2024 Distinguished Paralegal Margaret “Peggy” Pardue Honored
Making A Difference Through Leadership
Margaret “Peggy” Pardue has honed her leadership abilities through her involvement in the NCBA Paralegal Division. On Friday, June 21, she was recognized for her achievements when she received the 2024 Distinguished Paralegal Award at the Annual Meeting Awards Dinner. Lakisha Chichester presented the award.
Honoring the Distinguished Paralegal Award winner, from left, Executive Director Jason Hensley, recipient Margaret M. (Peggy) Pardue, presenter Lakisha Chichester and President Patti Ramseur.
What led her to volunteer within the Paralegal Division?
The short answer is she wanted to give back in a meaningful way to paralegals in the profession. Since 2005, her mission to connect with others and to provide new resources for (and with) the community has not wavered.
“One way I’ve grown in the profession is through the membership and by making new friends. That helps you grow because you’re coming into contact with other people in other areas of law. Whether it’s through that or through working, people continue to know you and recognize you for the things that you do,” says Pardue.
“Not that I’m looking to be recognized, but I’m looking to make a difference. So that has made me grow as a person because I want to continue to do that.”
This award is meaningful to her because it reflects the community surrounding her.
“Being a part of the paralegal world, there’s a lot of respect, respect that goes back and forth among paralegals. And to have earned the respect of other people in the profession means a lot, and to be recognized for my hard work by my peers means I must be doing something right. However, I don’t do what I do to be recognized, I do things to help better the profession and help people in general.”
Speaking of the division, Pardue remarks on how easy it is to get involved, and how rewarding it is to be a member.
“Everybody is very welcoming, even when I first started. And everybody wants to make a difference in the paralegal world,” she says.
Pardue joined the NCBA in 2005 after she began working as a paralegal in 2003. She was looking for ways to get involved in the paralegal community in North Carolina and learned more about the association through the attorney she works for, Kristin Hampson, who connected Pardue with an NCBA Paralegal Division member in 2019.
Becoming a member was exactly what she needed because it provided her opportunities to serve through leadership. She has used many of her strengths in each of her volunteer roles in the division and in the NCBA. Those strengths include, among others, strategic planning, writing, managing projects, working with members of a team and public speaking.
“I’ve been in some sort of leadership role off and on for the past 35 years and before I joined the division in 2019, and when I found out that I could be in a position to give back to the Paralegal Division and try to help continue to promote it, I said, that’s something I need to do.”
Before joining the division, Pardue served in various leadership positions in North Carolina communities. She was the president of the soccer association in Wake Forest in the late ’90s when it was called CASL. As part of her role, she assisted in opening the Smith Creek Soccer Center.
Pardue also served as president of a condo association at Carolina Beach for four years, until she stepped down from this position when she and her husband sold their condo. Pardue was instrumental in strengthening the association during her time as president. She ensured all past due dues were paid and negotiated the rewiring and installation of spectrum and low monthly fees for the whole condo community. She also negotiated the sale of a small corner piece of the association’s property so that the city could install lights at the corner of the property to make it safe for people to cross the street to get to the public beach access.
She has leaned on her strengths to provide education and information to division members. Pardue has been on the Communications Committee since 2022, and she became a co-chair in 2024. She has contributed articles to the division’s blog, where she has written on family law-related topics in Through Our Eyes: A Paralegal’s View Into Child Custody and Child Support and Through Our Eyes – A Paralegal’s View into Spousal Support (Post-Separation Support and Alimony). She has interviewed Paralegal Division members to spotlight their work.
In the 2023-2024 bar year, she served as Treasurer for the division’s Executive Team, and is continuing in this position for the 2024-2025 bar year. She has also served as the Family Law Section liaison for the past three bar years.
Applauding the Division’s Collaborative Spirit
One of her many accomplishments is planning several NCBA family law continuing paralegal education programs.
Pardue brought together a team of paralegals to create Keeping it all Together: Today’s Advanced Family Law Paralegal, which was offered in February 2020. A sequel to the first program, Keeping it all Together: Today’s Family Law Paralegal Part II, took place in March 2021. Pardue helped to organize a third CPE titled One Fell Swoop: Custody, Military, Mental Health, Social Media and E-filing for Family Law Paralegals, in October 2023.
She has worked with a team to prepare a fourth CPE, Back to Basics: Life as a Family Law Paralegal, which will be held on October 23, 2024.
Her interest in creating CPE courses related to family law for members began when she noticed a need for paralegal programming related to family law, and another paralegal reached out to her and said that someone needed to plan a family law CPE. After talking with other members who also wanted to make a program like “One Fell Swoop” available, Pardue knew what she wanted to do.
“I said, I’m going to plan one. So I pulled a couple of the paralegals in, and it’s great to have the support from these other people because they have contacts that I might not have or vice versa.”
Pardue and other members created programming that addressed important topics for family law paralegal practitioners, which included e-filing; social media; intimate partner violence; long-term physical and mental health effects in divorce; dealing with the loss of a client; custody in blended families and how to make it work; and filing equitable distribution claims when military pensions, benefits, and deadlines are involved.
While helping to plan the first training, Pardue drew from her 21 years of experience as a paralegal. She shares an important goal of the program – to provide beneficial information for paralegals at different stages in their careers.
She hoped to provide a rich experience for both new and experienced paralegals.
“I wanted to do something that helps other paralegals,” says Pardue. “A lot of paralegals have been doing it for as long as I have, or some have been doing it longer. You always try to think about what’s going to give them something that they could take away even though they’ve been doing it for so long, or what can we give to a newer paralegal that they can take away and use in their everyday job.”
Following the first CPE, Pardue and others gathered information to assess what could be improved. They took time to read feedback from attendees, reflected on what worked well and discussed how they could incorporate members’ suggestions into the next program.
Pardue says it was a group effort and looks forward to the upcoming paralegal CPE in October.
She adds that she could not do the preparation and planning without a great team of paralegals to help contact and obtain speakers, introduce speakers and help to promote the CPE programs. Between three to five division members worked together on each course. The planners meet at least once and have phone conferences while planning the CPEs. She shares that she and the team begin planning for the course and securing speakers five to six months before the CPE.
Pardue would like to recognize each of the paralegals who have assisted with these CPEs over the years. The volunteers include Patricia Kelly, Andi McCullen, Jennifer Gaff, Dana Satterfield, Joanne DeRosa, Melissa Serge and LJ Frederick. Each person was an important contributor to the success of the program, says Pardue.
And teamwork is one of the most significant values of the division.
Impacting the Next Generation of Attorneys and Paralegals
When asked why she especially enjoys serving in the division, she speaks about supporting and uplifting paralegals.
“There are many paralegals who don’t feel like their self-worth is appreciated in the field. I really like to encourage them and let them know that there are employers that do appreciate them and know their worth.”
Pardue serves within the division, and she also volunteers as an NCBA member by investing in the next generation of attorneys through pro bono work and mentorship. She has served as a volunteer for the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Middle School Mock Trials since 2021.
“It’s really interesting and exciting to watch students present their cases in court, to help organize it and move everybody where they needed to be,” she says.
In addition to volunteering for this annual pro bono event, Pardue served as a panelist for roundtables that took place at Elon University School of Law.
“The second thing that I really enjoy is going to Elon University School of Law. The first couple of years were virtual, but last year they wanted us to come in person, so three of us drove to Elon for a class that started at 5:30 p.m.,” says Pardue.
Pardue, right, served as a roundtable speaker in a law student class at Elon University School of Law with fellow division members Yazmeen Gadalla, left, and Martin Ginsburg, center.
She describes meeting with Damon Duncan, an adjunct professor of law at Elon and the instructor for the course, before the panel discussion to hear about some of his goals for the visit, which were for students to learn more about how paralegals are an important part of attorneys’ practices. During the class meeting, Damon requested that students ask questions, and he also had some to ask Pardue and the group.
“After answering questions, we had an opportunity to tell them things that we have seen in law firms regarding how paralegals are used in the legal workforce,” says Pardue.
Beyond her contributions to paralegal educational programming and to pro bono efforts, Pardue mentors new paralegals and those who are interested in joining a family law firm. One of her mentees would like to work in a family law practice, but her mentee needs experience in order to become a family law paralegal.
“I’m working with her some to help her take that next step into applying for a position with a family law firm by giving her resources and talking her through how to get information that she could eventually put on her resume, like showing her where the local rules are for Wake County and encouraging her to read those rules,” says Pardue.
She suggested that her mentee familiarize herself with that area of law, which will help to prepare her for a future role in this specific area. Pardue also provided advice regarding her mentee’s resume by sharing a resume sample and providing feedback on a revised version of her mentee’s resume.
Reflecting on Her Path to the Paralegal Field
Throughout Pardue’s years as a family law paralegal, her commitment to clients has remained firm. She speaks of how clients often find themselves in one of the most difficult times in their lives. Because of Pardue’s personal experience, she can empathize and provide support to her clients.
“You get to know people intimately with regard to their financial situations or if they’re having a bad custody situation,” she says.
“So I find that I can relate to them because I did go through a divorce years ago and because I know a lot of people who have gone through it, and I’ve seen so many different extremes, from spending $100,000 over custody and battling for years and years and years, and then, on the other hand, you might have a couple who co-parent really well and don’t have any issues or minimal issues. I feel like that’s my passion, to help these people get through the hard times.”
Pardue recalls some of the twists and turns in her professional journey – detours that led her to where she is today.
She remembers what it was like to go through a separation and divorce and figure out her next professional move. At the time, Pardue had experience working at First Citizens Bank and for the state nursing board. One of her friends suggested Pardue should learn WordPerfect software, a skill that opened the door to a job with the NC State Board of CPA Examiners. As part of her training for the role after she was hired, Pardue learned the Microsoft Office suite.
After seven years at the State Board of CPA Examiners, she joined NC Electric Cooperatives in their legal department. She joined a parent startup propane company as an executive assistant, where she worked for two years, and then the unexpected happened. She learned she would be laid off. Because the company was a startup, Pardue had previously requested a clause in her contract to be included, one that stipulated that if she were laid off, she would receive a severance package.
The severance package gave her time, three months to be exact, to think about her next steps. As the end of the three months approached, Pardue’s sister, Terry Shattuck, called her about a part-time temporary job at the Law Office of Meredith J. McGill, P.A., a firm focused on family law.
The firm’s paralegal was going on maternity leave, so they had an immediate opening.
“I went to work there, and I did such a good job and learned so quickly that they hired me full-time with benefits,” says Pardue.
And she has been a family law paralegal ever since. She has worked at the same firm since she began in 2003. The firm’s name changed to McGill & Hampson, and then in 2007, the firm became Hampson Family Law when Meredith McGill retired and Kristin Hampson opened her own firm. Pardue currently works at this firm.
Throughout her career, the attorneys and staff who have been her colleagues have been important to her professional development.
“I’ve been with Kristin Hampson for 21 years ever since she was an intern before passing the bar,” says Pardue. “She’s an amazing attorney and person to work for. She’s very family-oriented and a great mentor.
She feels supported by those around her, in part because her mentors share her values.
“I have grandchildren and Kristin allowed me to bring them into the office and care for them a few days a week, while I was still working, just as she did with her children when they were young.”
Work-life balance is crucial, and Kristin is great at providing that benefit.
Pardue said this was helpful for her son and daughter-in-law, and it gave her an extra bond with her two grandchildren. She is currently waiting on a third grandchild to be born.
Pardue, right, and husband Eddie, left, pictured at the NCBA Paralegal Division fall festival event held in October 2023 at Falls Lake.
“I worked as hard as I could when they would nap. There were days when I didn’t have them, and I might stay late if I needed to. Kristin didn’t ask me to, but I just did it because that’s my work ethic,” she says.
Pardue’s diligence and drive began at an early age, and she gives credit to her mother and father for instilling these values in her. Both her father and mother had a strong work ethic, and she says that is the foundation that one needs to be successful in a career.
Her family and her community have helped to shape her professional journey, and along the way, Pardue has worked hard to learn, excel and grow.
“I’ve learned a lot on my own,” she shares. “There are always the local rules, and they’ve changed. I read a lot on that.”
When asked what advice she would give to new paralegals, she shares two specific suggestions.
“The first thing is, and this depends upon the type of law you’re practicing in, there’s local rules for that particular law, or if there are local forms, do research,” she says.
“Don’t wait for others to either ask you to or don’t wait for them to give them to you. Start as soon as you get a job. Even if you’re not going to start for a couple of weeks, go ahead and start educating yourself. The more you learn, the more valuable you become to them.”
Pardue also speaks about communicating with confidence.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Because you’re not going to learn without asking them. Also, offer suggestions if you feel strongly about something in your area of work.”
Mentoring early career paralegals is rewarding, as is being an NCBA member.
What does Pardue find most valuable about her NCBA involvement?
At the top of her list is meeting others and developing professional relationships with them. Recalling the recent Paralegal Division event she attended, a member social at the Elkin Creek Vineyard and Winery, she describes some of the highlights, which included meeting new paralegals there who practiced in different areas of law.
The event was a reminder of what she treasures most about being a division member.
“You meet many different people in many different areas. Everybody has so much to bring. Even though you may not work in that area, it also gives you other people to reach out to if you need someone in another area of law.”
For Pardue, being a paralegal is a calling to be proud of and to celebrate.
Jessica Junqueira is communications manager for the North Carolina Bar Association.