Jocelyn de Castro

202-***-**** ac7at5@r.postjobfree.com

Key Skills and Competencies:

●Over nine years’ total experience in an executive office setting; litigation in medical malpractice, personal injury, family and domestic law, employment discrimination

●Distinguished tenacity in contract negotiations with military/government/military contractors and service providers

●Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel; Outlook, company-based computer programs: Time Matters, ED, AMICUS; Westlaw, LexisNexis-Accurint; and continuing career-related training

Experience:

May 2018-Present: Personal Injury Paralegal, Beacon Hill Legal, Washington, D.C.

●Serve attorneys at the Office of the General Counsel, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [WMATA];

●Provide assistance to personal injury attorneys in pre- and mid-litigation cases; Cradle-to-grave processes; Review Complaints, research history of plaintiff from Accurint;

●Request documentation from all departments within WMATA; Station Manager Logs, Incident reports; DriveCam, CCTV; BOCC, ROCC reports; Scrutinize reports, records, video recording; police reports; obtain HIPAA Authorization for medical and employment records;

●Draft pleadings - Answers, Removal, NOD, issue subpoena for medical and employment records;

●File with the courts accordingly, maintain files, receipts and all matters of correspondence;

●Coordinate schedules for deposition, hearing, court appearance, telephone conference;

●Assisted Chief Counsel on construction issues with architects, engineers, electricians, budget specialists; contract negotiations with bus and Metrorail and transit contractors;

●LawBase, Outlook, SharePoint, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PROCOR;

●Fulfill other paralegal and administrative duties assigned.

February 2018-May 2018: Nurse Paralegal Consultant (Contractor), Private Practice, McLean, VA

●Provided assistance to the personal injury attorneys in mid-litigation cases, pre-trial cases;

●Sorted, reviewed, categorized documentations: medical records, employment-past and present;

●Consulted with experts, researched medical articles, journals; drafted pleadings, Bluebook citations, cross-reference cases, and medical abstracts;

●Prepared documents, summaries, chronologies in binders; preserved exhibits;

●Organized all matters of correspondence including court requests;

●Assisted in legal procedures; hearing preps and trial preparation;

●WestLaw, LexisNexis, MEDLINE, CINAHL, e-Discovery.

June 2017-October 2017: Paralegal, Alisa Kobrinetz Chernack, PLLC, Ellicott City, Maryland

●Assisted attorneys and staff in elder care law practice, guardianship, estate and will planning;

●Managed cases, reviewing, updating and maintenance with documents received; compiled document needs for confidential and non-confidential legal actions and correspondence;

●Performed searches utilizing LexisNexis; Drafted letters, pleadings, affidavits, deeds, and advance health planning documents; E-filed pleadings, attaching documents/exhibits;

hearing and trial preparation;

●Provided support in the administrative duties and responsibilities;

●Case management and billing in TimeMatters.

June 2016-May 2017: Legal Assistant, Clunk Paisley Hoose Co., LPA, Lexington, KY

●Provided support for mortgage and foreclosure corporate firm based in Stow, OH;

●Administrative procedures, communication, telephone phone support; provided assistance to Judgment Team, Litigation Team, Loss Mitigation and Bankruptcy;

●Run PACER, SCRA searches; uploaded documents and search results into firm’s operating system, ED; and to client’s software, i.e. Equator, LPS, Black Knight TEMPO;

●E-filed pleadings; managed and maintained confidential documents; Affidavits, AOM, Deeds, and Title, financial documents and correspondence;

●Assisted Sales Team; Presale and Post Sale processes; interfaced with court personnel and Master Commissioner’s office leading to successful sales with shorter turnaround time.

August 2008-2016: Nurse Paralegal/Paralegal Consultant – Contractor, Sturgill Turner Barker & Moloney PLLC; Ward Hocker & Thornton PLLC; Landrum & Shouse; William Davis, Esquire; other law firms, Lexington, KY

●Assisted supervising attorney and staff attorneys on healthcare law-medical malpractice cases, surgical errors (prima facie), misdiagnosis and medicine errors; personal injury, nursing home abuse, catastrophe-related injuries, mining accidents, work-related injuries;

●Procured confidential documents: FOIA, HIPAA forms;

●Reviewed medical records, advance health planning documents, cross-reference medical publications: journals, articles, interviewed experts; summarized progress notes; chronologies;

●Analyzed and investigated claims; investigative research in LexisNexis, Westlaw, assisted in Shepardizing cases, checking Bluebook citations;

●Prepared discovery documents, interrogatories, and responses; drafted pleadings, advance health planning documents including exhibits, testimonies; Created binders, presentations for court using PowerPoint;

●Assisted in settlement negotiations with successful outcomes and securing settlement funds.

August 2009 – May 2010: Paralegal Internship, Hurt Crosbie & May PLLC

●Assisted supervising attorney and staff attorneys on family/domestic law, personal injury, real estate, employment discrimination, and criminal law;

●Managed attorney calendars in AMICUS: meeting with clients for case intake liaise court reporters and opposing counsel; depositions and court appearances/docket;

●Assisted with document production and trial preparation; checked rules of court;

●Ascertained cases in employment discrimination for attorneys’ review and approval to cite in the Complaint; Westlaw, Shepardizing, Bluebook of Citations;

●Drafted and filed pleadings with exhibits; discovery, interrogatories; demand letters for attorney’s review and signature.

Other Significant Experience:

October 2012-July 2013: Contract Administrator, W. W. Williams Company

●Contract negotiator and administrator for Oshkosh Defense Network Midwest Region, USA - overseeing 11 branches, over 100 technicians;

●Implemented contract agreements, dispute resolution on vital time-sensitive concerns and complaints; compliance with government regulations;

●Slashed off $289,000.00 of past due accounts out of $347,000.00 in five months bringing the account to current and ensuring timely payments thereon by Excel, GUI/Trend operating systems.

Education:

●Continuing education toward Master’s in Paralegal Studies (online, currently working on a thesis)

●Paralegal Science certification, Eastern Kentucky University

●Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing, Eastern Kentucky University

●BS-Biology, minor in Psychology, Cum laude; Manila Central University, Philippines

Affiliations:

●Notary Public, Commonwealth of Kentucky

●Member: National Federation of Paralegal Associates

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