How Did KPS Start?
Let me first introduce myself. I am Brooke M. Govert, Founder of KPS and an experienced paralegal with over 14 years in the legal field. I remember when I went to college that book they give you to “choose a major.” Yes, times have changed since I entered college in 2001. I attended a local community college, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, where I was sure I would get my general education credits and move on. Back to “that book.” It had every major listed. I remember I had arrived on registration day with my mom and we were flipping through “the book” together. At that moment, she said “I think you will be GREAT in legal studies.” Being an 18 year old, free from worry and stress, I went with it-said “ok.” I obtained my Associates of Applied Science degree in Paralegal Studies there. Turned out….my mother was right!! Geez. Aren’t they always right? I fell in love with the law, the unknown, the investigation. It all intrigued me. I furthered my education at Park University (my husband was in the Marine Corps at the time) and obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Fast forward….I moved around a lot due to my husband serving 10 years in the Marine Corps. That meant different jobs, different states, different rules to learn. I adapted very quickly wherever I moved and all the firms were extremely understanding of our moving so frequently. I worked for small solo firms, large corporate firms and everything in between. I gained knowledge of Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation, Family Law, Immigration, Litigation and Criminal Law! I suppose you could say that I have done it all.
The last firm I worked for in-house was where I met my Mentor. Why did it take you 9 years to find your Mentor? Well, it is all about the boss. You get some good attorneys and some bad. In my experience, up until my last firm-I did not have that solid supportive boss. That is until I started working with Andy Long, Esq. He taught me criminal law; which I grew a passion for. He allowed me to take a stab at the work; and being a semi-perfectionist (okay, I am admitting it), I ended up not doing too bad! He always taught me new things, explained why we were doing what we were doing, but most of all-he trusted me. He trusted that I would get him as prepared as possible for a trial. He trusted me in conversing with his clients (both in person and via telephone/email). He trusted that I would teach him. Wait, what? Did I just say that? Yes!! He never knew paralegals could do as much as they can. I taught him delegation. I taught him trust. The attorney/paralegal bond we had was nothing short of exceptional! He supported me. I supported him. That makes a great team.
Why would I ever leave something so great? Well, it was my time. I had outgrown my position at the firm. I was always a little more technologically advanced. I was there to produce my best work. I was not there to goof off. Therefore; always being a business minded individual, I quit my job. I took the next 4 weeks traveling with my family and attending my daughter’s tennis matches. I finally felt free, but my heart stung for having to leave my boss.
Then, in August 2018, I researched and watched online tutorials and researched some more on opening a virtual paralegal business. I put my plan into action. Being a paralegal, we research until we are blue in the face and still question if we are right or not! I had excellent ties with the legal community due to all of my volunteer work and all my years being an in-house paralegal. I partnered with a company in D.C. looking for a virtual paralegal. I analyzed arrest videos, Metro videos and performed paralegal tasks under the supervision of a D.C. attorney. I quickly realized most of my clients I was obtaining were in the larger cities. Atlanta. D.C. NYC. LA. I broke into those markets PRIOR to breaking into my local market. The reason for that is in Knoxville, attorney’s are not “up to date” on the virtual world. They do not even know what a virtual paralegal does and how they do what they do. Then, I found myself with some local clients. The Knoxville clients were the hardest to obtain, simply because they did not understand the virtual world, whereas; most larger cities have already been exposed.
Fast forward to NOW! We have clients all over the U.S. that we serve. We service licensed attorneys with paralegal and administrative tasks; as well as CEO’s with simply administrative needs. KPS is growing larger than I ever imagined . We now have 10 sub-contractors that assist me with the daily work. I will never regret that leap of faith I had when I walked out of my last firm. I am thankful to my family, friends and Mentor for being so supportive of me during this process. It is not easy; but I continue to hustle every day!
>>>I hope this inspires other paralegals to just let go and trust in themselves and their ability to have a “free” schedule. If you are a paralegal looking to open your own virtual paralegal company-please reach out to me. I would love to give you some advice (both good and bad) that I learned along the way!
