Professional Staff
Kay M. Smith, Office Manager and Legal Assistant
No professional team would be complete without a veteran to lead it. As Office Manager of Mertes & Mertes, P.C., Kay Smith brings her 29 years of experience as a professional legal assistant to bear upon the job.
“I can’t believe that I have been working as a professional legal assistant for 29 years,” Smith said. “It seems like it was just yesterday that I began working in this great field.”
“I still wake up every day, excited about the job. What we do here is so exciting, and so important. Most days, I get in early and I leave late. I couldn’t do this year after year if I didn’t love the job and the clients so much.”
“The attorneys that I work with here are the very finest with whom I have ever worked,” Smith said. “They just get it. They don’t talk over their clients’ heads. They always take the time to explain things carefully, using plain language. They realize the importance of every client and every case that comes in our door.”
“Our clients appreciate that. Clients often come into our office for the first time, and they’re nervous or scared about their situations. I enjoy watching them as they leave. They always look so much more confident and comfortable. That’s what our attorneys do for them, and it makes me very proud,” Smith said.
Smith is married to Roger Smith of Morrison, Illinois. She and her husband have three adult children. “I am just so proud of all of them. My son is a high school teacher in Morrison, one of my daughters is a legal assistant who works right here with me, and my other daughter is a college student at Sauk Valley Community College. Parents are reflected in their children, so my husband and I are extremely proud of the reflections we have cast in our kids.”
Kay Smith can be contacted at 815.626.1500.
Amy E. Garriott, Paralegal
The lowest grade that Amy Garriott ever received in high school or college was an A. Garriott graduated with top honors from Rock Falls High School, and then graduated with top honors from Illinois State University. She had been accepted to the University of Illinois College of Law, when she decided to become a paralegal. She has worked as a paralegal in Chicago and in DeKalb. For the past 12 years, she has worked as the first assistant to Attorney James W. Mertes.
“A lot of people get tired of their jobs after a while. I have never been anything but eager about mine. It’s amazing to me, but I still get excited every time a new case comes in,” she said.
“I just love working with the attorneys here. We sit down as a team and develop the best strategies. After the client leaves from a first appointment with the attorney, we immediately sit down and talk about the best approach for handling their legal matter,” Garriott said.
As a paralegal, I am really lucky to be working for attorneys who understand the importance of using the latest technologies to assist them in their representation of the client. We use the best and latest in electronic legal research and investigative technologies. We are fully electronic, which really improves our organization and efficiency.”
Garriott is married to Scott Garriott of Sterling, Illinois. She and her husband have two daughters.
Amy Garriott can be contacted at 815.626.1500.
Leanne K. Smith, Legal Assistant
Leanne Smith has learned a thing or two from her mother over the years. Smith’s mother, Kay Smith, is the office manager of Mertes & Mertes, P.C., and a 29-year veteran professional legal assistant.
“Growing up, my mom instilled a strong work ethic within me,” Leanne Smith said. “Of course, she never talked about her cases with our family. I just knew that she worked at a law office, and that whatever she was doing, it was serious and important,” Smith added.
“After I graduated from high school, and while attending college, I began working with my mom. I think that is when I became the most proud of her. I was able to witness, firsthand, just how great she really is. She is just so smart, and she works so hard to assist the attorneys and their clients throughout the legal process,” Smith said.
Two years ago, Leanne Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. “My psychology degree has assisted me in understanding the emotional needs of the clients,” Smith said.
Having worked in a law office for six years now, Smith’s responsibilities continue to expand. ”Detail is so important in this job,” Smith said. “The attorneys and staff of this law firm pay close attention to detail, and I think that’s what sets us apart,” she added.
Leanne Smith can be contacted at 815.626.1500.
