Human Resources Circuit Court
Resume:
Retha L. Smith
Oak Park, Michigan
************@*******.***
Skills and Technical Capabilities
• Evaluate situations, facts, and issues, and draw accurate conclusions.
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work.
• Research legal websites, corporate files, and compile data.
• Professionally and effectively communicate with others, including clients and the public.
• Knowledgeable regarding principles, methods, and resources involved in conducting legal research.
• Research, analyze and prepare written documents, correspondence, memoranda, and pleadings.
• Expert with Microsoft Suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and OneNote).
• Expert with Michigan courts E-filing systems.
• Acrobat/Adobe professional.
• Familiar with Records Deposition Service.
• Developed annual board/committee meeting calendars.
• Visio (created corporate organization charts by showing the ownership percentage between holding companies and their subsidiaries).
Professional Experiences
Third Circuit Court of Michigan
Office of Human Resources
September 2022 – June 2023 (40 hrs. per week)
• Retrieved, opened, distributed, and processed correspondence daily.
• Responded to all inquiries.
• Assisted recruitment staff with applicant scheduling and notification.
• Received and processed files, records, reports, and other documents.
• Conducted searches and retrieved files, records, reports, and other documents from the filing system.
• Assisted in maintaining confidential personnel filing system and timely filing of documents.
• Operated Court Identification badge system and access program.
• Assisted in updating records in Human Resources databases, spreadsheets, and logs. 36th District Court
Criminal / Traffic Division
March 2022 – August 2022 (37.50 hrs. per week)
• Performed a variety of complex clerical functions related to the processing of court cases.
• Answered and directed incoming telephone calls to the court from internal and external lines.
• Provided courteous responses to inquiries regarding tickets, including but not limited to court dates, adjournments, and payment transactions.
• Maintained records of traffic citations by entering information into the Judicial Information System. Robert Half Legal
State of Michigan - Adjudicator/Fact Finder
July 2020 – December 2021 (40 hrs. per week)
• Responsible for gathering facts, interviewing witnesses, and preparing summaries of underlying evidence associated with a client's UIA claim.
• Conducted research and placed outbound phone calls using client-provided technology.
• Combined findings into opinions and made recommendations pursuant to MES Act.
• Verified and determined which claim benefit year and claim type to adjudicate. Robert Half Legal
Cincinnati Insurance Company - Legal Secretary
February 2020 – March 2020 (40 hrs. Per week)
• Assisted several in-house attorneys.
• E-filed litigation documents with the appropriate court (District or Circuit).
• Maintained calendar with court dates, depositions.
• Performed caseload and database management of files.
• Reviewed and edited documents for accuracy and arranged timely filing of documents. R e t h a L Smith
R e t h a s m i t h 9 7 @comcast.n e t
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• Drafted replies by phone or email when necessary and replied to requests for general information. Henry Ford Health System
Governance-Paralegal
July 2019 – October 2019 (40 plus hrs. per week)
• Worked independently while assisting with board and committee meetings.
• Planed/scheduled annual board/committee meetings and obtained approval from the CEO, each Chairman of the various boards, and its committee chairs.
• Planned and scheduled agenda planning meetings to help facilitate with gathering, assimilating, and distributing meeting materials.
• Adjusted meeting schedules by either adding, amending, or extending the dates and times.
• Secured meeting locations, including parking spaces, and ordered food and beverages for meetings. The Auto Club Group (AAA)
Legal Assistant
Hom, Arene, Bachrach, Corbett, Kramer, Harding & Dombrowski May 2018 – July 2019 (40 plus hrs. per week)
• Knowledge of legal procedures, as well as principles of insurance, banking, and corporate law.
• Worked independently, while assisting attorneys with the various legal processes required for conducting business.
• Reviewed, analyzed, and summarized issues involved with incoming and pending litigation or administrative actions.
• Assessed documentation, obtained proofs, and clarified facts and issues.
• Organized, assembled, and interpreted various legal records and documents.
• Researched legal issues, policies, and procedures as needed.
• Prepared various documents, including minutes, agendas, calendars, certifications, briefs, motions, pleadings, mediation and arbitration summaries, legal opinions, corporate documents, depositions, medical and file summaries, exhibits, correspondence, and memoranda.
• Performed other duties as assigned such as E-filed. The Auto Club Group (AAA)
Executive Assistant / Legal Assistant
Office of General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
April 2001 – May 2018 (40 plus hrs. per week)
• Executive and Legal Assistant to the VP, Assistant Secretary and Counsel of Corporate Secretary Office
(CSO) including, but not limited to, the following responsibilities: scheduled regular, special and ad hoc board and committee meetings; drafted board, committee and executive management meeting agendas and notices; created board and committee meeting materials; and posted meeting materials to board portal for viewing and printing by board and staff members.
• Acted as liaison between holding company and its subsidiaries and affiliates on regulatory inquiries and filings, including NAIC Biographical Affidavits, fingerprinting services, Oath of Director forms, MCL 500.5252 Affidavits, Conflict of Interest Statements for all expansion projects, and mergers and acquisitions.
• Reorganized the CSO filing systems: separated corporate minutes for each insurance company, foundation, and club and maintained hard copy sets in individual corporate minutes books.
• Managed and maintained electronic copies of board and committee meeting materials, including minutes, attendance sheets, and meeting notices.
• Served as CSO contact person for corporate governance matters and procedures for all internal business units and company personnel, including senior executives, vice presidents, directors, officers, and internal / external board members.
• Assisted with mergers, acquisitions, and companies’ dissolutions.
• Maintained contact with Compliance as essential for all fines and orders.
• Prepared, maintained, and gathered regulatory Forms for M&A. R e t h a L Smith
R e t h a s m i t h 9 7 @comcast.n e t
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• Provided regulatory support by reviewing board calendars daily for mandatory and potential filings.
• Assisted colleagues with bankruptcy filings, licensing files, and garnishments/levies as required.
• Managed in-house law library and tracked expenditures and fees and updated all library publications and subscriptions.
• Processed vendor payments and outside legal counsel fees through an electronic database.
• Assisted with other governance related tasks and duties as required.
• Provided legal assistance to attorneys whose areas of expertise were Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), Regulatory filings, NAIC, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Marketing, Employment, Tax, and Litigation; banking, financial services.
Education
Henry Ford Community College-Dearborn, MI
Martin Luther King High School-Detroit, MI
References
Available upon request
Contact this candidate