Shiel Sexton Spotlight…
Our next Shiel Sexton Spotlight is Niki Slaton, our Senior Paralegal! Niki has worked at Shiel Sexton for nearly 8 years this June. In this interview, she talked with us about working in the construction industry and the role she plays within Shiel Sexton.
What do you like most about Shiel Sexton and your role within the company?
One of my favorite aspects of my job is that I get the opportunity to work with so many different people in Shiel Sexton. In some capacity, I am exposed to all of our projects, so I am able to multitask and work on a variety of things at once. I love being able to interact and collaborate with numerous coworkers per project and form those strong connections.
What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on during your time with Shiel Sexton?
Technically I work on every single project in some capacity, but I really love being a part of the initial stage of each project. Some of my main day-to-day responsibilities include negotiating changes to our agreements when subcontractors/suppliers make change requests. I also assist our attorneys in writing or marking changes to our agreements with owners. Lastly, I work on our entity management and assist with preparation for our quarterly board meetings. But overall, I love having the opportunity to work on each project in one way or another.
What do you like most about working in the Construction industry?
Being a paralegal, there aren’t a lot of jobs that you can tangibly see. But I truly love being able to drive through downtown Indianapolis and surrounding areas and see the different types of projects that Shiel Sexton has completed over the years. Every time that I drive by one of our projects I say, “We built that!” and it gives me a lot of pride to be able to see the effects that Shiel Sexton’s projects have had on the Indianapolis community.
How does your role affect the landscape of the Construction Industry?
I believe that paralegals are crucial in the construction industry as I am tasked with protecting the interests of Shiel Sexton as a contractor, as well as owners, subcontractors, and suppliers.
What I think is interesting about my role and the legal department is that we have to think extensively about what-if scenarios. Truthfully, it sounds like “doomsday” when we talk about these scenarios, but our job is to think through each and every scenario so we can ensure that Shiel Sexton puts its best foot forward. But, if any of our what-if scenarios ever happen, we will be ready for them!
Thank you, Niki, for your hard work and continuous service at Shiel Sexton!