The Hidden Job Market – It’s In the Vendors

I had a terrific opportunity to run into two upbeat, interesting women who have the perfect jobs for paralegals seeking alternative careers.  Now, hold your horses here because the first thing I'm going to tell you is that they are located in, well, Fargo, North Dakota.  Yep.  Unless you've seen the movie Fargo, you probably don't realize that it's a happening kind of place albeit very, very cold.

Meet Megan Heltemes and Rachael Runick of Integreon.  The company does outsourcing work of document review, legal translations, word processing and more.  They cater to all size firms including BigFirms and in-house legal departments all over the world.  Megan has been with the company over 7 years and Rachael 3 1/2.  Both have experienced something that paralegals might not have a shot at, depending upon where you work – upward mobility and a defined career path.

Megan's position is Director of Professional Document Services America.  Her responsibilities include oversight for Fargo delivery operation; account client accounts day to day; manage group of other delivery managers; account implementation; account management; RFP process with new clients.  She is in charge of scheduling, hiring and acting as a client liaison, setting up new law firms and training protocols and procedures.  She manages teams of lawyers, paralegals and proof readers on cases from all over the world and she worked her way up to this prestigious management position.

Rachaell, on the other hand, is the Delivery Center Manager.  Nope, not delivery of pizzas by any means.  This hotshot young executive manages a group of associate managers with large teams that focus on production.  She serves as escalation point; concerned with production; and has some oversight with being account liason; and has some functional responsibilities such as scheduling, ensuring the individuals in the building are assigned properly. Her focus is on document production; legal word processing and transcription.  

These were two happy campers I spoke with.  Legal outsourcing is a huge business right now and a viable alternative for those paralegals (and lawyers) seeking to make a change utilizing their paralegal skills but not quite knowing in which direction to go.  If you are seeking a vertical climb up a ladder, you might want to consider a career with a vendor such as Integreon.

What do you do in Fargo, North Dakota?  Well, on the right days you can find Megan ice fishing.  Really.  That's where you sit in a shack in the middle of a frozen lake with a tub filled with beer and wait for a nibble on your fishing pool freezing your patooti off.  I know stuff.  I've been to Minnesota in 60 degrees below.  Rachael, on the other hand, has a card engraving hobby and makes beautiful cards.  The point here is, they have a life.  If your idea of having of life is coming from the rat-race, getting take-out from the downstairs Chinese restaurant and plopping yourself on your couch in front of your flat screen after 10 1/2 hours of billable time watching a mindless survival show of people stranded on a deserted island, you might want to find out why other folks are living life to the fullest.  At least these two, anyway.

Get off the couch and check out other, ancillary careers.  Oh, and Megan, when she is not ice fishing this winter is off to India for the company's global conference where she will meet people from all over the world and participate in their international training program.  And, they seemed to be untouched by the havoc and horrendous massive layoffs going on with thousands and thousands of lawyers and paralegals just in the last two months. I think it sounds great. I've already packed my snow shoes.  I'd ski but to get them, you have to tell them what you weigh and that just ain't gonna happen.  Does anyone out there speak Fargo?