Category Archives: Firm News

It’s 2016. New Year’s celebrations have come and gone, but the promise of a brand new year remains as fresh as it was on New Year’s Eve, and it’s a promise that brings year-long lessons, from the ball drop in Times Square to New Year’s resolutions.

Ball Drop: 100+ Year Old Tradition
According to History.com, New Year celebrations as we know them today began roughly 4,000 years ago, in ancient Babylon, when people celebrated with a religious festival that spanned 11 days and featured a specific ritual on each of those days.

There’s plenty to love about October (as we wrote then), but there’s more to love about December. It might be cooler, depending on where you live – it’s 51 in Phoenix at the moment – but we’ll take that over some of our 100+ degree days.

Here are some of the biggest reasons to love December (some more obvious than others):

Holidays: Of course, we have to reference the holidays, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or one of many others this month. December is a sacred month for people who profess faith in several major world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam.

Originally from Kansas City, Ashley Rahaman (bio) earned her law degree from the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka (on a Presidential Scholarship), and developed her interest in both volunteerism and family law in her role as a Deputy Clerk. Early in her legal career as a Deputy Clerk, Ashley worked closely with juvenile court judges, researching and drafting orders for Child in Need of Care and related matters.

We recently welcomed Rona Rogers to DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC. She’s new, but she isn’t new to the legal world – she began her career in 1994, where she worked as a receptionist in a law firm in Phoenix (Rona is a Phoenix native).

After two years in her role as a receptionist, Rona began working as a legal secretary, focusing almost exclusively on family law and divorce cases. She worked in the role of a legal secretary for nine years. In 2005, Rona became a family law paralegal, and now has more than a decade of experience in this role.

Alison Kekic comes to DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC by way of Ohio, entering the Paralegal Studies program at Cuyahoga Community College, and thereafter earning her bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2002 at the University of Akron.

Though she remains an Ohio sports fan, Alison prefers the sunnier climate of Arizona, and relocated here in 2013, bringing with her more than 15 years of legal experience as a paralegal.

DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC welcomes Shannon Colleen McShay, recent ASU law graduate, to the team as a family law associate!

A graduate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2015, Shannon earned her Juris Doctor with distinction, graduating in the top one-third of her class. She was also a Pedrick Scholar for academic achievement. Prior to law school, Shannon studied finance at ASU, and graduated summa cum laude

The lawyers and staff of DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving!

As we did in October for Halloween, here are a few selected items to help get you in the right frame of mind for turkey and pumpkin pie.
When you get into an argument with your family about history…
We wrote about getting into the right frame of mind for turkey and pumpkin pie, but these weren’t even on the menu during the first Thanksgiving – venison, not turkey, was a featured course.

As November draws to a close, we hope you have the chance to relax with family and friends and enjoy Thanksgiving.

At DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, we have much to be thankful for. Staci Maret recently passed the exam to become a Certified Paralegal. Sara Swiren was recognized by the Volunteer Lawyers Program for her pro bono service this year. And all of us continue to enjoy the privilege of representing and working for the many Arizona clients who put their trust in us to help them.

At DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, we make an effort to invest in our own legal knowledge and education. This, in turn, helps us better the lives of our clients.

Becoming a Certified Paralegal is a case in point.
According to the Association of Paralegals, the Certified Paralegal exam is a voluntary professional credentialing program. In other words, taking and passing this examination is not a requirement to work as a paralegal.

Veterans Day is not Memorial Day.
Veterans Day honors all people who have served in the military, in both wartime and peacetime, whereas Memorial Day honors those who have died in battle or because of wounds sustained in battle. Veterans Day occurs on Nov. 11, whereas Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday of May.

There is no apostrophe in Veterans Day.
This may only interest the grammarians, but there is no apostrophe in Veterans Day. This is because the word “veterans” is an attributive noun – at least according to Dictionary.com. Rather than a day that “belongs” to veterans, Veterans Day is for all to honor those who served or are currently serving.