July 2024 Affiliate Spotlight – Amy McGuigan, ACP, CEDS, CAS

Amy McGuigan, ACP, CEDS, CAS, has served as NALA Liaison for the San Francisco Paralegal Association (SFPA) since 2019. Amy recently presented three sessions at the 2024 NALA Conference & Expo in addition to co-presenting the Affiliate Exchange with Tony Sipp of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association (LAPA).  

Amy joined SFPA in 2018 and was elected NALA Liaison the following year. She served as Secretary for a year before being elected President for three years. In addition to her service with SFPA, she serves as Chair of the Paralegal Section of the San Francisco Bar Association, where she has been a member since 2017. She is also the Director of the San Francisco Chapter of Women in eDiscovery. 

“I am definitely going to continue to be a part of SFPA,” Amy said. “I want to make sure that SFPA is keeping up with what is going on in the paralegal world.”  

As SFPA’s NALA Liaison, Amy loves being able to attend NALA’s conferences. “It is a fantastic way to network and meet people, and it is so much fun.”  

Amy believes there is no direct correlation between the number of hours you volunteer with an association and the impact you make. Some people will put in several hours a week while others do several hours a month. They can both make important contributions to their association.  

“If you like it,” Amy said, “it does not feel like it is work.” 

One way Amy has contributed to SFPA is by helping them adapt once the pandemic started. Associations had to pivot to operating virtually, so Amy partnered with Tony Sipp (LAPA) to host weekly virtual happy hours for almost a year, in hopes of giving paralegals a social outlet in a time when they could not leave their homes. She also held a virtual program during lunch every day on upskilling and updating your resume for anyone who had lost their job.  

“Networking,” Amy asserted, “is only as productive as the work you put into it.” 

She has been a paralegal for 20 years and currently works as a Senior Paralegal at Swanson & McNamara LLP, where she is the only paralegal for seven attorneys. The firm specializes in criminal law and white collar civil law.  

Her focus on professional development has led her to become an Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP^®), Certified eDiscovery Specialist (CEDS), and California Advanced Specialist (CAS) in Discovery. She received her paralegal certificate from UC Santa Cruz and her associate degree in forensic identification. While Amy is working on acquiring her bachelor’s degree in computer forensics, she wants aspiring paralegals to know that a bachelor’s degree is not required for a successful career. Not having her bachelor’s degree has not stopped her from thriving in her career, actively volunteering with multiple associations, and obtaining her CP^® and ACP^® through NALA. 

Amy’s efforts and dedication to the paralegal profession have been recognized on multiple occasions. In 2019, she received the Paralegal of the Year Award from the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations. The following year, SFPA selected her to receive a NALA Affiliate Award.  

Amy was taught to have three mentors: one for where she is, one for where she is going, and one for where she started. She says they change regularly.  

“I see the people around me who I aspire to be,” she said, “and I want to make sure what I am doing is in line with that.” 

When she is not working or volunteering, Amy has 100 hobbies, including painting, pottery, and stained-glass art. She has a side business where she makes gemstone jewelry. Amy has four furry companions: two Irish wolfhounds and two miniature dachshunds.  

Her favorite quote is by Steven Wright. “Eagles may soar, but weasels do not get sucked into jet engines.”  

Keep an eye on NALA’s YouTube channel here for Amy and Tony’s presentation on the Benefits of Collaboration from the 2024 NALA Conference & Expo.