S2 Blog 3

Fabulously Chatting With Ms. Dion
One of laws finest, sharpest, paralegals, talks about her journey from the new girl in school, to the “it” girl in the office!

Janae Noland


I sat in my office, anxiously awaiting Ms. Dion, my key to new knowledge. She stands about five foot seven. Her long, brown, curly hair gracefully lays down her back. Her smile can light up a room, while her style can light up a runway. Her dress nicely drapes her body, while her jewelry fabulously complements her attire and her personality. She may be mistaken for a girly girl on the outside, but on the inside, nothing less than a pistol. Her skills and work ethic heavily contribute to and enhance the atmosphere of the firm, while her unique sense of humor touches the minds and hearts of those around her.

Ms. Dion is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, where she attended National University in Kansas City, Kansas. Her original decision was to major in accounting, which she eventually changed to computer science, and then later changed again to business management. However, due to an opportunity presented to her by a photographer, Ms. Dion did not graduate college with her major, but instead ended up doing modeling for a couple of years.

As a child, according to her, her life was interesting. She moved around a lot and lived a little bit of everywhere. She attended several schools in different states, but graduated from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Fortunately, with her eagerness to learn and absorb new knowledge, her eyes were opened to different concepts and cultures, which pushed her towards her decision to move to California.

After years of traveling around the U.S., she finally uprooted from Kansas City, and made the move to San Diego, California, where she currently works as a paralegal at the Wolfenzon Schulman & Ryan law firm, specializing in intellectual property, trademark, and civil litigation.

Back in my office, I hear her Aldo stilettos getting closer and closer, while my smile gets bigger and bigger. She appears, sits down, and here we are. Her presence indicated that she is awaiting my questions, as my interest awaits her story.

Why did you prefer to represent businesses in civil law as oppose to possible felons and criminals in criminal law?
My conscious. I just happened to enjoy, well, very fortunate that I have jobs in different areas of the law. I've worked to get some of my experience in surrogacy law, family law, and litigation. I currently work in the area of personal injury, business litigation, civil litigation, and my preference is civil litigation. You know...and when I say conscious, I believe every person deserves a defense. I'm very passionate about the law. However, I think certain things in me would prevent me to do the best job possible for someone I knew that was guilty of something they were accused of in spite of the fact that we are retained to provide them with a defense.

In what ways do you think law has evolved and improved over the past years?
One thing about the law that keeps my interest is the fact that it changes constantly. Such as, you know, discovery has changed over the years. Now, its not so much paper in tented, but it’s electronic driven.

What is your main objective when a new law case arrives?
Making sure that the client and carrier are comfortable in knowing that we are preparing to work our hardest for them.

What drives you to want to come to work everyday?
One, to feed my children! (Laughs) No. I love the law. I mean, even in my spare time I watch things related to the law, I read books related to the law. I'm pretty fortunate that I work in a small firm that allows me to utilize a lot of my skills, as far as being able to work on every aspect of a case.

How do you believe lawsuits and cases could be improved?
I think as long as the attorneys, paralegals, file clerks, and any and everyone in the law firm are mindful or don’t get stuck in the fact that “this is the way we do it and this is the way we’ve always done it”, but always open for change, trying to learn the new ways of doing things, staying on top of the different changes of the law, knowing that different courts have different procedures, and making sure you remember that even though the information is always readily available, but that you seek it.

In the law firm, what makes you stand out from everybody else?
I would definitely say that I’m a unique individual, but I think everybody is (Laughs). But I think it’s really how I feel about myself and how I carry myself. You know, like I said, my work ethic, the fact that I don’t come to work just because I have a job, but that I enjoy what I do and come in to give 110 percent. I make sure that all day every day I’m doing the best that I can to encourage others to do their job, try not to be a burden on others, and just have a positive attitude.

What advice would you give juniors in high school all across America that are preparing for college and their career choice?
To be mindful of the thing that motivates you and that you are the most passionate about, because that will be something that you’ll stick with. There are a lot of statistics that says that you will change your career five times in your lifetime. But if you go after something you’re passionate about, you’ll tend to be satisfied in what you do, where you work. Don’t just accept what is given to you, but have drive and go get whatever it is that you want.



Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Definitely still in the area of law. The firm I’m with is a place that I would like to stay and grow. We are a small firm, and we do have more than one office in more than one location. If we should ever become a bigger firm, I could see myself in a leadership role, but definitely still in the area of law.