Teresa Plunkett, director of information technology for Brooks Pierce, has been named an “Unsung Legal Hero” by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly. The award recognizes the behind-the-scenes employees that keep North Carolina law firms operating smoothly, recognizing one person annually in eight different areas: firm administrators, law librarians, legal marketing specialists, legal secretaries, IT technicians, accounting professionals, paralegals and legal educators.
Plunkett, who is based in the firm’s Greensboro office, has more than 25 years of experience in law firm automation and IT. Since joining Brooks Pierce in 2014, she has modernized the firm’s help desk processes, supervised the technology component of the renovation and expansion of the firm’s Raleigh office, and developed various standardized systems that have improved the attorneys’ efficiency.
“While not always highly visible, the IT department is a crucial part of the work we do, and Teresa and her team have done an exceptional job of ensuring we have the equipment and knowledge we need to best serve our clients, even as the technology continues to evolve,” said Reid Phillips, managing partner of Brooks Pierce. “We are happy that Teresa is being honored both for her exceptional work as an IT professional, and also for the leadership she continues to show inside the firm.”
Earlier this year, Plunkett was instrumental in Brooks Pierce’s involvement in the “Over the Edge” challenge, a fundraiser for Special Olympics of North Carolina. Participants in the fundraiser received pledged donations of at least $1,000 to rappel down the front of the Wells Fargo Capital Center in downtown Raleigh. Plunkett participated in the four-person Brooks Pierce team, raising $1,350 personally and helping to raise a total of $4,240 combined on behalf of the firm.
