Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharee Laidlaw.
Sharee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I passed my first bar exam in California in 1989 and began my career as a family law attorney in Los Angeles. I moved with my family to Utah in 1993 and began practicing law in Salt Lake City. If I am being honest, I never really liked practicing law because of the contention, competitiveness and long hours of the profession. After practicing law for over 18 years, I reinvented myself as a college professor and began teaching in the Paralegal Studies Program at Salt Lake Community College. I instantly knew I was not a lawyer but I was actually a teacher! I have taught hundreds of students who came to our program to prepare for a career in the law. Some were planning on going to law school in the future but most were preparing for a career as a paralegal. I have seen so many students work so hard and overcome so much adversity to change their lives by getting an education leading to a better job with higher salaries and more responsibility. My former students are working in law firms, government agencies and corporations all over Utah. They make me very proud! Recently, I began teaching law classes at the Utah State Prison under the direction of the Utah Department of Corrections. My UDC students are smart, motivated, funny and resilient. I enjoy so much my interaction with them and seeing those light bulb moments when a new concept suddenly makes sense to them. They are making the best of what they have and are trying to become better people. I am lucky to be part of that process.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was a divorced single mother when I began law school at age 27. I had no income and a three year old daughter. I waitressed on weekends and picked up odd jobs when I could but mostly I survived off my student loans, I rode the bus to law school in downtown LA. I had a car that cost me $50 and would not go over 30 MPH. I was embarrassed for my fellow law school classmates to see me waiting for the bus at the bus stop in front of the school. Law school was hard for me but I worked hard and did well. Later I married and had more children which made it very difficult to balance my job and my home life. Attorneys work long hours and have a lot of pressure on them. I was working for a firm in SLC when I was laid off which was devastating to me. That event that I saw as a setback for my career turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me because it gave me the opportunity to reinvent myself as a college professor.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have an amazing career teaching at SLCC. I know that I could have made more money and had more prestige working as an attorney in a private law firm but teaching is what I love to do. Over the years I have also taught at the University of Utah in the S.J. Quinney School of Law and Utah Valley University as an adjunct associate professor. I have been involved in the creation of a new legal profession in Utah, Licensed Paralegal Practitioners. I helped create training and exams for LPP’s in Utah. It has been very rewarding to see LPP’s working and helping clients here in our state. I am most proud of my students at SLCC, in the LPP program and at the Utah State Prison. I get huge satisfaction from following their careers and seeing them succeed. I see myself as my students’ cheerleader encouraging them, guiding them and supporting them in any way I can to help them to succeed. I think that I am known for being a caring, supportive teacher who always has time to meet with students and help them get where they want to go. I have had several UDC students graduate from our program and go on to great careers in law firms. No amount of money can compete with the way that makes me feel.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
It is okay to switch gears mid career and do something that makes you happy. Just because you chose a major, graduated from college in that field does not mean you are stuck there for life. Find what makes you happy then go do it. Don’t choose what makes the most money but also makes you miserable. How much money do we really need after all? It’s more important to be happy than to be rich.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.slcc.edu/paralegalstudies/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharee-laidlaw-1a53b844/
