Kelli Sandilands Natrin, a Senior Immigration Paralegal at Cozen O’Connor, loves that her role pushes her to continually adapt to change. Entering college with little to no idea of what she wanted to do, Kelli quickly chose Legal Studies as her major. States Kelli, “I knew the legal field would suit my strengths and interests and that it was a growing field with lots of job opportunities in different disciplines.” Graduating from Stevenson University with a bachelor’s in Legal Studies in 2010, Kelli had developed a passion for law. Using the knowledge she gained through her education, she remarks, “By the time I finished the program, I knew exactly what I was looking for and what I was capable of accomplishing.”
As Senior Paralegal with the firm’s Immigration Policy and Strategy division, Kelli assists in a variety of cases, providing aid to corporations and individuals seeking temporary and long-term immigration solutions. She is involved in many steps behind the scenes on immigration cases, this includes everything from investigating to summarizing all data pertaining to a case, preparing petitions and other documents, filing responses for Requests of Evidence and Notices of Intent to Deny/Revoke. There is no doubt that her work impacts many lives.
Kelli also notes that her area of expertise keeps her on her toes, “I work in the immigration field and things are always changing and you are sort of forced to keep up with the evolution of the law.” With eight and a half years of experience as an immigration paralegal – more than 3 of those with Cozen O’Connor, Kelli is especially proud of the opportunities she has to share her knowledge with others. Kelli says, “Overall, I feel lucky to find a career in the legal field that I am passionate about. I love my colleagues and our clients. I have spent the last eight years really learning the ins and outs and now I get to train and guide new paralegals and associates.”
Kelli has continued to grow as a paralegal, obtaining her Master’s in Forensic Studies in 2012 from Stevenson University Online (SUO). In addition to her role at Cozen O’Connor, she is a faculty member with SUO, and is pursuing her law degree.
-Submitted by Carolyn Hess Johnson, Professor, Forensic Studies, Stevenson University Online