qualifications

A solutions-driven Paralegal with more than 15 years of experience in complex litigation, project management, labor/employment law, arbitration and mediation, regulatory compliance, office management, legal research and investigation. Client relations expert with proven skills in problem solving and technical troubleshooting. Demonstrated ability to streamline discovery processes. Strong communicator; able to build rapport with clients, attorneys, and staff on all levels. Additional strengths include:

Records Management ● Contract & Transactional Matters ● Workflow Optimization ● Scheduling Staff Training & Supervision ● Regulatory Compliance ● Case Management ● System Implementation Report Generation ● Enterprise Content Management (ECM) ● Document Review & Analysis

 

Senior Paralegal/Litigation Coordinator

PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 1 OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Everett, WA      March 2004–April 2014

[A municipal corporation providing water and electric service to over 320,000 commercial and residential customers]

·   Provide senior level legal, administrative, regulatory compliance and litigation support services for 7 in-house attorneys. Serve as legal services litigation coordinator and special projects manager as well as primary liaison for internal clients, outside counsel, vendors, and agents.

·   Perform legal research and internal fact-finding investigations; supervise document identification, preservation, collection and analysis; issue and track litigation hold notifications; identify and interview record custodians; schedule and conduct witness and custodial interviews; collaborate with outside counsel to develop and manage all documents generated in response to pre-trial discovery requests.

·   Effectively presided over document management for 360 active cases in $200M Enron market manipulation lawsuit; created easily accessible integrated indices of court filings in all jurisdictions.

·   Maximized use of e-discovery software and legal research tools and streamlined pre-trial discovery response procedures including replies to public records requests.

·   Selected to join district-wide electronic document management system selection team and received designation as Super User of Hummingbird Document Management System; additionally participate on Diversion of Electrical Services and Bankruptcy Committees.

·   Performed all FERC filings for the Jackson Hydro Relicensing effort and for the District’s Admiralty Inlet pilot tidal energy program; Provide FERC daily reports to in-house counsel; track pending matters; generate quarterly litigation reports.

 

Paralegal for Environmental AND Regulatory Affairs, Public Records Officer

SEATTLE MONORAIL PROJECT, Seattle, WA  May 2003– February 2004

[A publicly funded transportation project shut down by voter initiative due to severe cost overruns]

·   Supported General Counsel and in-house attorneys with contract formation and review for $1.75B public transportation project. Drafted, revised and negotiated contracts and amendments, agreements, and related documents; composed legal/business correspondence; conducted legal research utilizing Westlaw, LexisNexis, and McQuillen on Contracts.

·   Functioned as Project Liaison with City of Seattle officials, vendors, and contractors, interpreting and communicating terms of agreements, scope of work, agency goals, and rights/responsibilities.

·   Ensured full compliance with statutory requirements by supplying timely responses to numerous public disclosure requests, preparing exemption logs and examining each request to identify parties with responsive materials.

·   Designed and implemented agency-wide diversity program guidelines for use in awarding contracts; coordinated city-wide outreach events targeting minority-owned businesses; managed database of eligible enterprises/potential partners.

·   Served on select committee tasked with researching, choosing, and employing project-wide electronic document management system.

 

Corporate Paralegal, Corporate Records and Information Manager

SECURITY PROPERTIES, INC., Seattle, WA  July 2001– September 2002

[A privately held real estate investment and development company shuttered due to economic downturn]

·   Enlisted to design and implement recordkeeping system for real estate investment and development company with approximately 65 employees. Reported directly to Vice President and General Counsel

·   Successfully instituted recordkeeping system to track real estate purchase and leasing documents, licensing verification, contract review projects, auditors’ reports, and corporate tax files.

·   Created procedures for securing corporate files; instituted records retention and preservation practices; established standardized protocol for indexing company-owned properties.

 

Paralegal/Records and Information Manager

HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO, LLP, Seattle, WA March 1997– July 2001

[An AV-rated national plaintiff focused law firm with emphasis on multi-district class action litigation]                                     

·   Delivered records management expertise for class action litigation firm with 50–60 employees. Provided senior-level legal and administrative pre-trial and courtroom assistance for attorneys; performed document review, coding, and production in response to subpoena requests. Compiled witness statements, generated deposition summary reports, conducted legal research, and coordinated document production for all court filings.

·   Developed and executed recordkeeping and docketing system to track activities of multi-district class action litigation, and introduced records retention policies/procedures.

 

Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Certificate, Seattle University, Seattle, WA

Bachelor of Arts Degree, Political Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Continuing Legal Education

Early Case Assessment Strategies for Paralegals, The Vital Role Paralegals Play in Appellate Process, Avoiding Waiver of the Attorney-Client Privilege, Federal Cases from Pleadings to Judgment for Paralegals: What Every Paralegal Should Know as a Member of the Litigation Team, Daubert Motions: Challenging Expert Opinions, Understanding and Complying with Disclosures Under Rule 26(A), Ethics for Paralegals, Essential Discovery Skills for Paralegals

MS Office Suite 2013, Westlaw, LexisNexis, PACER, CM/ECF, Concordance, Summation, OpenText/LiveLink, SharePoint, CaseMap, TextMap, Hummingbird DM

Illinois Paralegal Association

Washington State Paralegal Association

National Federation of Paralegal Associations

University of Oregon Alumni Association