Gail Elsea had to let the cat out of the bag early. She had nominated her boss, Unum Group employment attorney Angela Ripper, for the Judge W. Neil Thomas III Paralegal Utilization Award, and Ripper had won. But there was a problem: The Southeast chapter of the Tennessee Paralegal Association, which gives out the award, was scheduled to announce Ripper as this year’s recipient during the Chattanooga Bar Association’s Law Day celebration, and Ripper spends her lunch hour working out in the company gym.
“I’m obsessed with exercising, so she had to tell me ahead of time,” Ripper says, smiling at Elsea.
The two women have worked together since 2000, when Ripper hired Elsea as her legal secretary. Elsea initally rejected the idea of becoming Ripper’s secretary when a friend retired from the position and suggested she take over. But her friend talked her into applying.
“I knew nothing about legal work, and was certain I’d be lost. But my friend said I’d be fine, so I talked with Angela. She hired me after five minutes,” she says, returning Ripper’s smile.
When the Family Leave Medical Act department at Unum grew, Ripper increased Elsea’s responsibilities. In response, Elsea dug into the legislation and learned as much about it as she could. In 2007, Ripper encouraged Elsea to earn her paralegal credentials.
“Gail was more than my assistant by that point. Much of what she was doing for me was paralegal work. She would look at documents and suggest changes, and she would do a lot of the work on a contract before I would see it, which shortened the amount of time I had to spend on it,” Ripper says.
Once Elsea completed her courses, Ripper promoted her to senior paralegal.
Today, Elsea is doing even more work. When Ripper has a lawsuit to handle on behalf of Unum, Elsea does a considerable amount of the legwork involved in the discovery process, digging up the necessary documents at the company and working with employee witnesses and outside counsel. She also talks with Unum employees, who might be concerned at the onset of proceedings.
Elsea also keeps up to date on pending legislation for leave laws in all 50 states, which allows Unum to make the corresponding changes into its medical leave product, and serves as the liaison between Ripper and Unum’s medical leave customers.
“If a customer has a question about how to administer a leave, Gail will talk with them and then provide me with the documentation so I can answer their questions,” Ripper says.
Elsea is clearly more than an assistant – she’s a vital part of the operations in her department at Unum, the nerves that link brain to muscle. But she does not claim any credit for her success as a paralegal; rather, she praises Ripper for seeing her potenial and opening doors for her.
“She encouraged me. She’s the reason I’m a paralegal,” Elsea says.
The legal profession requires both attorneys and paralegals to sometimes put in long hours, but both Elsea and Ripper have achieved a healthy balance between work and home. Elsea has her hands full with three kids, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and she speaks proudly of her 34-year-marriage. Ripper is married to attorney Dan Ripper, a criminal defense attorney at Luther Anderson. The couple has two children.
Ripper is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville College of Law. She has worked at Unum for 16 years. Among her accomplishments at the company is the launch of the program that administers the FLMA for its employees and customers. Ripper also speaks about the FMLA at seminars across the nation. She is assistant vice president and senior counsel at Unum.
Over the course of 12 years, the working relationship between Elsea and Ripper has grown into a friendship. Elsea attends the baseball games in which Ripper’s son plays, and when Ripper learned Elsea had nominated her for an award, she teared up.
“I was overwhelmed. To have someone who works for me think that much of me is sweet,” Ripper says, fighting back more tears.
Despite her knowledge and experience in the legal field, Elsea does not want to become a lawyer. Instead, she plans on staying with Ripper until she retires. Ripper prefers to not think about that day, not only because she will lose an effective paralegal, but because she will also say goodbye to the hours she spends working with a friend.
Ripper can have her legal secretary file that occasion under “Future Events” and take comfort in knowing Elsea will be with her for many days to come. When her senior paralegal does retire, it’s unlikely anyone will be able to take over from where she left off. However, under Ripper, a nurturing and supportive supervisor who’s eager to see those who work for her reach their full potential, the new person will someday thrive in the job, just like Elsea.