Through Our Eyes – A Paralegal’s View into Spousal Support (Post-Separation Support and Alimony)

Peggy Pardue is a white woman with light brown, shoulder-length hair. she is wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a bright blue blouse. She is pictured smiling.By Peggy M. Pardue 

As a Family Law paralegal, assisting clients with regard to spousal support is an important skill. When a client comes to your office, they are often scared and concerned about their financial future. It is imperative to provide knowledge and expertise with respect to financial matters, while also being patient and understanding of the client’s concerns.

Helping a client navigate a spousal support case requires the paralegal to be knowledgeable of financial matters. Paralegals must also know how to obtain the documents necessary to calculate spousal support. As a matter of fact, there are potentially more documents needed for a spousal support case than in a child support case. Paralegals also need to understand how to do an analysis of their client’s monthly financial needs. This can be challenging because many people do not know how much their monthly expenses are, possibly due to the other spouse paying the bills. It is the paralegal’s duty to help clients determine how to obtain financial documents and what their expenses are. Paralegals need to know how to obtain online access to accounts, contact information for banks, find lender information for a mortgage, and other types of documents. Additionally, a paralegal must be able to assist clients in completing a financial analysis (Financial Affidavit) of their expenses. This is crucial to helping them determine how much support they need to survive each month. This can also be very time-consuming. Having tools at your fingertips to assist clients with document discovery and calculating their monthly expenses is critical to being a Family Law paralegal.

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Pro Bono Spotlight: Lorin Lapidus

Lorin, a white man with brown hair, wears a dark grey tie, pale grey shirt, and dark grey jacket.By Kaitlyn Fudge

“Our courts are designed to protect the stability of our law, and pro bono attorneys can play a role in that important tradition. Our courts work better when all parties have a say in the outcome, even those without sufficient means to participate.  Protecting an individual’s position safeguards the law at the same time, and as an officer of the court, I see that as my sincere duty.”

Who spoke these wise words? None other than Lorin Lapidus – a man who is a stellar example of someone who dedicates his legal services to pro bono work and cultivates a strong pro bono atmosphere at his firm.

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Nominate a Deserving Colleague for the Legal Practice Hall of Fame

Dan, a white man with white hair, wears a white shirt, maroon tie and black jacket.By Dan Hartzog

On behalf of the Selection Committee, I am reaching out to further encourage you to nominate a deserving lawyer for induction into the NCBA Legal Practice Hall of Fame. The nominations remain open until March 17, 2023.

I hope that you reviewed the comments included in a blog post from Ed Gaskins, encouraging members of the NCBA to nominate lawyers for induction into the Legal Practice Hall of Fame and giving special emphasis to the need for diversity. Those of us who are involved in this process fully support that emphasis. Ed’s blog was followed up by an excellent NC Lawyer magazine interview in which Judge Richard Doughton, the current Chair of the Senior Lawyers Division, and Judge Robert C. Hunter, the chair-elect of the SLD, seek more engagement for this section. They specifically reference the Hall of Fame and the banquet that will once again be held to allow the inductees and sponsors to share remarks. The reason that these fine members have spoken up about this topic is that they have personally observed how special an event this really is – not only for the inductees and sponsors, but for everyone who attends the banquets.

The Hall of Fame is designed to recognize a lifetime of exemplary service, high ethical and professional standards as a lawyer, and serving as a role model for all lawyers in North Carolina. I am sure that nearly all of you know lawyers who meet these criteria. As I have said before, one thing I can promise you is that it will mean more than you can know to that person – and to their family, friends, and colleagues.

Here are the official qualifications: a lawyer must have engaged in the practice of law for at least 30 years, primarily in North Carolina, and they must be a member in good standing of the North Carolina State Bar and the North Carolina Bar Association. The person must be living at the time of their nomination. They must have shown the highest standards of ethics and professional competency. And they must have given a high level of service to the bar and their communities.

Since it was founded in 1989, a total of 178 lawyers have been selected. These lawyers practice across the state, and since a change in name and scope in 2019 to include not only general practice lawyers but also lawyers with more focused practices, in a wide variety of practice areas.

Nominate an attorney for this award today.

Thanks for your time and attention. We look forward to hearing from you.

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John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award Recipient: Shelby Duffy Benton

Chelsea, a white woman with wavy brown hair, wears a black dress with small white dots.By Chelsea Gajewski

The John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award honors current and retired members of the North Carolina State Bar throughout the state who have demonstrated exemplary service to the legal profession. Members of the Bar nominate colleagues who they feel have demonstrated service to the profession. The criteria to be selected for this award includes, but is not limited to, furthering the public’s understanding of and confidence in the law and justice system; devoting time to leadership to ensure equal access to our justice system; pro bono work to those who have limited meals; and treating opposing counsel with courtesy and respect. You can learn more about this award on the North Carolina State Bar’s website.

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