Paralegal/Legal Assistant/H.R./Consultant/Analyst/Marketing

William Reynolds Harris

Norcross, GA ***** 770-***-****

********.******@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/williamrharris shrmatlanta.org/member/williamrharris

Career Summary

Dynamic legal professional possessing more than 11 years of experience in civil litigation, consultation, and supporting attorneys as a Litigation Paralegal. Skilled in trial preparation, writing and drafting legal filings, legal documentation management software, and motions and navigating court proceedings on behalf of clients and attorneys. Able to succinctly communicate complex legal information in layman terms on an array of legal matters. Solely assisted lead attorneys with trial preparation for multi-million dollar cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, insurance defense and bad faith, product liability, and medical malpractice. Skilled researcher and administrator adept in drafting case related documents, authoring memorandums, maintaining and updating firm records. Recognized for employing legal principles and sound judgment across an array of legal proceedings, negotiations, and initiatives. Technically savvy with expertise in database design, legal software, document management systems, and related business applications. Adheres to the highest levels of ethical conduct and personal integrity.

Leadership

Managing High Volume Case Load

Exceptional Organized & Versatile

Professional Communications

Legal Filings & Documentation

Research and Analysis

Presentation & Training

Complex Litigation

High Stakes Litigation

Self-Starter

Driven to Succeed

Jury Consulting

Complex Problem Solving

Trial Preparation (50+ cases)

Client Management

Legal Software & Technology

Extremely Meticulous & Precise

Discovery Requests & Responses

Expert Interviews

Stoic in very high pressure situations

Rules of Civil Procedures & Evidence

Professional Experience

WAATME (World Accreditation Addiction Treatment Mark of Excellence), Norcross, GA Sept 2016 – Present

Partner

Entrepreneur, having launched a start-up company specializing in attaining online accreditation for addiction treatment providers.

Promote and build brand awareness through appearances in multiple commercials and digital advertising through social media outlets.

Lead consultant for all legal issues as well as overseeing corporate projects and public relations.

Engage potential clients to drive new business, offering seven distinct accreditation certificates for addiction treatment providers, placing a focus on sober living houses in the Southeast region of the United States.

Key Accomplishment:

Authored article entitled, “Vending Machine Psychiatry in the United States,” which has been submitted for publication in Psychology Today magazine.

Freelance Legal Researcher, Norcross, GA Sept 2015 – August 2016

Legal Researcher and Analyst

Performed research on legal and ethical issues pertaining to business litigation, civil procedures, criminal law, intellectual property, trademarks, anti-trust, patents, commercial and residential real estate, etc.

Key Accomplishment:

Specific focus placed on the research of constitutional issues to assist prominent Washington, D.C. attorney Berl Bernhard, Senior Staff Advisor for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, with his life’s memoirs.

Emory Law School, Atlanta, GA Jan 2015 – June 2015

Legal Researcher and Analyst

Analyzed and revised potential intellectual property and copyright issues involving Emory University faculty and staff publications.

Managed multiple document databases to ensure that all Emory University's scholarly articles were organized, categorized and summarized appropriately

Worked the maximum amount of allowed hours, i.e., fifteen, while maintaining a 3.333 GPA.

CedarCrestone Inc., Alpharetta, GA Jan 2014 – August 2014

Assistant Human Resources & Legal Consultant

Assessed issues related to security, ERISA, Title VII, worker’s compensation, social security, and other employment-related legal issues.

Employed technical expertise to aid users with software applications such as LawLogix, Miratech, Oracle Fusion, PeopleSoft, Salesforce.com, and Lightning Experience.

Key Accomplishments:

Standardized personnel files for CedarCrestone Inc. and it's five subsidiaries to ensure regulatory compliance with the Georgia Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Protection of classes pursuant to Title VII, and Department of Homeland Security.

Completed I-9 forms for onboarding employees, and reviewed all past and present employers I-9 forms for completeness and accuracy; utilized LawLogix to draft new, and revise those found with discrepancies, for unequivocal compliance.

Evaluated all existing and prior employee records for completeness and designed an Access database as a document warehouse; in tandem with the IT department, utilized Oracle Fusion to setup, create and impement task lists and data reports for the customer service and consulting employees.

Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele LLP, Marietta, GA Sept 2012 – Dec 2013

Insurance Defense & Litigation Paralegal

Performed pre-trial preparation for diverse insurance defense and coverage matters including premises liability, personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases.

Developed an original discovery work-product and managed complex and voluminous discovery.

Crafted and facilitated dynamic presentations and notebooks for use in witness interviews, hearings, depositions, ADR, and trial.

Drafted an array of advanced mediation memorandums, Holt demand letters, case analyses, 6.4 letters, and motions.

Researched and analyzed claimants’ medical records, bills and reports, and drafted chronologies, summaries, and special damages synopses as part of the case preparation process.

Wrote memorandums on a wide range of legal issues, such as the “Relevancy and Scope of Discoverable Documents” and “Information Reflecting a Defendant’s Net Worth in Cases with Claims of Punitive Damages.”

Key Accomplishment:

Recognized by marquee partner stating, “William’s work-product is on the same level as a third-year attorney.”

Authored “The Evolution of Hours-of-Service (HOS) Regulations” for the GDLA’s Quarterly magazine (Spring 2014).

Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC, Atlanta, GA Oct 2011 – Sept 2012

Litigation Paralegal

Prepared all aspects of diverse high-stakes multi-million-dollar cases pertaining to insurance defense, personal injury and wrongful death, premises liability, trucking, automobile and boating accidents, and Civil RICO claims in numerous State and Federal Courts.

Participated extensively in working with exhibits, witness lists, deposition, hearing, and trial notebooks, motions in limine, and Daubert motions, pre-trial orders, 6.4 letters, responses to demand letters, dispositive motions etc.

Acquired expertise working with PACER, PacerPro, case management and electronic case filing systems.

Extensive usage of Summation, eDiscovery, and other advanced electronic legal file organization software.

Key Accomplishments:

In recognition of singular outstanding achievement was the recipient of three merit-based bonuses.

Consulted and collaborated with founding partner Joseph Fried in the settlement of six cases in a single week achieving a financial recovery of more than twenty million dollars.

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP, Atlanta, GA Aug 2004 – Oct 2011

Senior Litigation Paralegal

Prepared for trial cases involving product and premises liability, insurance defense, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, and nursing home negligence cases.

Authored advanced case analyses specifically utilized for alternative dispute resolution and trial.

Handled massive case load, which approached over 1,500 open matters.

Key Accomplishments:

Designed a Microsoft Access database to document all mass tort cases that continues to be used firm-wide.

Participated in audit preparation on three occasions conducted by The Liberty Mutual Group, exclusively utilizing LawLogix (especially Guardian’s audit and data protection applications), which resulting in procuring new clients.

The only paralegal specifically requested to assist the South Carolina trial team in four trials between 2009 – 2011.

Recognized by the firm’s senior partner for outstanding work performance, knowledge, and leadership.

Honors & Distinctions

Recipient of a certificate regarding anti-money laundering from the national AML Compliance Officer, Nov 2015

Certified as instructor in Westlaw and Westlaw Next for L.L.M. training, May 2015

Certified as instructor in LexisNexis research tool, May 2015

Earned Certificates of Merit from the Medical Group Management Association for completing Utilizing Non-Physician Providers in your Medical Practice and 2015 PQRS Requirements, Aug 2014

Invited by the Executive Director of Communications for LexisNexis to conduct a webinar for LexisNexis’s Business of Law Section entitled, “Legal Tech Briefs: Paralegal Viewpoint on the Future of Technology for Law and Business.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBUDj2ZL_-A.), June 2014

Elected by the American Bar Association to serve as a liaison for the International Commission on Disability Rights. Coordinated communications and events on behalf of the ABA with attorneys across the world.

Approached by the Executive Editor of the American Bar Association to write a book based on a multitude of ideas personally submitted to the American Bar Association’s Publishing Committee, Jan 2014

Received a full scholarship from the ABA Center for Professional Development for Emerging E-Discovery Challenges, Dec 2013

Education & Credentials

Completed Coursework toward a Graduate Degree in Jurisprudence, School of Law, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,

Civil Procedure, Complex Litigation, Torts, Business Associations, Legislation & Regulations, Criminal Law, Legal Writing Research & Analysis, Property, and Constitutional Law

Member of the Student Body Assembly

Bachelor of Arts in International Relations & Government, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, May 2003

Recipient of prestigious Dartmouth College official academic citation for “Meritorious Performance” in a capstone senior-year seminar on “Governmental Strategy & Politics”.

Member of the Dartmouth Tennis Team, Dartmouth Film Society, Student Council, and Sigma Nu Fraternity

Georgia Policy & Procedure, Atlanta’s John Marshall School of Law, Atlanta, GA, Jan 2014

Technical Proficiencies

Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Access Database Design and Maintenance

Salesforce.com, Lightning Experience, LawLogix, TrialWorks, PACER, Pacer Pro, Oracle Fusion and PeopleSoft HCM, iSummation, iManage, and CMS Electronic Document Repositories, Tabs

Aderant Expert Legal Technology & Project Manager, Orion Law Management

Needles Legal CMS, Clio, AbacusLaw, TrialSmith, CaseMetrix

Managing Case Alerts with Law Toolbox 365, Gmail, Exchange & Outlook

Affiliations

American Bar Association

American Society of Digital Forensics & eDiscovery, Inc.

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

Member of the International Association of Business Communicators

Society of Human Resources Managers, Atlanta GA

Contact this candidate