,
she and her husband enjoy reenacting the
French and Indian War, traveling, and going
camping together.
Haworth said her goal for the future is to
one day get her master’s degree and teach a
paralegal course.
ON THE NET
Campbell Kyle Proffitt, LLP
www.ckplaw.com
National Federation of Paralegal
Associations
www.paralegals.org
Indiana State Bar Association
www.inbar.org
PROFILESPONSORED BY LAW FIRM STAFF
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