If you’ve been a podcast listener for a while, you heard the earlier episode that I asked for paralegals who wanted to be interviewed about what they love about being a paralegal and help spread some inspiration to other paralegals. The response was overwhelming!
We’ll give you one of these interviews every month this year to encourage you, inspire you, motivate you, and remind you why you went into the paralegal profession.
In this first interview in our series of #RockstarParalegals, I talked with Lisa Abbe. Lisa is a paralegal specialist with the Department of Justice and has been in the industry as a litigation paralegal for around 17 years. Lisa has a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology and is in the dissertation phase of receiving her PhD.
Meet the Podcast Guest
Lisa Abbe, M.S.
Paralegal Specialist, Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights
Lisa Abbe received her B.S. in Legal Studies, as well as Paralegal Certification in 2005, and her B.A. in Classical Humanities in 2012 from the University of Maryland. In 2021, she completed her M.S. in Forensic Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. She began her journey working toward her Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology, specializing in Criminal Justice, from Walden University in January 2022, with an estimated completion date of 2025. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, United States Attorneys’ Office, Criminal Division, Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section in 2022, Lisa worked at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the Office of Chief Counsel, Civil Division, and focused on Tort Claims, Class Action matters, and Equal Employment Opportunities. Before the DEA, she worked in the Office of General Counsel for the Defense Health Administration (DHA) in Contracts, Inspector General Investigations, Compound Monetary Penalties, and General Litigation. Lisa has also worked in private practice at Jackson & Campbell, P.C. in Medical Malpractice, General Litigation, Business Law, Class Action, and Probate.
When not working or attending school, Lisa is a Certified Victims’ Advocate for the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, and volunteers as a Legislative Analyst. She is also a recreational scuba instructor and volunteers as a technical scuba diver with a non-profit organization, performing underwater archeological surveys for NOAA. Lastly, she is currently working on her Professional Criminal Investigation Certification, private pilot license, and technical closed-circuit rebreather certification for scuba diving. Lisa lives in Northern Virginia with her Active-Duty husband, four rescue dogs, and one cat.
Actionable Strategy
Listen to the whole episode! Here are some highlights of my discussion with Lisa Abbe and some actionable strategies you’ll want to hear about in this episode:
- EVERY single day, you can learn something new and bring knowledge to the table.
- Know your technology platforms inside and out.
- Even if you’re in a “not-so-great” paralegal job, there is always something positive you can take away from the job.
- Find your niche! Once you do, you will enjoy your paralegal career more.
Tune in next month for our February Paralegal Inspiration episode.
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Did you get a tip from today’s episode to help you fast-track your paralegal career? Give the show a review and let me know what you enjoy most about the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show. I’ll be reading every one of them! –Ann Pearson