With an eye toward helping families, Lucia joined the office of Nanci A. Smith, Esq. PLLC in March of 2020 as a paralegal. In addition to her paralegal duties, Lucia mediates divorce and family law cases.
After earning her graduate degree, Lucia spent 16 years working in the field of child welfare, primarily in Austin, Texas. She has held positions as a foster care case manager, team leader, director, and guardian ad litem volunteer, supervisor, and team leader. By 2011, the legal side of the child welfare system piqued her interest, and after earning her paralegal certificate, she became a paralegal for an office representing children in child welfare cases.
From March 2014 until February 2020, Lucia worked as a paralegal and practice manager at a busy Burlington firm, working mostly on intellectual property and environmental matters.
Lucia is currently the Pro Bono Chair and is a past president of the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO), where she still holds a professional membership. She also holds memberships with Vermont Family Mediators (VFaM), the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), the Vermont Bar Association (non-voting), the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), and NALA. She volunteers as a paralegal with the legal clinic of Steps to End Domestic Violence in Burlington and she is a member of the Community Advisory Board of Kidsafe Collaborative. She also volunteers at Feeding Chittenden.
Lucia moved to Vermont in January 2014. She lives with her husband and her cat, Cat, and she is excited that her daughter has a new home in the area.
EDUCATION
2022 – Advanced Mediation Training (over 120 hours) – Center for Mediation and Dialogue, Champlain College, Burlington, VT
2010 – Paralegal Certificate – University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
1993 – Master of Science in Psychology – University of Memphis, TN
1991 – Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with minors in English and Philosophy – University of Scranton, PA
