MELISSA M. BLACKABY

704 E. Virginia Ave.

Peoria IL 61603

(815)250-9300

Melissa.blackaby@yahoo.com

 

CAREER OBJECTIVE:   Experienced Probate & Real Estate Paralegal, seeking a new position in similar fields of Law.

 

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

·                          Over nine years experience working in Real Estate and Probate practice in Central Illinois.

·                          Experience working in Taxation Law, preparing 1040 returns.

·                          Productive worker who uses my time to the best of my ability.  Minimal supervision needed.

·                          Knowledgeable of most computer programs and operating systems

·              Able to multitask efficiently with low incidence of errors

·              Independent, self-starter who has an array of experience in different office settings, to draw on.

·              Paralegal Member in Good Standing of the Illinois State Bar Association

 

WORK EXPERIENCE: 

Real Estate & Probate ParalegalElizabeth A. Beck, Attorney at Law 2005 – Current

Searched and prepared Title Commitments, Drafted Real Estate documents including contracts, leases, easements, well agreements, and closing documents with use of Attorney’s Title Guaranty Fund proprietary software Resource. Drafted Probate Documents. Client contact regarding probate and real estate issues. Preparation of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, etc. Office duties included File Maintenance and Maintenance of Office Escrow Account.

 

Title SearcherKankakee County Title & Trust2003 – 2004

Searched real estate title for a fast paced, growing business.  Interacted daily with new & established customers. Entered large amounts of data into data entry system daily.  Worked frequently in local courthouse.  Worked with tract book systems and computer aided searches.  Worked in a team environment with several others on a daily basis.

 

InternLaSalle County State’s Attorney2002

Work consisted primarily of data entry for state grant programs.  Gathered, entered and evaluated data for submission to Illinois State for processing.  Familiar with DOS based case software.  Independent work with little or no supervision required.  Received assignments and proceeded to complete them almost completely on my own.  Also drafted and prepared summons and notices to appear for Misdemeanor department.

 

EDUCATION

 

Illinois Central CollegeEast Peoria, ILJune 1999 – May 2003

AAS – Paralegal Studies

American Bar Association Approved Paralegal Program. Coursework included all areas of law with a great emphasis placed on ethical behaviors and applications.  Practical application of all theories and lessons.  Great emphasis placed on learning correct format and style of court work and briefs.  Experience drafting various types of pleadings, motions and other forms.  Each course required the submission of several case briefs for grading.

MELISSA M. BLACKABY

 

REFERENCE LIST

 

Julie L. RebholzFormer Co-Worker

744 Hopewell Hills Road

Lacon IL 61540

309-238-1981

Jlr0513@centurylink.net

 

Tammie DurhamReal Estate Agent - Tammie Durham Real Estate

1429 Shoreline Drive

Varna IL 61375

(309) 463-2660 (home)

(309) 361-3226 (cell)

 

John M. WilbanksClient

1501 County Road 800 North

Eureka IL 61530

(309) 467-9236 (home)

wilbrr53@frontier.com

 

Dori A. HattonOffice Manager/Paralegal – Law Office of Elizabeth Beck

309 Adams St.

Henry IL 61537

309-339-2384 (Cell)

dorihatton@gmail.com