 Dina Wolfe Shapes Her Career As Office Administrator
By: Melanie Kowal |
“I always wanted to be a criminal attorney,” explained Dina Wolfe, office administrator at Slutzky, Wolfe and Bailey LLP. “I’m not sure when it developed. That was always what I wanted; I really wanted to be a D.A.”
Perhaps Wolfe had subconsciously been influenced by past episodes of Perry Mason or L.A. Law. Regardless of where the desire initiated, life as a D.A. would not be her fate – but the interest would direct her career path.
Wolfe grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia. She attended UGA after high school - the farthest she ever got from Atlanta, or so she related. In keeping with her D.A. plans, she studied political science and was actively involved in on-campus campaigns. (Her second dream is to become a political campaign manager.) It was perhaps her summers off working for her father’s business, however, that combined with her initial ambitions in creating her career.
“My father is self employed. Every summer and holiday away from school, I helped manage his office. I did everything from answering the phones and organizing the office to speaking with clients.” No doubt, the ability to juggle tasks, run an office and be a jack-of-all-trades helped in mastering her role as office administrator. Perhaps it was this early training that set her on her current path.
After graduation, Wolfe took the LSAT with plans to take a break before applying for law school. She decided to test the legal waters by first getting her paralegal certificate. “I wanted to see if I liked the environment,” she explained. “I planned on staying for one year. That was 11 years ago. I’m still here.” Apparently, Wolfe liked the legal environment at Slutzky, Wolfe and Bailey just fine. She stayed busy involved in real estate work and developed excellent relationships with the staff and attorneys. She especially enjoyed working closely with clients.
Wolfe worked in the capacity of a paralegal about five years before being offered an attractive opportunity. The office administrator was preparing to retire. In 1998, Wolfe was asked if she wanted to train to be her replacement.
“I was excited about the prospect,” Wolfe shared, “but a little surprised. I wasn’t sure what the role entailed.” For the next year and a half, Wolfe worked side-by-side with the office administrator. The gradual hand off of responsibilities allowed her plenty of time to learn her new role and make the transition from peer to manager.
“There were a lot of changes at the time,” Wolfe reflected. “I hadn’t seen that kind of role for myself. Plus, I was getting married.” (Recognize the ‘Wolfe’ in the firm’s name? He’s the son of the named partner.)
Wolfe’s determination paid off. She made a successful transition into her new role. She believes the partnership chose her for the position for a combination of reasons. Over the past five years, she had built strong relationships with both the attorneys and staff, and they could see her playing a long-term part in the success of the firm. Another reason she was chosen was for her progressive thinking. When she moved into the office administrator position, the firm was behind the times technologically speaking. Wolfe was eager to undertake the task of bringing them into the 21st century. Being a self-proclaimed driven individual, she welcomed the challenge of updating their systems and processes.
Moving into the role of IT guru was a challenge, but Wolfe took it all in stride. Now, in addition to managing the office and staff, she is the first line of defense in all things IT. Of course, let’s not forget the host of other responsibilities a small firm office administrator juggles.
“I do everything and anything anywhere in the office. My days can range from filling in for a secretary doing dictation to literally trying to fix bathrooms. Of course, I usually call someone to do that,” she explained. “Plus banking, payroll, time, vendors. I pretty much do it all. If you can think of it, I do it.”
But she’s not complaining. The variety keeps her busy – and on her toes. Fortunately, Slutzky, Wolfe and Bailey is a fairly laid-back firm. Lifestyle is foremost for the partnership, which is why they typically hover around seven attorneys. Their goal is to maintain the size and control. While business increases, they don’t have ambitions of growing too much over their current size. The intimate setting lends itself to staff and attorneys who like to stick around.
“People typically come here and stay around for the long-term,” Wolfe explained. “They love it.”
The family feel of the firm no doubt contributes to Wolfe’s most challenging piece of her office administrator role: human resources duties. The reporting transition itself was fairly smooth. When HR issues arise, however, it’s a different story. Wolfe, like many other office administrators who move up the ranks, oftentimes finds it tough to separate being a friend from being an office administrator.
“I’m a people person,” she related. “It’s tough to be a hardnose, especially with people you’ve worked with for years. It’s tough not to cross that line.”
Fortunately, Wolfe has found plenty of sympathetic listeners through the ALA. She began attending local chapter meetings with the former administrator and was hooked. She especially finds great benefit in the small firm section.
“The relationships are great. I exchange e-mails with ALA members almost everyday. You get immediate feedback. As an administrator, you’re alone at your firm. Nobody does what you do. The ALA allows you to interact with your peers.”
The turn of the century brought a lot of change to the life of Dina Wolfe. She married, became office administrator, and merged her law firm interests with the skills she learned helping out in her father’s office. Now with three kids and a thriving career, she’s got it pretty good.
“It keeps thing interesting,” Wolfe shared. “It certainly never gets boring.”
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