Debbie House: Paralegal at Beadles, Newman & Lawler, PC

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                            Debbie House: Paralegal at Beadles, Newman & Lawler, PC
                            [By Robin Salisian]
                            Naturally ambitious, Debbie House refused to do ‘’the same old thing every day.’’ So she bravely donned the hat of a paralegal,
                            and she has thrived in the profession for more than 31 years.




But the journey was tough. While attending                                                              More personally, House has been influenced
the University of Texas at Arlington in 984                                                            greatly by the paralegals she has met
and 985, House worked full-time-any extra                                                              through the FWPA, along with those on the
                                                    In addition to working for Beadles,
activities were therefore extinguished from her                                                         board of the paralegal division of the State
                                                    House acts as the Fort Worth Paralegal
day-to-day life. However, House persisted and                                                           Bar of Texas.
                                                    Association’s (FWPA’s) president-elect and
received a paralegal certificate while working.     education chair.
She also became a certified legal assistant in                                                          “Being around other professionals in my field
2000 when she passed the NALA exam.                 “The purpose of the FWPA is to promote              has been very important to me,” says House.
                                                    the professional objectives and goals of
Her interest in the legal field began while         paralegals; to encourage, promote, and              While House has great acumen for the
she was working with a title company.               conduct programs of continuing education            paralegal field, she also has great people
There, she moved into the legal document            and professional development; and to                skills.
preparation section and has continued in this       promote the advancement of high standards
area of work ever since.                            of integrity and professionalism for                “I believe,” says House, “[that] being nice to
                                                    paralegals to the end that both the public          people is...one of the single most important
Today, House works for the law firm Beadles,        and the legal profession are better served,”        things a career professional in our field can
Newman & Lawler, PC, “which offers legal            says its website.                                   hope to accomplish. So many people call me
services in mortgage lending and residential                                                            that are totally lost, and I help them with a
real estate transactions,” according to its         House has been a member since 999                  smile on my face. I see people being rude
website. The firm also “prepare[s] and              “because of a friend’s advice.” But becoming        and not willing to help others, and I find it
deliver[s] closing documents on residential         a member has also helped her study for              tragic.”
and commercial loans for mortgage lenders,          the CLA exam, “a comprehensive, two-day
banks, and title companies.”                        examination based upon federal laws and             “Get your foot in the door no matter
                                                    rules of civil procedure,” according to the         what,” House advises young paralegal
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the company           South Texas Organization of Paralegals’             professionals, “even if you have to be the
was “built on the confidence placed in [it] by      website.                                            receptionist for a while. You are probably not
[its] clients.”                                                                                         going to start out being a paralegal but will
                                                      Q. What do you do for fun?                        have to gain the attorney’s confidence with
                                                      A. Camping, fishing, hunting, reading,
House came to Beadles in October 2006 after                                                             hard work and staying educated.”
                                                      watching football, traveling.
working 3 years for her previous employer.
Leaving the familiar for the new was, as              Q. What CD is in your CD player right now,        On The neT
House describes it, one of her most notable           or what music is on your iPod?
career accomplishments. Sometimes the                 A. A wide variety of pop rock.                    Fort Worth Paralegal Association
risk of embracing the unknown is worth                                                                  www.fwpa.org/default.asp
taking-especially for a much larger salary            Q. What is the last magazine you read?
                                                      A. Condé Nast Traveler.
and benefits.                                                                                           Beadles, Newman & Lawler, PC
                                                      Q. What is your favorite TV show?                 www.bnllaw.com
She also takes pride in having implemented            A. House, M.D. and professional football.
“many programs over the years as                                                                        The University of Texas at Arlington
advancements were made in [the] industry              Q. Who is your role model?                        www.uta.edu
with technology (e.g., installing and                 A. My boss, Charles Newman.
designing [her] own forms).”


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