Atlee Hall celebrates Diane Fultz’s 15 years of service

Written by Emma Parnham

Diane started with Atlee Hall in 2005. She works for partner Jaime Jackson, in the more niche role of eDiscovery and document management, particularly in trucking and crashworthiness cases, and cases requiring a large volume of documents and database management, such as the firm’s Depuy hip and m.chimaera cases.  

Diane is originally from Kansas and grew up on an air force base in Indiana. She moved to Lancaster, PA, in 1988 after graduating from NE Illinois University in Chicago. She also has a Masters of Science in Interior Design from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

After graduating with her Masters degree, Diane sent her resume to every law firm in Lancaster. After three months, Jamie Jackson called and hired her. Asking why he hired her, since she had no background in law, Jaime told Diane that e-discovery was the future and since Diane had experience with computer databases and programs, he figured she could learn the law.
Fifteen years later, Diane and Jaime are still working together.

In 2018, Diane was awarded the Sharon T. Russell AIEG Paralegal of the Year Award, voted by her peers as being the embodiment of a paralegal who is willing to share information to help her fellow paralegals. She received the award from her mentor, Cindy Tupis.

As Diane reflects on 15 years with Atlee Hall, she says, “You know the old saying ‘It’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity’? I was given the “opportunity” of managing 37 recalled hip cases. Each time a letter had to go out, it meant 37 letters had to be sent. Each time we had to call a client to get information, it was 37 phone calls. It was several years before a settlement agreement was in place and extremely gratifying to see the hard work pay off for our clients. I am definitely proud of the hip case-work.”

Talking about how she has seen the firm evolve, Diane observes, “Atlee Hall’s focus has always been on helping our clients, but over time, that has expanded to helping our communities. This includes our local community, legal organizations we associate with, as well as non-profits that align with the Atlee Hall mission. As for me, I have undergone a shift from viewing my team not as “co-workers”, but as my “work family”. I believe there are many others at Atlee Hall who feel the same way.

Diane’s advice to anyone aspiring to become a paralegal is to talk to paralegals in law firms specializing in different areas of the law. The paralegal duties in a firm specializing in family law will be very different than those in a tax law firm. “The combination of work that interests you, along with a good ‘work family’ supporting you can bring contentment to your life.”

Diane and her significant other, Tom, are experienced travelers and enjoy visiting new places. Her favorite city is Hong Kong, where they traveled for Tom’s son’s wedding. To those who know her best, it will come as no surprise to learn that Diane’s favorite color is yellow; she is often seen in the office dressed in a pop of color. What may be less well known is that Diane is somewhat of a domestic goddess; not only does she sew and make many of her own clothes, she is also a great baker. The office never complains when Diane shares her homemade cookies!

Congratulations to Diane on 15 years with Atlee Hall.