Continued Leadership and Service: Steve Cook
Steve Cook, Klenda Austerman’s Office administrator continues his service to the legal profession as the newly elected Treasurer of the Wichita Area Chapter of Legal Administrators (“WALA”), a chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. WALA was formed in 1981 and provides professional development and networking opportunities to legal management professionals. As a member of the Board of WALA, Cook continues his service to the organization and legal profession. Cook previously served as treasurer, and served as Chairman of the Membership Committee last year. Cook describes his leadership role as “a great opportunity to do my part to serve the community.”
Cook recently attended the Association of Legal Administrators Annual Conference and Exposition in the Washington D.C. area where WALA received a Platinum President’s Award of Excellence, the highest award available to a local chapter. The ALA Conference brings together legal management professionals from 12 countries around the world for continued professional development and networking. Cook cited the networking opportunities at the conference as a truly great opportunity, “the classes were excellent, but the networking really provides you with key resources to connect with in such a dynamic field. It’s great being able to pick up the phone and be able to discuss different approaches to various challenges in this field.”
Cook hopes to contribute the continued success of WALA by bringing in ideas from the ALA Conference and continuing to educate members of WALA about new developments in the law and management in the legal profession. Cook also hopes to begin engaging the public to provide a better understanding of the role of the legal field in the community.
The primary goal of WALA is to provide educational opportunities to its members and legal management professionals. “It’s essential to have a broad knowledge of the developments in the legal field and an understanding of how to engage each challenge as it arises,” Cook said. WALA provides scholarships for continued professional education and connects high school students with internships at local law firms. Members of WALA are passionate about serving the Wichita community, supporting causes such as the Red Cross in its efforts to serve the homeless, and by performing a community project each fall. For more information on WALA, please visit http://walanet.org/.