Minnesota Lawyer
Ciresi Conlin LLP
The job of legal administrative assistant can be loosely defined at times, and Ciresi Conlin LLP’s Kristin Schmidt is flexible enough to fit any definition.“I’m more of a Jill-of-all-trades who does a little bit of everything,” she said. “You might also find me preparing trial notebooks, updating firm processes and procedures, or changing the printer toner. Where there’s a need, I’m ready and willing to help out.”
Schmidt has brought a diverse administrative litigation assistance background to her job, including work on complex business and intellectual property litigation. Her experience as a legal administrative assistant spans over 23 years.
Coming from a big family, Schmidt learned how to argue on her own behalf at a young age.
“My career goal was to be an attorney, but an assignment in a career development class convinced me that a non-attorney role would better align with my interests and life goals,” Schmidt recalled. “My strengths trend toward grammar, software applications, and logistics and not so much toward public speaking, so I made the right choice.”
Schmidt helps out in all phases of the firm’s litigation matters. At any given time, that might mean finalizing and filing all briefings at the district court and appellate levels for major cases. Her knowledge of the litigation process and various courts enables her to help attorneys with filing requirements and to pitch in on creating pleadings and discovery templates.
And, with her experience, she’s able to offer mentorship to other administrative assistants at the firm on many other cases and firm management.
“I’ve had the privilege of working on several high-profile cases that have received attention in various local and national press outlets,” Schmidt said. “It’s interesting to see the outside take on cases that our firm litigates.
Like this article? Gain access to all of our great content with a month-to-month subscription. Start your subscription here.
