Lawyers and secretaries who've worked together for years tend to say the same thing about why they're effective as a team: "We're friends. We respect one another." A closer look at three local pairs suggests there's more to it than that.
Edward (Ted) McNabola, 38
Dana Petrecca, 30
Cogan & McNabola P.C.
Like other assistants to litigators, Dana Petrecca is part social worker and part military commander.
Clients trying to reach her boss, personal injury lawyer Edward (Ted) McNabola, are likely to encounter the social worker: a kind-hearted soul who sympathizes with them about their medical injuries.
Mr. McNabola is more likely to encounter Ms. Petrecca the commander, who makes sure he follows his daily marching orders. Yes, she pays his parking tickets and will go to Marshall Field's to buy him a tie. But in the seven years they've worked together, her main job has been getting him to court on time and reminding him what motions to take with him.
She puts his messages and mail in three piles: those items he should tend to immediately, those he should respond to within a week and the rest, which he can respond to at his leisure. If he's teaching at Northwestern University's School of Law that night, she'll hand him the syllabus.
"She has a far better memory than I do," says Mr. McNabola, who has been overheard screaming for Ms. Petrecca even when she's not at her desk. "She's exceptionally organized and very smart."
Source: Crain's Chicago Business, December 5, 2005
