Manager Assistant

Douglas R. Schappell

**** ******* ***** **** #***

Boca Raton, Florida 33432

H. 561-***-**** C. 561-***-****

*************@*****.***

Legal Assistant/Investigator

Professional Summary

Business-Oriented and quality focused legal assistant typically rated

exceptional performer, with strong experience in supporting in-house legal

counsel within the annuity purchasing industry. A licensed private

investigator holding licenses in both Florida and North Carolina. Performed

wide variety of investigative tasks related to litigation including audio-

recorded witness interviews and traffic accident location photography for

over one hundred plaintiff auto insurance claims. Provided trial assistance

as intern with the Public Defenders Office of Mecklenburg County, NC.

Volunteered as client intake screener at Legal Services of Southern

Piedmont Consumer Law Division.

Skills

Civil & criminal investigations - Research team management - Legal due

diligence - Productivity analysis & projections - Missing Persons skip

trace - Interviews & statements - Employee performance reviews - Pre-

Employment background checks - Investigative report writing - Video

surveillance - LexisNexis - Accurint - CourtLink - Westlaw - Word - Excel -

Outlook

Experience

PROFESSIONAL INVESTIGATIONS OF FLORIDA, INC., Coral Springs, FL

Private Investigator - 1990 - Present

Worked way up to fully licensed Florida private investigator in 2 years by

starting as private investigator licensed intern. Founded North Carolina's

"Missing Person's Locator Services" investigative agency. Specialized in

mobile video surveillance of insurance fraud suspects as well as others

suspected of marital or domestic infidelity. Results were of high quality

and approved for use in court proceedings. Conducted audio-recorded witness

interviews and photographed related traffic accident locations in well over

100 auto insurance claims.

. Played critical role in acquittal of local police officer indicted by

a grand jury on 2 counts of perjury by tracking and interviewing, over

2 years, nearly 50 underage party-goers in support of officers

successful trial defense.

. Obtained key incriminating evidence in a civil case against defendant

suspected of having stolen $1.8 million while employed at a NY stock

trading firm resulting in settlement.

. Successfully performed solo undercover operation and assisted U.S.

Marshals in the subsequent confiscation of an estimated $100,000.00

worth of counterfeit designer merchandise.

Douglas R. Schappell, p.2

WOODBRIDGE STRUCTURED FUNDING, LLC, Boca Raton, FL

Director of Legal Research - 2010 - 2011

Directed court records retrieval project covering approximately 3,000

jurisdictions for the purpose of discovering and locating structured

settlement and lottery annuitants while meeting monthly budgetary goals.

Trained, motivated, reviewed, rewarded, reprimanded, and hired/fired direct

report employees. Assisted in-house counsel with UCC, Judgment & Lien,

Bankruptcy,

Child Support, Alimony, and Civil Litigation due-diligence searches in

connection with client transactions and pre-employment background checks.

. Recognized for delivering in less than 12 months $3.2 million profit

by adding 24,973 new leads to direct mail campaign.

. Increased productivity 48% per researcher and increased contracts from

5 to 6 per month to 50 to 60 per month within a 12-month through

direct mail campaign, a company first.

. Singled out for controlling, for the first time, "on-line" and "off-

line" lead discovery in approximately 3,000 civil court jurisdictions

using a systematic and methodical strategy.

. Successfully negotiated a fee based contract for well under market

value with a major private data mining vendor resulting in the

discovery of over 2,000 leads from jurisdictions otherwise not

normally available to the public through online sources.

CLIENT FIRST FUNDING, LLC, Boca Raton, FL

Research Manager - 2008 - 2010

Managed staff of Researchers in the investigation of structured settlement

annuitants. Trained, motivated, reviewed, rewarded, reprimanded, and

hired/fired direct report employees.

. Praised for converting one person Research Department, in name only,

to a four-member team of seasoned professional investigators that paid

for itself within the first six months.

. Credited with finding private funding sources that saved company from

going out of business during the 2008 financial institution crisis.

. Elevated leads worked per month productivity from about 1,497 to more

than 2,490 by lifting researcher lead discovery burden which allowed

them to focus solely on investigative tasks, high revenue-producing

driver of the business.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC - Magna Cum Laude

Associates in Science in Criminal Justice Technology

Broward County Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Summa Cum Laude

Certificate in Paralegal Technology

Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC - Pending

Certifications

State of Florida Private Investigator License

State of North Carolina Private Investigator License

Awards & Recognition

National Deans List

Law Enforcement Memorial Scholarship

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