Emily Williams, of Wallace, found her pathway to becoming an office manager for a local law firm by completing the legal office assistant certificate program at Northeastern Technical College.

March 16, 2011
Law Office Manager Finds Her Pathway at NETC

Emily Williams, of Wallace, enrolled in Northeastern Technical College with hopes of learning a little something about law, a topic she had always been interested in, and using that knowledge to get a job in the legal field. Her advisor at the College placed her in the legal office assistant certificate program, and before she graduated with the certificate, she found herself working the front desk of Joyner Law Firm in Cheraw.
 
“I wouldn’t have gotten this job without attending Northeastern Technical College and working toward the certificate,” Williams, a 2004 graduate of Cheraw High School, said. “Along with everything I learned in my classes, I have also learned so much about law by working for defense attorney JR Joyner. He takes the time to explain every little detail about how the judicial system works, which has helped me connect with what I learned in the program at NETC.”

Williams was placed at the law firm as an intern while completing the legal office assistant certificate program. She is now the fulltime office manager for Joyner Law Firm.
 
Williams is a mother and a wife, so when she was deciding to go back to school, she knew she needed to go somewhere close to home. She attended a Single Parent/Homemaker and Nontraditional Education Success Skills workshop at NETC and learned about the pathway for becoming a legal office assistant. The workshop also provided her with information about financial aid, stress and time management, job skills and a campus tour.
 
“I knew paying for textbooks was going to be a challenge, but I was able to borrow books that fall semester,” Williams said. “Because of the assistance with my books the Single Parent/Homemaker program afforded me, I was able to go to college.”
 
Another advantage she had while attending NETC was the one-on-one time she received from her instructors. Because of the smaller classes, Williams said she enjoyed the tight-knit learning environment at NETC and getting much support from her teachers.
 
Williams has family members who have also graduated NETC, so she knew that it would be a good place to further her education.
 
“I knew I wanted to study law, and Northeastern Technical College offered the pathway to becoming a legal office assistant,” Williams said. “The smaller classes and the support services offered by NETC really met my needs and allowed me to go to college to enhance my job skills.”

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