Meet Shari Taylor, one of NextChapter’s expert virtual paralegals. Living in Tennessee, Shari has been working as a paralegal for 35 years now.

After wanting to be a lawyer in high school, Shari attended a trade school for office occupations because of financial restraints. She started working as a legal assistant for a hometown attorney, her first experience working in the legal world. Her favorite part of working in the legal field is being able to help people, and she decided to dedicate her career to this line of work. Shari eventually received an associate’s degree in paralegal studies and has been working as a paralegal ever since.

Working virtually is a more recent experience for Shari. Early in her career as a legal assistant, she used a typewriter to prepare bankruptcies on three-part carbon forms, so avoiding mistakes was crucial. Now, work is so much simpler on a laptop or desktop computer, or even a smartphone, which is always handy if she’s not at her computer to answer emails.

“You can’t do research on a typewriter, right?” Shari says. “Technology is an awesome thing!”

One of Shari’s technology hacks has been adding a monitor to her home office that she can use in conjunction with her laptop when displaying and entering information in NextChapter. This avoids the need to close or minimize screens or having to print documents to make comparisons.

Shari loves how NextChapter speeds up the bankruptcy preparation and filing process. Her favorite feature is the ability to integrate a client’s credit report into their petition using the tool. This saves time on data entry but also improves accuracy. The MyChapter feature is another favorite of Shari’s since she can narrow down questions to clients and they can easily upload their petition documents.

As an experienced paralegal, Shari loves everything about bankruptcy law, especially helping people relieve their financial stress and create a fresh start. When she’s not working, she plays the piano and organ, crochets, quilts, and dabbles in painting. Playing pool and going for rides on her Harley with her husband are Shari’s other hobbies. “Ahhh, the freedom when the wind is blowing in your face!”

We are so fortunate to have Shari Taylor as part of NextChapter’s team of virtual paralegals. These legal professionals assist law firms with the entire bankruptcy preparation and filing process, offering expert services in an on-demand format.