Anita Williams
Paralegal
Education.
- Bryant & Stratton College, Paralegal Cert., 1978
- SUNY Erie Community College, A.A. Business, 1978
Get to know Anita.
Hard work isn’t easy. It’s worth it.
When Anita wanted to buy a car when she was 17, her parents made the terms clear: You save up, and we’ll match you. No shortcuts, no handouts. Just the no-nonsense principle that had guided their household: “You can’t get anything if you don’t work.”
So that’s what she did. She picked up odd jobs whenever she could find them and eventually walked into that dealership with enough for a down payment. The keys to her cherry red Chevy Cavalier in her hand were proof that you get out what you put in.
Nearly five decades later, that same philosophy still defines how Anita approaches her work as a paralegal. Anita’s journey to the law began with a childhood dream of becoming a police officer, driven by a desire to help people and understand what makes them make the choices that they do. When her parents steered her toward legal studies instead, she discovered that the law offered the same opportunity to serve in a different way. She found her calling in the detailed work that keeps law firms running smoothly.
Since starting as a paralegal in 1978, her career has spanned real estate, corporate law, estate planning, and asbestos litigation. Colleagues describe her as someone who never leaves anything unfinished, never accepts “good enough,” and always ensures that every detail is handled properly.
“If I see something that’s not right, I have to fix it,” she says.
That inability to let things slide, together with the patience that comes from experience and the understanding that legal work is fundamentally about helping people through difficult situations, has made her an indispensable part of every firm that she’s worked for.
With 45 years of legal experience under her belt, she’s energized by the opportunity to work alongside colleagues who share her commitment to doing right by clients. The same values that drove her to save for that red Cavalier—hard work, integrity, and seeing things through to completion—continue to guide her approach to every case and every client. Whether it’s a first-time homebuyer navigating closing documents or a corporation facing complex litigation, she approaches each matter with the same fundamental belief: Everyone deserves to have their case handled with care and attention, start to finish.
