COLLEEN FORDE

** ********* *******, *********, ** 11717+ Cell: 732-***-**** + E-

mail:acdh9e@r.postjobfree.com

LEGAL SECRETARY

. Strong commitment to client service excellence

. Solid history of excellent work relationships

. Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills

. High energy with strong initiative and ability to exercise

independent judgment

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES and TRAINING

MS Word Elite Webview Shorthand

Outlook Client Profiles Elite New Business Intake

Excel Carpe Diem One Facility Security System

PowerPoint RainMaker Platinum Brochure and Newsletter

IManage/DeskSite Interaction Contact Creation

Database Dictaphone

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS

. Managed successfully a busy workload and provided legal secretarial

support to Corporate, Trusts & Estates and, Tax Departments Partners,

Counsels and Legal Staff.

. Assisted in the publishing of firm's first Legal Quarterly Newsletter.

. Monitored and coordinated firm's Professional Liability Insurance

Application Process for more than forty lawyers.

EXPERIENCE

MELTZER, LIPPE, GOLDSTEIN & BREITSTONE, LLP 10/2009 - 8/2013

Mineola, NY

Relocated with Attorney from Labaton Sucharow LLP and Herrick, Feinstein

LLP

Legal Secretary/Assistant to Counsel, Associate Attorneys - Trusts &

Estates and Tax Departments

. Prepared Wills, trust agreements, codicils, estate planning documents,

succession and family planning documents, estate accounting tables,

receipts and releases, retainer agreements, conflict checks,

promissory notes, assignments, pledge and security agreements, sale

agreements, stock holder agreements, bill of sale agreements,

settlement redemption agreements, stock purchase agreements, related

practice-specific legal documents and general correspondence. Effort

led to meeting ongoing strict deadlines.

. Reviewed and researched files regarding final distributions of

bequests and liaison with beneficiaries in preparation for such

bequests.

. Followed up on status of open matters.

. Coordinated and initiated Annual Delaware Entity filing requirements.

. Organized and accurately maintained physical and electronic documents

and files in a timely manner.

. Utilized Firm provided software to accurately store e-mail messages,

maintained and retrieved files.

. Attended execution of estate planning documents.

. Maintained contacts in Outlook.

. Assisted to draft bills for clients and prepared monthly attorney

billing package.

. Maintained attorney client time and billing diary, prepared attorney

expense reports, arranged for payment of invoices and prepared check

requests as needed.

. Coordinated client files transfer requests.

. Prepared and reviewed documents to be executed by clients.

. Prepared client binders of executed documents for distribution to

clients and electronic filing.

HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP 5/2006 - 08/2009

New York, New York

Legal Secretary/Assistant to Counsels and Senior Paralegal - Trusts and

Estates, Tax and Corporate Departments

. Created Wills, trust agreements, codicils, estate planning documents,

estate accounting tables, federal and state court forms, various

probate documents, estate tax and tax planning memoranda, receipts and

releases, articles for publication, succession and family planning

documents, conflict checks, retainer agreements, promissory notes,

stock purchase agreements, sale agreements, related practice-specific

legal documents and general correspondence.

. Attended to travel arrangements for assigned attorneys to CLE

Meetings, Bar Association Meetings, and ACTEC Meetings.

. Answered and screened telephone calls, scheduled appointments with

clients.

. Coordinated client files transfer requests.

. Prepared attorney expense reports.

. Assisted to draft bills for clients and prepared monthly attorney

billing package.

. Data entry of Wills and ancillary documents.

. Prepared and reviewed estate planning and related practice-specific

legal documents to be executed by clients.

. Assisted in the compilation of Forms 706, 709 and 1041.

. Prepared transmittal letters for distribution of executed documents to

clients.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

LABATON SUCHAROW 4/1987 - 5/2006

LLP

8+ years

New York, New

York

Legal Secretary/Assistant to Senior Partner and Department Chairman,

Fiduciary Accountant and Paralegal - Trusts and Estates, Corporate, and Tax

Departments

EDUCATION

Mac's Secretarial and Business School, Georgetown, Guyana

Complete Secretarial and Business Certificate Program

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Coordinated with the Town of Islip on a Brentwood community beautification

project, (Neighbors of Brentwood in the Pines) and acted as President to

the community group.

Coordinated with the Grace of God Lutheran Church, Dix Hills, NY on a

beautification project.

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