SAMANTHA E. COLWELL

 

1939 Clarence Ave. #4              (708) 990-9603

Berwyn, IL 60402                               samanthacolwell@outlook.com

EXPERIENCE

      Mar Cal Law, PC, Chicago, IL                Senior Paralegal, June 2007 - Present

·   Analyze data pertinent to the property to determine its fair market value.

·   Prepare and maintain residential, condominium, commercial and industrial files for hearings at various tax appeal levels.

·   Maintain heavy client interaction and request relevant information for tax protests.

·   Closely monitor the assessment process during administrative proceedings and request re-review if dissatisfied with conclusions reached by the Assessor or Board.

·   Obtain at the client’s expense, but subject to its prior approval, appraisal or other expert opinions, as needed, in support of real estate tax reduction efforts.

·   Provide annual estimates of taxes for budgetary and marketing purposes and update those estimates if assessments change materially.

·   Prepare refund applications for tax files.

·   Prepare bills and create invoices in QuickBooks.

 

      Prince & Associates, Elgin, IL                                Executive Assistant, Nov 2006 – June 2007

·   Prepared invoices for client billing.

·   Prescreened and prioritized high volume phone calls for all CPA and tax preparer agents to schedule appointments appropriately.

·   Assigned clients to agents as appointments were scheduled to provide them with time to review previous year’s returns and to maximize the number of clients seen.

·   Organized previous year’s client folders for quick reference and verification for the current year’s tax returns.

·   Entered all data corresponding to payroll.

 

American Multi Cinema, Inc, Barrington, IL   Operations Manager, Dec 1999 – Nov 2006

·   Performed audits to monitor the accuracy of reports, fraud, and opportunities for improvement.

·   Completed all daily operations such as opening and closing procedures, cash handling, customer service, inventory, and payroll.

·   Researched and responded to credit card refund requests.

·   Reconciled all purchase card receipts which entailed proper GL coding and receipt verification.

·   Investigated and documented all employee disciplinary actions.

·   Prepared weekly work schedules for over 100 employees.

           

EDUCATION

      Master of Business Administration, 2013   

      Robert Morris University, Chicago, IL

 

      Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies, 2008     

      Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL

 

      Paralegal Certificate, 2006

      Harold Washington College, Chicago, IL

 

OTHER SKILLS

      MS Word, Excel, Outlook, QuickBooks 2012, AbacusLaw