*** ****** *****

Whiting, N.J. *****

May **, ***4

Dear Sir/Madam:

I saw your advertisement for a legal secretary on the Zip Recruiter

website and I am very much interested in applying for the position.

In 2007, I completed a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies

graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Towards the end of the associate portion of my

degree which I completed at Brookdale Community College, I worked in

chambers as a paralegal intern for the late Alexander Lehrer, J.S.C. In

fact, Judge Lehrer was so impressed with my work that he nominated me for

an award. Since then to further my medical knowledge, I enrolled in a

program at the Allen School of Health Sciences and I have maintained a 4.0

GPA. I am set to graduate in about three weeks on June 6th.

After my internship with Judge Lehrer and completion of my bachelor's

degree, I worked as a paralegal for the Leland Law Firm, LLC for two years

and helped Ms. Leland set up her practice. Ms. Leland's practice at that

time was devoted mostly to family law. She recognized how empathetic and

responsible I am in my work ethic and relied on me to interview the clients

who had been victims of domestic violence. This enabled me to gather the

information which was relevant for their cases in order to represent them

more effectively. As a result, we were able to get better outcomes for them

when the cases were resolved. I also have five years experience working in

a high-volume, fast-paced customer service unit of a large insurance

company. Approximately two of those years were devoted to handling the

complaints that came in through the New Jersey Department of Insurance and

were addressed to the company president. As part of that assignment, I

researched the complaints and applicable law then prepared the necessary

correspondence to resolve the complaints. It was paralegal work but

considered to be part of customer service by the company. In that same

position, I demonstrated my analytical abilities by studying the work flow

between departments and I devised a plan to streamline the process. This

resulted in improved customer service, a savings to the company of over

$1.3 million annually and a substantial bonus being awarded to me.

Attached please find my resume. Please review this document at your

earliest convenience. References and writing samples are available upon

request. Please contact me at 732-***-**** to schedule an interview.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Karen Sugden

Attachment

Karen L. Sugden

519 Momosa Drive * Whiting, New Jersey 08759 * 732-***-**** *

acd503@r.postjobfree.com

EDUCATION

Kaplan University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

. Bachelor of Science, Paralegal Studies, November, 2007

Honors: Summa cum laude

President's List, 2005-2007

Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, New Jersey

. Associate in Applied Science, Paralegal Studies, May 2003

Honors: Dean's List Awards, 2001 - 2003

Allen School of Health Sciences, Brooklyn, NY

. Candidate for graduation, certificate program, June 2014

Honors: Dean's List Awards, 2013 - 2014

WORK EXPERIENCE

Paralegal

. Research, analyze applicable statute, case law & court rules for

cases

. Interviewed clients to gather relevant information for cases

. Prepared pleadings, motions and correspondence

. Prepared written analysis and summaries of findings

. Made recommendations to employing attorney regarding cases

Mary Jane Leland, Esquire

Leland Law Firm, LLC; Ellis Law Center; 87 South Street;

Freehold, NJ 07728

Telephone: 732-***-****

September, 2009 to September, 2011

Intern: Paralegal

. Researched and analyzed 100 Motions bi-weekly

. Applied applicable laws and/or court rules

. Prepared written analyses and summaries of findings

. Made recommendations to Judge whether to grant or deny motions

New Jersey Superior Court, Monmouth Vicinage

71 Monument Park, P. O. Box 1266; Freehold, NJ 07728-1266

Supervisor: Alexander Lehrer, J.S.C. - Deceased

January, 2003 to June, 2003

Nominated for the New Jersey Cooperative Education and

Internship Student of the Year Award by Superior Court Judge Alexander

Lehrer

Customer Service Representative

. Performed high-volume customer service work fielding a minimum of

100 telephone calls per day which included answering questions from

customers, agents, banks, mortgage companies and lien-holders,

explaining coverage and endorsing insurance policies

. Investigated, researched, analyzed and responded to written

complaint correspondence received by company executives from

customers and the New Jersey Department of Insurance

. Researched and developed procedure to streamline processing time

and man-hours needed to complete underwriting reviews and response

time to customers saving the company over $1.3M annually

. Developed and prepared written training manual and trained new

customer service representatives

Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company

Corporate Office; 23 Main Street; Holmdel, New Jersey 07733

Manager: Randy Holmes / promoted-moved to corporate office: Newark,

New Jersey

May, 1984-May, 1989

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Skills

. Proficient with Microsoft Windows 1998, 2002, XP, 2007,

Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Office 2003, Word Perfect, Power

Point, Excel and LEXIS-NEXIS, Westlaw, Nero programs

. Typing: 65 WPM

. Notary Public

9th Annual Statewide Paralegal Convention, March 22, 2002

Seminars attended: Medical Malpractice, Ethics for Paralegals

New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2002

Seminars attended: Unauthorized Practice of Law and the Paralegal, Part

I and II

Litigation Forum for Paralegals, November 19, 2002

Seminars attended: Document Mgmt., Discovery, Trial Preparation,

Complex Litigation, and

Family Law and Litigation

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

Law and Litigation Insurance Law

Administrative Law

Tort Law Legal Research and

Writing Evidence

Computer Applications in Law Litigation Assistance Procedure

Business Law

Product Liability Law Office Management

Business Writing

Medical Records Summary and Review

Real Estate Law

Criminal Law Constitutional Law

Conflict Resolution

Family Law Medical Terminology

Anatomy and Physiology

Ethics and Professional Procedure Responsibility for Legal Assistants

Honor Societies

. Golden Key International Honor Society

. Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society

Leadership

Vice President, Paralegal Association, Brookdale Community

College

. Aided in coordinating and conducted meetings

. Gave presentations

Graduate-Trustee, Board of Trustees, Brookdale Community College, 2002-

2003

. Provided input to Board regarding student/campus issues

Contact this candidate