Litigation Attorney
Resume:
MONICA R. OWENS, ESQ.
Atlanta, GA 30312
**********.**@*****.***
EXPERIENCE
OWENS LEGAL, LLC, Atlanta, GA March 18, 2015-present Solo practitioner- Appellate Litigation, Commercial Litigation Representing clients in civil lawsuits and appeals adjudicated in state and federal courts; performing complex legal analysis; preparing legal pleadings, motions and briefs; preparing and reviewing a variety of commercial contracts; and consultant to attorneys and law firms during strategy development, motions practice, trials, and appeals.
• Successfully defended commercial tenant against landlord’s dispossessory action, preventing the issuance of a writ of possession and judgment for claimed back rent.
• Successfully defended dentist against breach of contract and malpractice claims.
• Successfully obtained a discretionary appeal in the Georgia Court of Appeals to review an attorneys’ fees dispute.
• Negotiated favorable settlement that saved client at least $144,000.00 in attorneys’ fees.
• Negotiated settlement favoring clients in lawsuit involving corporate dissolution and intellectual property claims.
PURSLEY FRIESE TORGRIMSON, Atlanta, GA March 2013-March 2015 Associate- Commercial Real Estate Litigation
Represented commercial real estate companies, property owners, property managers, lenders, landlords and tenants in all phases of litigation involving contract disputes, commercial leasing, dispositions, foreclosures, collections, bankruptcy proceedings, and premises liability claims.
• Obtained voluntary dismissals of all claims against a landlord in premises liability lawsuits, in less than 30 days after service of process. The client was not required to pay any amount of the claim and avoided expenses associated with filing answers.
• Collected $1.25 million against deceased debtor’s estate in a pre-judgment settlement.
• Collected $1.65 million against debtors of a promissory note to a failed bank after aggressively pursuing post-judgment discovery.
• Obtained a judgment modification in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, which resulted in a total award of $4.5 million in favor of the client.
• Obtained a summary judgment in favor of the client in defense against a quiet title action and challenge to a foreclosure sale. Also obtained a judgment for back rent in the amount of $38,500.00 and a writ of possession in the related dispossessory proceeding, which led to the holdover tenant’s eviction from the premises.
• Obtained the eviction of tenants from the client’s commercial office building, after defending against the tenants’ multiple bankruptcy filings and court motions seeking to prevent the scheduled evictions.
• Obtained a judgment in the approximate amount of $1.1 million against a defaulting tenant and a guarantor of a retail lease.
• Collected $48,000 held by a bank in a garnishment action on behalf of the client.
• Obtained award of attorneys’ fees and order compelling pre-trial discovery against a plaintiff in a breach of contract lawsuit.
GEORGIA COURT OF APPEALS, Atlanta, GA
Senior Staff Attorney to the Honorable M. Yvette Miller November 2010- February 2013 Staff Attorney to the Honorable Debra Bernes January 2005- July 2010 Actively participated in the process of issuing decisions in civil and criminal appeals pending before the court; drafted more than 400 recommendations for ruling that were adopted and fully incorporated into published opinions and court orders; performed extensive legal research and analysis; performed case management; supervised legal externs; and prepared materials for legal seminars.
DECKER, HALLMAN, BARBER & BRIGGS, P.C., Atlanta, GA January 2003-January 2005 Litigation Associate- Insurance Defense, Commercial Litigation, and Toxic Tort Defense Represented clients in general commercial litigation involving pesticides, toxic torts, and personal injuries; performed case management for approximately 150 active cases; served as lead counsel during trials, court hearings, and depositions; prepared witnesses for depositions and trials; prepared legal pleadings, motions, and briefs; negotiated and drafted settlement agreements; and managed client relationships.
• Obtained a favorable defense verdict following a jury trial addressing property claims for alleged termite damage; successfully defended against plaintiff's motion for a new trial.
• Obtained an involuntary dismissal with prejudice in favor of an apartment complex owner during the discovery phase of a tenant’s premises liability lawsuit.
• Obtained voluntary dismissals in favor of a manufacturer defending against plaintiffs' claims involving asbestos and silicosis toxic torts.
• Obtained judgment in the amount of $30,000.00 in favor of victim of fraud and conversion, and obtained dismissal of a related bankruptcy action filed by the defendant.
• Obtained judgment in favor of plaintiff interior designer in a breach of contract action before a Clayton County court.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, Atlanta, GA November2001-December 2002 General Attorney- Office of the Regional Counsel (Southern Region) Represented the Agency in regulatory enforcement actions involving flight standards and security violations; represented the Agency in labor and employment actions; coordinated legal actions with the Agency’s inspectors and managers; provided legal advice and interpretations on procedures, regulations, rules, and statutes affecting the Agency; served as lead counsel in trials and hearings before the Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Merit Systems Protection Board; and resolved 103 cases as lead counsel.
SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA, Atlanta, GA July 2000
Law Clerk Exchange to Justice Robert Benham
Prepared bench briefs and legal memoranda on appeals before the Court; performed legal research and analysis; and observed oral arguments. FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT, Atlanta, GA August 1998- November 2001 Staff Attorney to the Honorable Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore Drafted orders and reviewed cases within the jurisdiction of the trial court, including a broad range of civil and criminal matters; performed case analysis in preparation for motion hearings and trials; performed extensive legal research; performed case management; advised litigants of court procedures; supervised court externs; and prepared materials for legal seminars. JOHNSON, FREEMAN & PERKINS-HOOKER, P.A., Atlanta, GA January 1998- Associate August 1998
Performed all aspects of commercial litigation, including representing clients in jury trials, court hearings, and depositions; prepared legal pleadings, motions, and briefs; performed case management; obtained garnishments; incorporated new business entities; prepared corporate by- laws, minutes, operating agreements, contracts, and resolutions; prepared real estate closing documents; prepared easement agreements; and performed real estate title examinations. FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT ADR PROGRAM, Atlanta, GA August 1997- Research Assistant January1998
Reviewed and referred cases for arbitration and mediation proceedings; and prepared scheduling orders.
EDUCATION
Georgia State University College of Law, Atlanta, GA Juris Doctor, June 1997
Black Law Students Association (Chairperson of Alumni Affairs); Who’s Who Among American Law Students; and Certified Peer Mediator Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, cum laude, May 1994 Dean’s List; Honor Roll; Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society; Spelman College Judiciary Board; Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities; and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Financial Secretary and Parliamentarian) BAR ADMISSIONS
State Bar of Georgia (1997); United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (1997); and United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (1997) CERTIFICATIONS
Certified EEO Investigator (2018)
PROFESSIONAL & CHARITABLE AFFILIATIONS
• Atlanta Bar Association, Board of Directors (2015-2016)
• Bleckley Inn of Court, Master
Program Leader, "Effective Appellate Advocacy" (April 2013)
• Gate City Bar Association
Member-at-Large (2011)
Moderator for Appellate Advocacy Seminar (2010)
Chair of the Hall of Fame Inductee Selection Committee (2008)
Treasurer (2007)
Co-Chair of the Hall of Fame Gala (2007)
• Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
Judicial and Public Office Academy- Class of 2011
• American Bar Association, Real Property and Trust & Estates Law Section
• International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
• Hearing Officer, City of Atlanta Board of Taxicabs & Vehicles for Hire (2004-2005)
• United Way Volunteer Initiative Program (Training for Board of Directors, Non-profit organizations), Fall 1999
• Everybody Wins! Literacy Program (2004-2006)
• Literacy Volunteers of America, Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter (1999-2000) PUBLICATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
• “Legal Writing Seminar” (Three Course Series), presented to the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys in Atlanta, Georgia in 2016
• "Reviewing and Negotiating a Commercial Lease Agreement," presented to the American Bar Association's Real Property Law Section at the 2015 Spring Symposia in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2015
• "Nuts and Bolts of Leases: Enforcing the Lease, Default, Remedies, Eviction and Dispute Resolution," presented to American Bar Association's Real Property Law Section via teleconference on February 24, 2015
• "Managing Problem Tenants," presented at the ICSC Law Conference in Orlando, Florida on October 24, 2014
• Speaker, "An Evaluation: Georgia's Safe Carry Protection Act and Premises Liability Against Commercial Property Owners," presented at the Gate City Bar Association's Fall CLE Seminar in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 25, 2014
• "Defining the Limits of a Condemnor's Authority to Abandon Condemnation Proceedings," published in Law 360 on September 20, 2014
• “Appellate Strategies: 1) Requirements and Best Practices for Filing Briefs in the Georgia Appellate Courts and 2) Distinctions Between the Rules of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court,” presented at GABWA's Trial Masters Boot Camp in Atlanta, Georgia on August 17, 2013
• “Writing Effective Briefs and Motions in Litigation,” presented to the Gate City Bar Association's Litigation Coalition in Atlanta, Georgia on June 26, 2013 Proficient in Westlaw, Lexis-Nexus, and Fast Case legal research programs; Microsoft Office suite; Word Perfect; intranet systems; and computerized billing programs.
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