Management Manager
Resume:
Valerie J. Navin
*** **** ******* *********, #****
Orlando, Florida 32801
Cell: 414-***-****
Objective and Summary
Seasoned professional, with 25+ years of experience, seeking the challenge
of assisting legal counsel and their business clients in a fast paced,
growing company.
Collective paralegal experience includes: corporate governance (US, Latin
America and US Territories), mergers and acquisitions, real estate,
business licensure, litigation, intellectual property, environmental, and
legal research, outside counsel management, lobbyist engagement and
management.
Collective business experience includes: small office management, private
law firm client intake management, business integration, software
conversion strategy, database management, project management, and support
staff and paralegal supervisor.
Professional attributes and skills include: acting with integrity, creative
problem solving, building and managing positive relationships,
approachability, dependable, strong organizational and multi-tasking
skills, and focus on positive/proactive/forward thinking.
Work Experience
January 2007 to June 2011 - Senior Paralegal - Johnson Controls, Inc.,
Milwaukee, WI
Sole provider of paralegal-level support for 14 staff attorneys and
multiple Building Efficiency division operational units. A primary part of
the job was working with business clients to resolve daily legal related
business matters as well as providing training of company policies and
procedures. Main responsibilities included: Manage 60+ US and Latin
America legal entity corporate governance matters from creating new
domestic and foreign legal entities through their dissolution; I was
integrally involved in lobbyist engagement process such as ongoing
performance review and the report filing requirements associated with
engaging a lobbyist; participated in mergers and acquisitions due
diligence, preparation of closing documents, and their post-acquisition
integration; researched ethicality of charitable and corporate
contributions at business unit level; resolved issues rising from business
and professional licensing in the US; provided first legal overview of RFP
matters, supervision and management of Sarbanes-Oxley delegation of
authority, and support of corporate compliance team initiatives; designer
and maintenance duties associated with corporate databases.
Accomplishments: Formalize and automate SOX Compliance process for
delegation of signing authority; formalize and automate approval and
signing process for settlement agreements.
April 2005 to December 2006 - Office Manager/Paralegal - TechStar Holdings,
Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Recruited to manage all administration functions for this biomedical
technology transfer company, its financing consortium (six academic
institutions and multiple local and State governmental bodies) and its
portfolio companies. These responsibilities included accounting, banking,
legal review, project management, interaction with local and state
government officials, federal and state organizations, the local business
community and local academic institutions. I prepared all Earmark grant
filings, organized seminars and grant projects for the Biomedical
Technology Alliance, an affiliate of TechStar. Paralegal duties included
maintaining portfolio company's minute book documents, filing of annual
reports, participating as Acting secretary at all board and shareholder
meetings, in addition to preparing and filing patent applications under
supervision of counsel.
Accomplishments: Instituted cost control and management of third party
service providers. Process design and implementation of grant reporting
for Biomedical Technology Alliance.
May 2003 - April 2005 - Operations Manager - Pabst Farms Development LLC,
Oconomowoc, WI
Recruited to define and establish operational functions of this real estate
development organization. Duties include supervision of support staff,
management of accounts payable/receivable, trust account management, daily
office management functions, vendor coordination, organizational marketing,
architectural control, concept marketing and residential sales including
acting as Secretary/Treasurer of Eastlake Village Homeowners Association.
Accomplishments: In addition to typical new business "start-up" activities,
identified and selected networked computer system, established
record/filing system, created a homeowners association database using TOPS
software.
July 1998 to May 2003 - Sr. Paralegal/Project Mgr. - Midwest Paralegal
Services, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Senior Paralegal responsible for managing high-visibility, "key" client
accounts for this full-service, contract paralegal organization. Duties
included hands-on and oversight and supervisory responsibilities for real
estate, corporate, environmental and litigation matters for client
engagements; including corporate law departments and private law firms.
Accomplishments: Chosen among peers for most challenging assignments.
Technical expertise demonstrated in real estate purchase and lease
documents, corporate contract and governance protocols, civil litigation
document database organization, records retention, docketing, legal
research and file organization. Received numerous accolades from clients
and performance bonuses based on results achieved.
Sept 1990 to July 1998 - Client Intake Manager - Reinhart Boerner Van
Deuren SC, Milwaukee, WI
Increasingly responsible positions leading to the management of the new
client intake process for this full-service law firm. Duties included the
supervision of three database specialists, client database integrity and
management activities associated with internal legal service benefits,
client audit letter processes and the Litigation Department Docket program.
Accomplishments: Established procedures for implementation of new
software, conversion of the client database, new reporting strategies,
internal training materials and annual budgeting. Recognized for superior
achievement in streamlining the new legal matter process. As the Assistant
to the Firm Administrator, organized the preparation of the payroll budget,
managed the office security program, collected and organized timekeeper
profitability data and created Continuing Legal Education and other
databases.
Education
American Institute of Paralegal Studies, Certified Paralegal May 1998
Ongoing continuing legal education seminars (Lawyer/Paralegal)
Marquette University - One year of College of Communication and Journalism
Professional Affiliations
Paralegal Association of Wisconsin (PAW) 1 term Vice President; 2 term
Treasurer
National Federation of Paralegals Association
Central Florida Paralegal Association - Membership pending
Volunteer Work
Greater Milwaukee Hunger Task Force - Monthly can sort
The Gathering - Serving food to the homeless
American Heart Association - Annual Christmas Fantasy House Tour Guide
Good Shepherd - Bread baker and St. Bens meal program participant
Scenic Ridge Homeowners Association Treasurer
Girl Scout Leader
References
Dragomir Culav, VP & General Counsel, Building Efficiency Americas-
Johnson Controls, Inc. 414-***-****
Christopher Osborne, VP & General Counsel, Power Solutions-Johnson
Controls, Inc. 414-***-****
Steven Keane, Senior Group Counsel-Johnson Controls, Inc. 414-***-****
Lane Brostrom, CEO-Cytometix; Managing Director of the TechStar companies
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