Kelli Shelton Finds Career Tranquility By: Melanie Kowal

Kelli Shelton exudes tranquility. A poised Southern woman from Decatur, Alabama, she has served as office administrator at Sommers, Scrudder & Bass for 16 years. Her secret weapon?

"I think before I speak," Shelton informs with a relaxed smile.

Doubtless this enviable skill has served her well throughout both her career and personal life. With a quiet confidence and soothing demeanor, Shelton's longevity as administrator comes as no surprise. Her firm boasts staff loyalty, a low turnover rate and a familial spirit. In fact, staff satisfaction is so high that Shelton's time is rarely filled with human resources conundrums and recruiting issues. She claims the need to replace secretarial positions only once every four or five years. Indeed, Shelton seems to have found her career haven. But she didn't simply fall into this role. As many law firm veterans, she was raised in the legal environment, paying her dues along the way.

Shelton's corporate training began as a gutsy teenager. In high school, she worked in the front office and school work programs. She was unsure of her ultimate career goal, but appreciated the need to take immediate action.

"I looked through the phone book one day and starting calling companies," she explains.

Shelton's proactive approach to job hunting paid off. A small two-man firm specializing in domestic relations and real estate closings was looking for a fresh-faced youngster to train. Shelton suited their needs perfectly. Starting off with receptionist duties, she was eventually trained by the closing secretary, assuming her responsibilities when she left the firm a year later. The real estate business was booming. Shelton, always interested in the financial side of the business, supplemented her busy days by taking accounting classes at night.

As with most first jobs, Shelton learned more than just the day-to-day operations of a small firm. "The first lawyer I worked with was very vocal," she states diplomatically. She was not immune to the at times unpleasant side of the business world (how many of us are?), but admits that the trials she faced made her much stronger and wiser.

After two and a half years, Shelton moved on to a six-attorney firm specializing in litigation and real estate. The experience she had gained as a closing secretary at her former firm served her well. The work was demanding, but not so demanding as to squelch a budding office romance. Shelton was wooed by the Allstate insurance adjuster who frequented the office.

"He kept bringing cases over and I finally decided to go out with him," she recalls with a laugh.

They married after a six-week courtship. That was twenty-two years ago.

Soon after having their first child, Allstate transferred Shelton's husband, and the family uprooted and relocated to Mobile. Falling back into the routine of legal life, Shelton quickly found a position at the prominent 40-attorney insurance defense firm Reams Volmer & Killion. She thrived as the paralegal for an extremely busy litigator. It was a bittersweet time for Shelton. While she loved her new career, it was difficult for her to leave behind the only life she had ever known. Fortunately, she received frequent visits from her family - and took advantage of the firm's beachfront condo! Shelton also discovered an extended family at the tight-knit Reams Volmer. She immediately clicked with her attorney and developed a close camaraderie with the staff.

"I really loved my job there. I was very involved with the cases and got to go to court a lot. I hated to leave it." However, leave it she did, as Allstate transferred them three and a half years later. In 1989 the family moved to Woodstock, Georgia, and has lived there ever since. With children ages three and five in tow, Shelton decided to stay at home for awhile. But her new lifestyle didn't last long. Having been accustomed to working all of her life, she soon got the itch to work again and found employment as legal administrator at a small firm in Buckhead. However, she just didn't click with her new firm.

Relying on her stable law firm history and exceptional finance skills, Shelton interviewed at Sommers, Scrudder & Bass in April of 1990. The fit was perfect and she soon joined them in the capacity of office administrator.

"At that time there were nine attorneys. They told me we were going to stay a small firm, which I wanted to be a part of." The firm now holds steady at 16 attorneys and 14 staff.

Shelton easily transitioned from paralegal to office administrator. Counting on her past role as employee, she relates to her staff and identifies with their challenges and stresses. No doubt her "think before you speak" motto also comes in handy. Her staff can rely upon her sound advice and accessibility. Sommers, Scrudder & Bass is truly a family environment. The many staff and attorney functions keep the morale high and bring a real, personal element into the office. With such a great bond between staff and management, personnel issues are virtually nonexistent. When problems do arise, Shelton can count on the wholehearted support of the partnership. She says her partners are great to work with.

Like many small firms, one of Shelton's biggest challenges has been grappling with the changes in technology.

"When we started, the books were done by hand. Billing was done on the computer, but the accounting side was done manually. The new technology was foreign to me," Shelton explains. "I'd always used 10-key and a pencil. We had a great accountant here who taught me and helped me through it."

Shelton has now caught the technological bug, keeping abreast of the new trends whenever possible. Functioning at times as a jack-of-all-trades, she often finds herself as the "onsite tech support," trouble-shooting day-to-day computer problems. It's tough to juggle her many demands, but she manages to do so gracefully. From handling the budget and firm's finances to choosing the best insurance plan, Shelton does it all.

"At a small firm, you have to wear many hats," she says. "At times it's hard to prioritize."

Shelton has found release - and a place to vent - through the ALA's Small Firm Management Section. Thinking that the chapter meetings catered to larger firms, Shelton passed on these events at first, but was intrigued by the opportunity to meet with smaller firms.

"I remember the first Small Firm Section meeting I went to," she relates. "It was great to know that I wasn't crazy! There were other people like me out there dealing with the same frustrations, complaints and stresses."

Shelton relishes her monthly Small Firm Management Section meetings. Not only does she benefit from the topical discussions, but she highly values the peer interaction. Having connected with her fellow small firm administrators, she now knows that assistance, or a sympathetic ear, is just a phone call away. Chapter meetings have also become a priority, providing an extra boost of energy to get things done at her firm.

Shelton recently took on the role as chair for the Small Firm Management Section. Sure, the additional responsibilities of coordinating the meetings and selecting speakers will infringe upon her already busy schedule, but they are well worth it. She looks forward to another year of successful sessions and hopes to beef up the format with additional information about technology and accounting.

"I really enjoy my work. People have those days of not wanting to go to work, but that's very rare for me. It's nice to come to work each day and enjoy your job."

Looking back on her first job with the "vocal" attorney, Shelton can't help but be pleased with the path her career has taken. With quiet dignity she overcame relocations, separation from her family and the challenge of integrating with new firms. Despite all of these obstacles, she mastered the ability to think before speaking. Now that's a real accomplishment!  

Melanie Kowal works as a freelance writer in Atlanta. She can be reached at melaniekowal@hotmail.com.

Editor: Marianne M. Lawhead (mlawhead@sheastokes.com) (This publication is the property of the Atlanta Association of Legal Administrators. Reproduction or reprint without prior permission is strictly prohibited. Click here to request reprint permission.)

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