THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511180369
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Rita Parent is tops in her profession, and she has the awards to prove it.
A legal secretary with the law firm of Kaufman & Canoles, Parent displays numerous certificates of recognition on a wall behind her desk in the NationsBank building in downtown Norfolk.
The Suffolk resident, a secretary for 32 years, earned certification as a professional legal secretary and has held numerous leadership positions in secretarial organizations.
She was recently named 1995 Legal Secretary of the Year of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Area Legal Secretaries Association.
She was nominated by her boss, lawyer Alfred M. Randolph Jr., who was named 1995 Boss of the Year - nominated by Parent.
``It's very unusual for both a boss and his secretary to win,'' Parent said. ``Names are not known when the judging takes place.''
In his letter to a panel of three judges, Randolph described Parent as ``efficient, organized, eager and creative.''
``However, her most important asset is the tremendous pride she takes in her work. . . . This positive attitude and desire to enhance both client service and service to the attorneys is evident on a daily basis,'' he added.
``We work so well together that we now can communicate without talking - she has that `Radar O'Reilly' sixth sense.''
Randolph and Parent are in the running for a statewide award by the Virginia Association of Legal Secretaries. Winners will be announced in May.
``I never let my brain sit still,'' Parent said with a smile. ``I attend seminars, and I enjoy the constant learning.''
In addition to transcribing dictation and typing legal documents, Parent is the editor of ``The Kaufie,'' which provides information, copies of newspaper articles and helpful hints regarding grammar and punctuation for 75 lawyers and support staff in the firm's Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News offices.
Parent also does secretarial work for lawyer Victoria Barnes and para-legal Stacia LaDue.
``One of my most important jobs is to be sure my boss makes all of his appointments, especially court dates,'' Parent said. ``Attorneys must have 12 hours of continuing legal education each year, and I make sure the attorneys report their hours to the Virginia State Bar.''
A native of Gulfport, Miss., Parent, 58, grew up in Long Beach, Miss. Although she and her husband, Ralph, have lived in Hampton Roads since 1987, they didn't decide to buy a home until they visited some friends in Suffolk. Impressed by the friendliness of area residents, they moved into their new home last April.
``The reason I love Suffolk so much is because it reminds me of Long Beach,'' she said.
Parent became a legal secretary in 1963 and worked for law firms in Gulfport and Hattiesburg, Miss. In 1982, she was named Legal Secretary of the Year of Harrison-Hancock Counties LSA in Mississippi.
``If I had known I was going to like legal work so much, I wouldn't have waited so long. I would have gone into legal work first.''
Married to Ralph Parent since 1983, she has two children from a previous marriage, Phyllis Smith Trochesset of Gulfport and David Smith of Suffolk. She also has a granddaughter, 7-year-old Kandis Smith.
The couple moved to Virginia Beach, where Ralph Parent was stationed at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base with the Seabees. When he retired in 1985, they returned to Gulfport for two years before moving back to Hampton Roads.
Rita Parent decided to pursue certification as a professional secretary, spending Saturdays to prepare for the seven-part exam.
``Becoming a CPLS is like finally becoming a doctor,'' she said. ``It's an honor . . . that has to be earned. If you put that on a resume, you are hired a lot faster.''
She is now qualified to give a one-day exam to secretaries trying to become accredited legal secretaries. A 33-hour training course is sponsored by the Norfolk-Portsmouth Area Legal Secretaries Association.
Parent is governor of the association and director of marketing and public relations for the Virginia Association of Legal Secretaries.
``It takes 10 in the legal field to charter a chapter,'' she said. ``We are trying to establish a chapter in Suffolk.''
Parent also has been a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1983. And she enjoys needlecraft, particularly needlepoint, crochet and cross-stitching. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by BILL TIERNAN
Rita Parent's boss says she's ``efficient, organized, eager and
creative.''
by CNB