Meet Kaitlyn Story of Covalent LLP & Legal Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Story.

Hi Kaitlyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Colorado from Florida after college to be a ski bum. I have always loved the adventure that Colorado had to offer and was so excited to make it my new home. After a couple years in Summit County, I moved down to Denver to get a “big girl” job. I started my career as help desk representative for Quiznos franchise owners. From there I got a job recruiting for large companies hiring IT professionals. I quickly realized this did not align with my goals for personal fulfillment and I quit to become a paralegal. That was 11 years ago this month.
I took a paralegal certificate course and then pounded pavement for 2 months. I had handed out nearly 200 resumes without a single interview request. By chance, I was handing out resumes to law firms in the building that housed the Arapahoe County Bar. I moseyed in and asked the wonderful ladies working there if they could give me some pointers on my resume. They graciously red-penned my resume and told me that if I could make these changes before they sent out their monthly newsletter that they would attach my resume to their newsletter to help me get some traction. Their kindness that day is something I can never repay and I will never forget. I got my first paralegal job making $15/hour working for a family law titan. The expectations were very high and accolades were hard to come by, but I quickly realized I really liked working in this field.
From there, I started flexing and building my skillset. I have worked in almost every practice area that utilizes litigation. I became advanced certified paralegal and have had the privilege to help hundreds of people and families. When Colorado announced their access to justice initiative that allowed family law paralegals to become licensed to practice law, I was all in. I left my fancy big law job to work at a small family law firm to make sure I met the requirement for the license. Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals (LLPs) are required to meet certain criteria, including a mini family law specific bar exam, an ethics course, education requirements, work requirements, and to apply to the Colorado bar as any attorney would have to do.
At the end of April, 2 days before my due date for our first child, I took the LLP exam. On June 16, 2025, I was sworn in as an LLP in the state of Colorado. Since then I have been building a small practice of my own. I currently represent a handful of clients in divorce cases, child custody cases, and protection order proceedings. In November of last year, LLP’s were allowed to present in court, making us some of the only people in the entire country to be able to represent a client during a court proceeding without a law degree. Of course, this is exciting news, but also very intimidating. Lately, I have been pouring into my education to make sure that my clients are receiving the services they deserve.
Being an LLP has given me a chance to get out of the 12 hour day grind and never ending stress as a high level paralegal and to expand the access to justice for people who might otherwise not be able to afford representation and to be a more present parent. I feel truly blessed to be in this position and I hope that I can capitalize on that blessing to help as many families as I possibly can.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh man, what a road.
I started out making $15/hour at my first paralegal job and decided that I wanted to pursue law school. I knew that taking out $150k in student loans was probably not the best way to do things so I started looking into becoming an officer in the military. I had a smudge on my record that thrust me into the arms of the only branch who would accommodate such a degenerate, the United States Marine Corps. I spent two years in the Officer Candidate program, more or less just getting in shape enough to be selected. I had class every week, workouts everyday, and training events once a month. Most of the candidates are in college, so those of us with full time jobs had a lot on our plates.
I still remember the day that I finally ran 3 miles just under the 24 minute requirement. It took me nearly 2 years to hit this milestone and I was finally able to be put up for selection. It was also around this time that I had accepted a job offer that over doubled my previous salary. This coupled with the fact that law contracts in the Marine Corps are not guaranteed, so there is a very real risk that I would never have the opportunity to be in the law program at all, prompted my decision to pursue law school on my own.
Little did I know, the LSAT has proven to be my arch nemesis. I have never been a very good test taker, my anxiety gets the better of me, and this test seems to be the daddy of them all. It is also no surprise that law schools were not interested in a 30 something economics major turned paralegal with a terrible LSAT score.
To numb the pain, I threw myself into being the best paralegal I could and turn my attention to providing legal professionals with education that included the practical application of what you learn in law & paralegal school. In my opinion, procedure and protocol are everything, you can win cases just by being organized and prepared.
Around this time, I had heard rumblings and rumors of other states licensing paralegals to practice law in a limited capacity. I hadn’t thought much of it until I got word that Colorado attorneys and judges had decided to pursue this initiative right here in my state. I was so excited, that I most definitely annoyed everyone on the comity asking questions and submitting ideas. The state of Colorado has done things differently than other states, LLP’s are part of the bar. I am both in awe and intimidated by my current role, especially as an entrepreneur. I will be honest, most of the family law attorneys did/do not support the LLP initiative and it is very apparent in how we are treated. I have had an attorney try to convince a judge that I had requested punitive damages instead of remedial (LLP’s can only request remedial) as an attempt to set me up to be in violation of my ethical obligations.
The legal profession in and of itself is also a challenge to overcome. The personalties are harsh, the stress is overwhelming, clients are ungrateful, the substance abuse issues are prevalent, the path to success is lonely, and people’s lives are in your hands. It is absolute chaos sometimes. Not only that, but the cases that went off the rails haunt you. The last sentence of a suicide note, the face of the child that resorted to self harm, the cries of a parent who longs for their child, and the devastation of families who have just lost someone they love, are things that I now carry. I hear and see them in quiet moments or in crowded places. I experience a LOT of second hand trauma, BUT I wouldn’t change it. Standing in solidarity with my clients as a paralegal and now as an LLP is something I feel compelled to do at least until the load gets too heavy.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am business that offers LLP services and paralegal freelance services. I represent my own clients in family law cases and I support law firms with pretty much anything they might need. From calendaring to trial preparation, I am happy to support attorneys with any of their litigation needs. I also help firms streamline their processes and procedures to increase their effectiveness and bottom line. Attorneys are great at their jobs, but they don’t always see the workflow from the paralegal’s perspective. The procedural workflow can be designed to intuitively set your case up for success without emergencies.
What sets me apart is I genuinely care. I always go above and beyond for my clients. I want people to be ok as a whole. I am focused on the family, not just the individual.
I am most proud of my commitment to and ability to educate other legal professionals, clients, and individuals on the legal process and how to manage people and interactions in their daily lives. I usually work with high conflict cases so a lot more time is actually spent on developing tools and skills to help clients identify and change patterns of behavior than on legal work. “Winning” a case is great, but leaving a client (and their family) better off than how you found them is ideal.
LLP’s are typically half the price of an attorney with almost the same skillset. We did not go to law school, we cannot operate outside of family law, and we do have a more limited scope of ability than a traditional attorney, but most of us have worked in this field for years. We have been the boots on the ground, doing the grunt work, and now our clients will reap the benefits of our experience.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
For clients, I offer unbundled representation. The client is still technically “pro se” (self represented), but has a legal professional step in on an as needed basis. This allows some ability for clients to control the costs, but does require them to do more work.

Pricing:

• $195/hour – LLP
• $70/hour – Freelance/Contract Paralegal
• Free 30 min consultation

Contact Info:

• Website: https://covalentllp.com/
• Instagram: @persnickety_paralegal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/covalent.legal.services/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlyn-story-7ab4a557/