Louise B. Tennis

When Louise B. Tennis speaks about her career, it recalls the famous words of Rudyard Kipling, "If you can keep your head . . . " She has almost two decades of experience in the legal field, preparing for and assisting in countless trials and arbitrations.

"No skills are more important to a paralegal than organization and calm," she explains. "Attorneys and clients count on us to balance the urgency of a particular task with the overall demands of the practice. You can never get so involved with an emergency that you allow other balls to drop."

She's also an experienced hand at research. "The research in intellectual property law is always interesting. I may be on the Internet tracking down infringing uses, or helping to figure out the proper jurisdiction or venue. It isn't just helping with legal research, although I do plenty of that as well."

Communication is the key to the Pattishall team concept. "To work effectively on a team, you have to listen carefully. I don't want to miss a factor that will affect my research for the client. But at Pattishall, the lawyers are great about listening to me as well. Staff members are respected members of the team."

Louise likes the fast pace of a litigation practice. "I'm open to change, to new experiences, and new technology. It's what makes this job so interesting. I would never be happy doing the same thing every day."

Detail-oriented, Louise has been described by her colleagues as focused and persistent. "It's very important to me to keep on top of things, and to follow up carefully, so that every detail is addressed." It's a full-time job, but Louise likes the hard work.

And with all that, Louise Tennis keeps her head!