Nancy Heller Receives 2007 McCormac Award

December 17, 2007

Dec. 12, 2007, Nancy B. Heller, a paralegal with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP received the fifth annual John W. McCormac Award for Outstanding Service to the Paralegal Profession. The award was presented jointly by Capital University Law School, Project Lawyers, the sponsor of the award, and the Columbus Bar Association.

Many speakers were on hand to honor Heller including Capital University Law School Dean Jack A. Guttenberg; former Dean, the Hon. John W. McCormac; Nelson E. Genshaft, president of the Columbus Bar Association; Stephen R. Buchenroth of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP; and Donna Prehm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP. Suzanne K. Richards, a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP presented the award to Heller.

During the presentation of the award, Richards spoke of Heller’s dedication, level of commitment and participation in the legal community, as well as her professional excellence.

"My father kept sending me information about the legal field," said Heller about how she became a pioneer in the paralegal profession. "In my first paralegal position, we gave each other a probationary period of 6 months. And here I am today."

Heller completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Forensic Studies at Indiana University in 1978 and began her paralegal career at Chester, Willcox & Saxbe. She then joined the labor department of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur; and in 1985, she joined the litigation group of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease where she continues her paralegal practice today.

Throughout her paralegal career Heller has been involved on the local, state, and national levels. She served in leadership positions in the Paralegal Association of Central Ohio, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), and has been NFPA’s representative on the American Bar Association’s Approval Commission for paralegal education programs. She continues to participate as a site team member to review paralegal education programs. In addition, Heller teaches in Capital University Law School’s paralegal program. Heller’s experience as a paralegal is widely recognized and she has authored numerous articles on paralegal ethics and litigation paralegal practice skills. She is a much sought after speaker on these topics and is always seeking new ways to contribute to the paralegal profession.

Aside from her involvement in the paralegal profession, Heller has found time to contribute to her community. She has been a hospice volunteer for the past 15 years and a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused, dependent and neglected children with CASA of Franklin County.

The John W. McCormac award was established in 2003 to recognize paralegals who have a long involvement in the paralegal profession, support paralegal educational efforts, increase the credibility and status of the profession, and provide service to the legal community and professional organizations. Previous award recipients include Donna Prehm (2003), Katherine L. Essex (2004), Jo Barrett (2005) and Debra Overly (2006).