Before even receiving her official certificate, Skyline College graduate Morgan Bockelman secured a prestigious position as a Paralegal and Judicial Assistant at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
For two and a half years and counting, Morgan has loved her job. She manages administrative tasks daily and provides paralegal support for a judge and four clerks. Beyond her core responsibilities, Morgan fosters workplace community by organizing monthly lunches for judicial assistants and serving on the planning committee for the court staff trivia event.
The Ninth Court is in the historic James R. Browning Courthouse, where Morgan leads the building tour docent program. She is proud of these additional responsibilities: “I really appreciate the community that I became a part of when I joined the court, and giving back to that feels good.”
Reflecting on her 2022 Paralegal Studies Certificate from Skyline College, Morgan credits the program for giving her a well-rounded foundation: “Skyline College gave me a breadth of knowledge about the legal field that I wouldn’t have gained by training exclusively under a lawyer in one area of law. It gave me the foundation to hit the ground running when I transitioned from transactional trust and estate law to federal appellate litigation.”
One of her tips for success to aspiring paralegals: “I joined Legal Professionals, Inc. after it was recommended I reach out to them for my ‘Interview a Paralegal’ project, and the community and camaraderie I have found with other legal professionals there has been immensely helpful not only as I navigated my coursework at Skyline College and the transition between legal fields, and also just having a network of referrals to tap if a question about a particular area of law crops up in my day-to-day life.”
Another piece of advice she would impart to students: “Honing your research skills and learning ‘how to learn’ is more important than rote memorization. There is too much information in this field to memorize, and knowing how to find an answer is much more useful in the long run than just knowing a finite number of things.”
The Paralegal Studies Program celebrates alumna Morgan Bockelman and congratulates her on finding success and community in her career!
Article by Niki Castello
