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Phyllis Tidwell: Paralegal for Vinson & Elkins, LLP, in Houston, TX[By Charisse Dengler]

As a paralegal for Vinson & Elkins, LLP, Phyllis Tidwell is mainly responsible for managing complex litigation cases.

In addition, she serves on the firm’s pro bono advisory board, where she works with an attorney on cases from the area

Volunteer Lawyer Association, and she also coordinates and manages the firm’s Innocence Project work.

Tidwell, who has been a paralegal for 23

years now, said she fell into the paralegal

profession by accident. Her first job after

college was with an international marine-

product company that she was put into

contact with by an employment agency.

During her time with the company, a

Middle Eastern oil platform exploded, and

a paralegal was sent out to get information

about the types of products Tidwell’s

company produced. Tidwell was assigned

to assist the paralegal, and she was very

interested in the type of work the paralegal

was doing.

When her company began laying people off

after the explosion, Tidwell went back to her

previous employment agency, which sent

her to Vinson & Elkins to interview for a

paralegal position. She recalled her interest

in the type of work the paralegal she met had

done, and after some encouragement from

her cousin who had worked as a summer

intern with Vinson & Elkins, she interviewed

for and accepted the position.

“Initially, I didn’t like the work because I

started out page checking, and I kept telling

myself that this wasn’t what I went to college

for,” she said. “In hindsight, I’m glad that is

where I began my career because I gained

insightful knowledge about the litigation

process and, specifically, the discovery

process from the beginning through the end.”

Some of Tidwell’s favorite parts of her

job are the people, the flexibility, and the

diversity of the assignments she gets to

work on.

“I’ve worked with some of the best attorneys

in the business, and I have the best support

staff,” she said. “I’ve worked on great

teams and some interesting cases. Equally

important to me, I’ve been able to work on

some pro bono and community projects and

been given an opportunity to give back to the

community. My job has also given me the

flexibility that I needed as a single parent.”

Tidwell’s son, Philip, is 2� and is currently

attending Texas Southern University. He is a

huge part of her life.

“He and I are very close, and I’ve had to

learn to let go and let him grow,” she said.

“Sometimes I think that he hasn’t heard me,

and then he surprises me and responds to

a situation [in a way] that shows me that he

was listening after all.”

Throughout the course of her career, Tidwell

has always put her son first, before her

professional responsibilities and goals, and

she is extremely thankful for the attorney

who hired her and the compassion he has

shown her and her son. During her first trial

at the firm, she was not only learning how

to prepare for court, but she was also going

through a divorce. The attorney was nothing

but understanding about her needs to bring

her son to the office or leave to go get him

from daycare, and she has never forgotten

the kindness he showed her.

“After the trial and my evaluation, the

attorney told me that he had no idea what I

was going through regarding my divorce and

subsequent problems after the divorce. I

was a very private person, and few people

knew at that particular time,” she said. “He

told me that I had to learn to balance my life-

that I had to get the work done but that my

son should always be my first priority. I took

that advice to heart and applied it to the rest

of my life. I worked whatever hours I needed

to get the job done, but I can honestly say

that I never missed my son’s extracurricular

activities. I learned to manage my time both

professionally and personally. Sometimes

that meant sacrificing the huge raises and

bonuses because I didn’t have the highest

hours, but time spent with my son and

ensuring that he had stability in his life was

more important to me.”

Tidwell has bachelor’s and master’s degrees

in sociology, and she feels that her education

helped prepare her for dealing with all types

of people in all types of situations. It also

helps her to control her stress levels and to

maintain a professional and positive attitude

that reflects well on her firm.

“I’ve come to an understanding that my work

reflects not only me but [also] the attorney

in charge and, ultimately, the firm,” she

said. “My pastor teaches, ‘Find out who’s

in charge, find out what they want you to

do, and then do it.’ I’ve applied that simple

principle to my life, especially at work.

Another principle is that I can’t control

people or their reactions and responses to

situations. The only thing that I can control

is myself and my reaction/response to people

and situations. My goal is always to give my

best and provide the best work product that

will reflect well on the firm.”

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Tidwell currently lives in Houston, TX. In

her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading

autobiographies and historical books, and

volunteering. In addition, she is a member

of Mt. Corinth Missionary Baptist Church,

a member of the Paralegal Division of the

State Bar of Texas, a committee member

of the Texas Friends of TransAfrica Forum,

and Ripley House Advisory Board Chair for

Neighborhood Centers, Inc.

When asked if she had any advice for

paralegal students, Tidwell said, “Ask

questions, ask questions, ask questions.

[Have] patien ce with people. Control

your response and reaction to others and

situations. And lastly, we can’t all be Erin

Brockovich.”

On the net

State Bar of Texas

www.texasbar.com

TransAfrica Forum

www.transafricaforum.org

Vinson & Elkins, LLP

www.velaw.com

LEGAL STAFF PROFILE