Legal Operations Associate

Expert Legal Operations Associate & Compliance Manager

Dedicated and versatile, results-driven professional with 15+ years of comprehensive experience in Legal Operations and Compliance management. Proficient in various areas of the law with strong expertise in the legal and corporate sector. Successful proven track record of developing exceptional relationships with clients, peers, and senior leadership to provide sustainable law firm management practice solutions. Superb project leadership abilities and personnel management and recruiting skills. Expertise with managing client files and consumer accounts. Positive, proven problem solving and analytical thinking skills, a fast-learning curve and ability to adapt quickly to different legal & corporate settings. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, a great team player, who embraces growth and evolving trends. Drive and skill set to excel in a fast-paced leadership role enhancing an Employer’s ability to capture profitable markets.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Executive Team Leadership Banking & Regulatory Consumer Compliance Legal Document drafting Process Improvement eDiscovery E-Billing Contract Drafting & Review Document Review & Coding Policy drafting & Implementation Evidence Collection & Protection Investigation & Search Procedures Legal Research Settlement & Contract Negotiation Crisis & Conflicts Management Project Management Due Diligence Document & Case Management Resource Management Client & Vendor Relations Hearing Representative

SOFTWARE SKILLS

MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook; LexisNexis, Westlaw, Power Point, legal key, Trial Director, Relativity, CMS, AS400LS, SharePoint, Vizio, EAMS E-filing, Timeslips, MerusCase, CounselLink, DocuSign, Mimecast, Clio, E-redaction, FAP, CUBS, OACS, Relativity, Concordance, Summation, QuickBooks, MLS, MS 365 Communicator.

LEGAL AREAS

Worker’s Compensation Law Immigration Law Mortgage Banking Law Personal Injury Law Real Estate Law Corporate Law Criminal Law Real Estate Law International & Comparative Law Civil Litigation Bankruptcy Law Entertainment Law Copyright Law Anti-Terrorism Law

EXPERIENCES & ACHIEVEMENTS

NSAHLAI LAW FIRM, Los Angeles, CA 2017 – Current

ASSOCIATE LAW OPERATIONS

Establishing procedural changes to improve office workflow, conducted legal and billing software checks to ensure process improvement.

Reporting system database, legal & billing software technical issues to the IT department to ensure fixing and system performance.

Collaborated with the IT department to ensure that they provide proper network & remote data base sharing for all Attorneys and all other law firm employees.

Conducting system security checks, compliance auditing checks and system software checks on the legal and billing data base.

Providing document review & coding services for major litigation projects, French & International law doc review, E-Discovery, performing litigation support services for various litigation projects.

Filing Civil Complaints, legal research, and handling of discovery requests for the production & service of legal documents.

Conducting and Coordinating transactions for real estate purchases & sales with agents/brokers and finance companies for clients; Obtaining closing documents, titles, deeds, transfer declarations, purchase contracts, loan agreements, coordinating closings wit escrow, clients, lenders, and brokers.

Coordinating client intake and interviews, gathering evidence and information, verifying insurance coverages and policies, filing insurance claims, interviewing witnesses, following up on case status with adjusters, drafting correspondences, setting up doctor’s appointments, negotiating lien settlements per Counsel’s request, filing civil complaints in Personal Injury & Employment law cases.

Drafting and E-filing via EAMS of DOR’s, NOR’s, POS’s, Requests for QME & AME’s, 4906(g) Declarations, 4061/4062 objection letters, litigation Budgets, AA Strike letters; Scheduling PQME, AME Evaluator appointments, certified Spanish interpreters for Applicants with doctor offices, providing medical records to treating physicians, Preparing advocacy Cover letters, Schedule of Records, Scheduling Hearings for MSC’s, Lien Conferences; File and service of Medical Records to AA and Medical Doctors; Providing Hearing representative services.

Interviewing and collection information from Immigration Applicants in re immigration issues; Preparing and filing Non-immigrant and Immigrant visa petitions such as family-based, Asylum, Refugee Petitions, green cards, principally I-485, I-131, I-140, I-539, N-400, E1, E2, H4, H-1B, H-3, TNs, L-1, EB-5, E-3, O-1, EB1-1, EB-2, EB1-3, J1, P, RFEs', F-1, J-1, PERM and labor certifications, with the USCIS, EDD & DOL.

OFFICE MANAGER

Daily Supervision and management of the law firms’ activities, work flow and office employees and ordering of office Supplies.

Scheduling of deliveries of legal documents, ensuring compliance of all firm’s rules & regulations by office employees.

Handling of time-off requests of office employees with HR and coordinating training of office employees.

Management of Answering Service and Answering Service Company App.

Coordinating and participating in hiring and interviewing of new employees, participating in disciplinary actions of current employees in coordination with the Human Resource department and with the firm’s owner.

MATIAN LAW GROUP, Van Nuys, CA 2016-2017

OFFICE MANAGER

Daily managed the law firms’ activities and work flow, supervised the law firm’s employees and ordered office supplies.

Reported system data base and legal & billing software technical issues to the IT department to ensure fixing and proper functioning; ensured the IT department provide proper network sharing & remote data by base sharing for all employees.

Managed overall legal database & billing database to ensure process compliance, provided process changes to ensure process improvement; Coordinated & participated in hiring & interviewing of new employees with HR;

Ensured compliance of all firms’ rules and regulations by office employees, handling of time off requests and coordinating training of office employees; Scheduled deliveries of legal documents.

ASSOCIATE LAW OPERATIONS

Provided legal support to the Associate Attorneys & 2 Managing Partners on Workers’ Compensation Defense cases.

Drafting and E-filing via EAMS of DOR’s, NOR’s, POS’s, Requests for QME & AME’s, 4906(g) Declarations, 4061/4062 objection letters, AA strike letters, Scheduling PQME and AME Evaluator & certified Spanish interpreters appointments for Applicants with doctor offices, providing medical records to treating physicians within legal guidelines, Preparing medical records and file and serve (to AA & Medical Doctors), Preparing advocacy cover letters, litigation budgets, schedule of records for PQME reviews by AA; Scheduling hearings for MSC’s and lien conferences.

Daily management of the Managing Partner’s email account, provided prompt responses to clients at the Owner’s request.

Daily billing of the law firms’ documents, provided and coordinated overall firms billing process to generate invoices for clients.

Maintaining and managing a legal caseload of over 200 cases within 2 months; Coordinated and assisted in clearing past billing issues of over 6 months, to generate invoices to clients; Successfully Appealed adjusted past billing of over 3 years by auditor firm and coordinated with auditor firm to enable previously adjusted billing to be overturned and approved by clients, thereby recovering and generating over 600k in lost revenue for the firm within 30 days.

Clients: Hanover/Nova Casualty administered by York Risk Services Group, SISF administered by Tristar Risk Management, Great American Insurance Company/Group (Cincinnati-YORG, TRU, Walnut Creek-AIC), International Paper administered by Sedgwick, Millard Group WC, Santa Clara VTA administered by Tristar.

LINA MICHAEL & ASSOCIATES, Thousand Oaks, CA 2015-2016

LEGAL COMPLIANCE SUPERVISOR

Provided daily Supervision, leadership, and compliance support of the law firms’ Compliance team.

Reported violations of the firm’s rules and regulations committed by the firms’ employees to the HR Manager and to other department supervisors.

Provided policy, procedural changes, and updates, compliance audit checks on legal issues, complex compliance issues on Federal and State Banking laws, regulations and procedures relating to client accounts.

Mitigated and Managed Client-Attorney relationship with respect to Attorney and law firm violations.

Collected data, interviewed Collectors, Attorneys & Paralegals involved in Consumer compliance breaches and fraud Complaints.

Investigated, reviewed, re-drafted and submitted reports from Collectors and Attorneys, in re alleged compliance breaches from Attorneys, Collectors and Paralegals, including violations regarding Federal (particularly FDCPA), State and banking violations for individual and business card member accounts and files; Reporting breaches of banking, Federal and state laws to client and 3rs Party Compliance auditing team.

Reviewed & Investigated, Collector & Attorney Consumer Calls for compliance breaches, litigation & legal service documents for evidence on Complaints & Fraud Reports; Transcribed Collector & Attorney Calls into reports for submission to 3rd Party Compliance auditing team.

Daily Reporting, updating of the CUBS (Columbia Ultimate Business System) with information regarding Consumer Complaints, Frauds & Deceased Reports; Provided regular status updates on Complaints, Frauds and Deceased card member reports, updated Complaint reports for monthly submission to 3rd Party Compliance review auditing team.

Investigated and Reported Attorney, Paralegal, Collector, law firm and banking Complaints and violations reported by card members to courts, state and federal entities to Client compliance auditing investigators; Reported and processed fraud claims and deceased Cardmember accounts.

Prepared and provided appropriate Defense Responses for compliance violations committed by Attorneys, Collectors, Paralegals, and the law firm, based on evidence gathered using legal analysis and evidence rules.

Communicated and collaborated with the Director of litigation, Director of legal services, banking auditing & Compliance team, to determine appropriate remedial actions for violations committed & discuss process measures & procedural changes to prevent further compliance violations.

Use of TLO, Accurint, Skip Tracing and the internet for investigative purposes, to locate persons and deceased card members.

Supervised the Debt validation team and coordinated the Debt Validation process daily to ensure process compliance.

Performed monthly Compliance Call Monitoring Calibration Audits, assisting 3rd party compliance team in auditing of Attorney and Collectors calls to ensure Compliance of UDAAP, FDCPA, FCRA, RDCPA and other Federal and State Banking laws.

Escalated Consumer CFPB Complaints to the Director of Litigation for appropriate responses to the CFPB.

Major Clients: American Express, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of the West, Citi Bank, Bank of America.

FIRST CALL ASSOCIATES INC., Los Angeles, CA 2013-2015

LEGAL CONSULTANT & MARKETING COORDINATOR

Provided legal consultant-client services, compliance auditing policy checks on national, International and U.S business investments, under the supervision of General Counsel.

BANK OF AMERICA N.A., Simi Valley, CA 2008-2013

LEGAL COMPLIANCE PROFESSIONAL/ MORTAGE RESOLUTION TEAM BUSINESS SUPPORT

Provided mortgage auditing system software, litigation management and compliance auditing system checks, changes and updates and Compliance support to the Mortgage Resolution team on foreclosure and non-foreclosure time-sensitive litigation notifications to MERS for member loans.

CERTIFICATIONS/TRAINING

Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) in International Legal Studies- Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA

Master of Laws in American Legal Studies (LL.M.) – Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, CA

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

CERTIFICATIONS/TRAINING

Certified Licensed & Bonded Public Notary- State of California

California Certified Notary Singing Agent- National Notary Association

Certificate- FDCPA Essentials for Collectors Training; American International Association of Credit & Collections Professionals

Collector Compliance & Regulatory Training - American Recovery Service Incorporated (ARSI):

Banking Compliance & Regulatory Training - Bank of America N.A.

Whittier Law Clinic: Investigated claims against the Los Angeles School District (LASD); At IEP meetings negotiated cases on Children’s Disability rights with the LASD in reference to requested childcare special needs, on behalf of special needs children.

LANGUAGES

Bilingual – Fluent in written & Spoken French.

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