SHERRI A. BROWN, RP®

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** ******** ****** * 518-***-****

Whitehall, New York 12887 W 518-***-****

acrj47@r.postjobfree.com

PROFESSIONAL PARALEGAL/LEGAL ASSISTANT EXPERIENCE

LEGAL ASSISTANT II, NYS OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (OPWDD), ALBANY, NY Office of Counsel, April 2010-present

● Senior paralegal at OPWDD responsible for managing OPWDD’s Administrative Fair Hearing process for eligibility denials and terminations, maintaining the schedule, workflow, assigns cases maintains fair hearing Access data base, reviews case files and prepares hearing summaries in support of eligibility determinations for OPWDD’s Administrative Fair Hearing process. Responsible for researching hearing request notices that do not pertain to OPWDD eligibility, providing the correct information to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, and sending a Waiver of Appearance on OPWDD’s behalf.

● Trains and supervises three legal assistants.

● Prepares administrative appeal/reconsideration letters in opposition to adverse fair hearing determinations.

● Researches legal issues using LEXIS, compiles information on different topics as assigned using internet and State Library search engines as well as the NY State Department website searching for business incorporation information and obtains bill jackets as needed.

● Assists Litigation Bureau with discovery by compiling and organizing documents and files for electronic submission to the Attorney General’s Office; files for electronic submission are set up in portfolios using Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.

● Responsible for maintaining electronic and paper documentation for HIPAA HITECH breach cases involving violations of personal health information that are reported to Health and Human Services (HHS) each year. Breach cases are maintained using Excel spreadsheets and Access data base programs and the yearly report is completed using the HHS website filing system.

● Assists with the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) process, assists in maintaining FOIL Access data base and redacts documents as assigned.

● Creates and manages Excel Spreadsheets and Access data bases for office electronic filing system; uses Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 to create litigation portfolios and create Administrative Fair Hearing Case documents and attachments; uses LEXIS, and Internet applications as well as Microsoft Outlook. LEGAL ASSISTANT II, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, ALBANY, NY Office of General Counsel, July 2007- April 2010

● Sole paralegal in the Albany office responsible for managing the civil fines process for department administrative hearings and settlements.

● Prepared and processed administrative hearing notices, stipulations and orders, settlement agreements and investigator affidavits for the prosecution of fraudulent insurance acts including fraudulent medical and dental billing, working on disability frauds, worker’s compensation certificate frauds, worker’s compensation disability frauds, homeowner fraudulent claims, stolen vehicle claims, car arson claims, and rate evasion schemes.

● Responsible for coordinating hearing dates with investigators and the Office of General Counsel in New York City; conducting discovery, fact finding, analyzed record documents, and ordered additional records as needed.

● Finalized Insurance Department subpoenas for the Fraud Bureau investigators.

● Prepared criminal court documents for various counties for the Special Prosecutor, assisted in trial preparation, tedious evidence preparation under the direction of Assistant Counsel-Insurance Frauds Bureau – Special Prosecutor, William Andrews.

● Research in Insurance Law issues related to consumer questions and civil fine fraud cases, transcribe dictation tapes.

SHERRI A. BROWN, RP®

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● Created and maintained Excel spreadsheets and charts for tracking cases, settlements, closed cases, processed files for record retention, and collected civil fines program data for the department’s yearly report. LEGAL ASSISTANT II, NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ALBANY, NY Appeals and Opinions Bureau, March 2005 - July 2007

● Paralegal responsible for submitting legal documents to courts in response to pro se inmate Article 78 cases.

● Reviewed incoming petitions and prepared Supreme Court answers.

● Ordered pertinent records, assembled the answer and exhibit documents.

● Researched issues using Lexis-Nexis.

● Researched and wrote Respondent briefs in reply to prisoner pro se Article 78 litigation for submission to the Appellate Division, Third Department under the direction of Assistant Solicitor General.

● Maintained 85 prisoner pro se case files and prepared various motions in opposition, affirmations in opposition, and correspondence.

● Prepared appellate brief table of authorities and table of contents for the New York City Attorney General’s Office via e-mail.

LEGAL ASSISTANT I, NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ALBANY, NY Health Care Bureau, April 2004 - March 2005

● Prepared court documents, provided cite checks; Maintained discovery documents and case files; Created and maintained spreadsheets identifying non redacted information; and Assisted in locating legislative history documents.

LEGAL DEPARTMENT DOCUMENT SPECIALIST, NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ALBANY, NY Appeals and Opinions Bureau, June 2003 - April 2004

● Prepared appellate brief table of authorities and table of contents; and prepared answers and motions for various attorneys.

Real Estate Bureau, November 2002 - June 2003

● Prepared real estate documents such as Mortgage Deeds, Warranty Deeds and tax documents for the purchase and sale of real property for the State of New York. OTHER LEGAL EXPERIENCE: 1996-2002

Reiber, Kenlan, Schwiebert & Facey, Rutland, Vermont, August 2001- February 2002 ● Legal Secretary - Wills and Estate Department Debonis, Wright & Marthage, Poultney, VT: March 1999- June 1999 ● Paralegal internship - Real Estate Andrew Jackson, Esq., Middlebury, VT - Legal Secretary: January 1996 - October 1998

● Maintained office, office equipment, supplies, office check books, client files, conflict data-base, law library, docket report; Scheduled court reporters for depositions, client appointments.

● Prepared real estate documents, interrogatories, and discovery documents.

● Prepared court documents and correspondence and transcribed dictation tapes. EDUCATION

CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE, BURLINGTON, VERMONT

Master of Science in Law, August 2013

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT CANTON, CANTON, NEW YORK Bachelor of Technology, Legal Studies, 2011

SHERRI A. BROWN, RP®

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WOODBURY COLLEGE, MONTPELIER, VERMONT

Associate of Science, Paralegal Studies, 1999

TRIDENT TECHNICAL COLLEGE, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA Associate of Science, Engineering Studies, 1993

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

U.S. Navy –HULL TECHNICIAN CHIEF – E7, 1995

SIGMA BETA DELTA HONOR SOCIETY, 2011

Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE), Registered Paralegal (RP®), 2014 Patent Paralegal Certificate Course offered by The IPLEGALED, Inc., 2014 Land Use – Real Estate Certification Course offered through NALA, expected completion 9/2015

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