Hayes helped Boardman Clark navigate paralegal shortage caused by pandemic

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When the pandemic hit, one of the people at Boardman Clark who stepped up to help the firm tackle an unprecedented number of new difficulties was Christina Hayes.

Hayes, a paralegal, didn’t hesitate to take on some of the additional workload that arose following the unexpected departures of other paralegals and made sure nothing fell through the cracks.

“She has weathered staffing shortages and limitations created by the pandemic while she continues to work productively and efficiently,” said Paul Schmidt, an attorney at Boardman Clark. “She learned quickly and took on advanced projects willingly, even after we lost a senior paralegal, which left Christina as the sole paralegal in her area.”

Hayes works in the firm’s Trusts and Estates practice group and helps with all aspects of probate and trust administration. She is responsible for preparing inventories and accountings and works closely with clients. She also assists with the preparation of fiduciary, individual and estate tax returns.

“The probate and trust administration process can be a challenging time for some clients, dealing with the loss of a loved one,” Hayes said. “Also, some financial institutions are more difficult to work with when you’re trying to help a client transfer or retitle assets in the name of a beneficiary.”

Colleague Elizabeth Heiner, an attorney at the firm, said Hayes is very organized and always keeps her on track to make sure the work is completed in a professional and timely manner.

“I know that my clients are in good hands when working with Christina,” she said. “She is responsible, kind, courteous, considerate, thoughtful and smart. I do not have to nag her to get things done – she just takes the work and runs with it. I cannot thank her enough for getting us all though a difficult period when we were shorthanded.”