July 2026 Volunteer Spotlight: Brandy Ableman, ACP, SCCP

Brandy Rae Ableman, ACP, SCCP, is a member of NALA’s Continuing Education Council (CEC), where she helps support educational opportunities that fortify the profession while encouraging paralegals to maintain strong principles.

“Serving on a committee like the CEC is a way for me to ensure that the paralegal profession evolves, sets ethical standards, and maintains its credibility within the legal world,” she shared.

Prior to her service with NALA, Brandy held several positions with her local affiliated association, the South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association (SCUPA), including President, VP of Membership, and NALA Liaison. Throughout her time with SCUPA, she has played an active role in planning seminars, coordinating pro bono initiatives, organizing social events, and fostering a strong local paralegal community.

Brandy works as a medical malpractice defense litigation paralegal at Huff Powell Bailey in Greenville, South Carolina. She received her Associate in Applied Science in paralegal studies from Greenville Technical College in 2014 before obtaining her Certified Paralegal (CP^®) credential in 2015. She was one of the first 25 professionals in the state to earn the South Carolina Certified Paralegal (SCCP) credential in 2016. She got her Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP^®) designation in eDiscovery in 2021.

Her commitment to the profession has also been recognized through the 2019 NALA Affiliate Award and SCUPA’s President’s Award, which she received from 2020 through 2022.

Brandy was motivated to volunteer nationally by NALA President-elect Peonca Grier, CP, when she represented NALA at SCUPA’s annual seminar. Since continuing education has always been an important part of her involvement with SCUPA, she described volunteering for the CEC as “a natural move and an opportunity to serve paralegals across the country.” Her favorite part is meeting and working with paralegals nationwide.

Brandy’s path to certification reflects her commitment to professional development. After completing her degree, she decided to channel that same energy into becoming a Certified Paralegal. She dedicated several months to self-study before taking the exam. The effort paid off as she passed on her first attempt.

As a NALA member, Brandy values the complimentary educational resources, including the “career-boosting” Utilization & Compensation Report.

“Most of all, I love the relationships that I build with other members,” she reflected.

She encourages her fellow members to volunteer on one of NALA’s committees, saying, “You will get more out of it than you can imagine!”

Outside of her professional commitments, Brandy enjoys walking her dogs, hiking, running, and taking group fitness classes. She also likes cooking nutritious meals and binge-watching Netflix shows.

Lately, she has been focused on making time each day for personal prayer and meditation. Family means a lot to her. She and her husband have been married for 26 years and have three adult children. They keep a full house with two dogs, two cats, and a turtle.

If she could instantly master any hobby, she would choose sewing. While she would like to be able to fix a hem or make her own clothes, she joked that she is not sure whether she can even thread a needle. Given the opportunity to live anywhere for a year, she said a shorter trip to Ireland would be nice, but “there is no place like home.”