Karen M. Shaw, JD

*** ****** ****** ** **********, DC 20010

(C) 240-***-**** adz72x@r.postjobfree.com

MANAGEMENT-

Highly experienced Paralegal with 15 years of -experience in both the public and private sector. Skilled in interpreting and summarizing legislative policies, procedures, legal findings, rulings and case laws. High concentration in interpreting specialized Federal legislation--in particular HIPAA Administrative Simplification rules and enforcement procedures, and information disclosure legislation including FOIA and the Privacy Act. Experienced in drafting security and privacy policies and procedures to support health organizations, programs, and information technology system, and processing FOIA, PIA and Due Diligence requests. Exceptional research, analytic, organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Demonstrated ability to research, analyze and an innovative problem solver. Proven leadership, negotiation and problem resolution abilities, excellent interpersonal skills and exceptional oral communication and written skills

Work History

Senior FOIA Analyst

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Panum (Contractor)

February 2023 to August 2023

• Process incoming FOIA and Privacy Act requests. Request responsive documents from program offices. Redact documents in accordance with agency protocols using appropriate exemptions. Prepare documentation for and draft responses to FOIA and Privacy Act requests and coordinate proposed disclosures of information for several entities within the agency.

• Conduct first level review of documents requested for litigation. Identify other agencies interests, coordinate with subject matter experts OIG and outside agencies. Ensure continuity with previous releases and eliminate all duplicate information.

Senior FOIA Analyst

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Xentity (Contractor)

March 2018 to October 2019

• Processed simple and complex FOIA requests. These include the following records: exhibits, investigative, disciplinary action and civil complaints. Redacted and/or withhold confidential or privilege information on documents. Ensured released materials did not contain information exempted under the applicable statutes.

• Applied the following exemptions: (b)(4), (b)(5), (b)(6), (b)(7)(C), and (b)(7)(A); and (c)(1) exclusion. Prepared FOIA determination letters along with responsive documents (where applicable) and dispatch to the requesters. Used various databases to conduct research, such as, NRSI, Corp Fin, EDGAR and IRIS.

• Liaison with SEC local and regional offices in compiling responsive documents for review.

• Inform requesters when the fees exceed designated amount in FOIA requests. Provide requesters where required with information regarding the processing of their requests before final responses. Also, provide branch chiefs with information on assigned requests.

Senior FOIA Analyst

Department of Education/ Robert Half (Consultant)

May 2017 –January 2018

Processed incoming and backlogged FOIA requests both manually and electronically (FOIAXpress). Reviewed documents, emails, leases, designs, blueprints and construction contracts, for responsiveness and content. Applied appropriate FOIA exemptions, redacted and corresponded with the requester. Responsible for acknowledgement letters, fee assessments, submitter letters, and final agency response letters.

Senior FOIA Analyst

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Axiom Corporation (Contractor)

June 2016-October 2016

Responded to backlogged FOIA Request electronically (FOIAXpress). Reviewed documents, emails, medical reports, environmental studies and law enforcement records, for responsiveness and content. Applied appropriate FOIA exemptions, and redacted. Responsible for processing 500 pages daily.

Senior FOIA Attorney Advisor/ Information Security and Disclosure Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) DataFederal (Contractor)

July 2013-June 2015

Respond to backlogged and current FOIA requests. Prepare PDN letters and process the responses. Communicate with requesters, clients, senior staff and program directors to clarify request and responses. Train and supervise new personnel, direct workflow and ensure timely completion of tasks. Develop policies and procedures, standardized response language, and supervised reorganization of FOIA Office. Prepare the monthly quarterly and yearly reports.

Senior FOIA Analyst

Department of Veterans Affairs (Contract w/Parker Tide)

October 2012-April 2013

Process incoming and backlogged FOIA requests both manually and electronically (FOIAXpress). Review documents, emails, leases, designs, blueprints and construction contracts, for responsiveness and content. Apply appropriate FOIA exemptions, redact and correspond with the requester. Responsible for acknowledgement letters, fee assessments, submitter letters, and final agency response letters.

FOIA Specialist (Contractor FedConsulting)

Export Import Bank of The United States

October 2010 to April 2011

Processed incoming FOIA Requests both manually and electronically (FOIAXpress). Reviewed documents and emails relating to loans, business practices, environmental impact, social impact and due diligence, for responsiveness and content. Applied the appropriate FOIA exemptions and responded to the requester.

Document Reviewer (Contractor Kelly Law Registry)

Du Pont Chemical

July 2010 to August 2010

●Reviewed for content and type government correspondence, hazardous material invoices, chemical inventories, OSHA regulations, personnel incident reports, discovery documents for various law suits, permits and 30 other separate types of documents.

●Coded and entered the data into spreadsheets to populate an electronic database.

Senior Document Reviewer (Contractor Kelly Law Registry)

Duff & Phelps

June 2010

●Participated in major document retention, destruction and storage project.

Reviewed documents for content and suitability for retention or destruction based on company guidelines.

●Coded and prepared documents for Green Mountain offsite storage, and on site retention.

●Prepared, boxed and coded in house retained files for move to new location

Supervising Senior FOIA Analyst (Contractor Aspen of DC)

United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Investigative Services Riverdale, MD

October 2009 to April 2010

●Plant Protection, and Quarantine and Biotechnology Regulatory Service programs.

●Review agency matters and apply legal exemptions to the information and evidence gathered on all alleged violations of agriculture health and animal welfare regulations.

Supervising FOIA Attorney Advisor/ Information Disclosure Specialist

Contractor Pat Taylor and Associates

February 2009 to August 2009

●Participated on disclosure team reviews of the highest level and most sensitive documents pertaining to TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program), economic recovery, bank bailouts, auto company bailouts and economic stabilization.

●Developed and applied theories and legal support to document agency determinations in legal pleadings filed in federal courts; gave recommendations and opinions on legal matters requiring the interpretation and application of statues, FOIA and Privacy Act laws.

●Reviewed initial decisions regarding requests for records under FOIA/PA; prepared decision memoranda and recommended responses for Office of the General Counsel.

●Created and populated a Vaughn index of the documents produced.

Legal Consultant

Envisions Management Consulting, LLC

July 2005 to July 2009

•Drafted employee nondisclosure agreement.

•Review and approve subcontractor agreements.

•Conducted extensive research of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and its relation to Virginia State laws as part of an independent evaluation of the state's program.

•Drafted risk management and quality assurance plans for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Electronic Medical Records Initiative.

Senior Paralegal General Counsel's Office

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

January 2008 to July 2008

•Duties include drafting Maryland Circuit Court complaints, 30 day dunning letters, write off memorandums.

•Researching and writing memorandums for the various practice groups in the following areas; Employment Law, Labor Law, Environmental Law, Contract Law, Bid Protest Responsiveness and Responsibilities, Collections, Torts, Governmental Immunity and Sovereignty, Land Use and Ethics.

•Preparing hearing and appeal exhibits, discovery document production and responses to Interrogatories.

•Prepared and presented PowerPoint presentation on Administrative Mandamus to County Attorney Work Group.

•Respond to all FOIA, PIA and Due Diligence requests submitted to the Agency.

•Draft, review and edit agency Policies and Procedures.

Collections Paralegal

Palmer Legal Staffing

August 2007 to January 2008

•Responsible for initiating collections proceeding for delinquent Commercial accounts, that included drafting final notice before litigation letters, Circuit and District court complaints, National Arbitration complaints.

•Set up accounts with various collection agencies, prepare debtor information files.

•Coordinate Service and the Proof of service and affidavits of service with private process servers law firms and the courts and filing chapter 7 and chapter 11 Proof of Claim forms.

Contract Paralegal, Team Leader

Kelly Law Registry

July 2007 to July 2007

•Team Leader of 20 plus paralegals providing quality control to a 1.2 million paper page document review for a large corporation.

•Assisted attorney with preparation of privilege log.

•Supervised bates inspection and review.

•Implemented and maintained a tracking log of documents and discovery exhibits.

•Supervised work assignments and evaluated performance.

Envisions Management Consulting, LLC (Contract w/ABSS)

November 2005 to January 2006

HIPAA Consultant, November 2005 - January 2006

•Drafted HIPAA compliant IT Security and Privacy policies and procedures.

•Conducted extensive research of Electronic Medical Record requirements and the electronic

Handling of Protected Health Information in substance abuse and mental health institutions.

Paralegal

Department of Health and Human Services

October 2001 to July 2005

•Serve as paralegal for DHHS Office of the Secretary, providing support to the Office of the General Counsel and Office of Civil Rights.

•Gather, sort, analyze, and document inquiries (over 11,000 emails) made by the general public concerning the provisions of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administrative Simplification provisions, including covered entities, security, privacy, patient health information, and electronic data transactions.

•Assisted in developing for the website of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) a comprehensive flowchart to simply depict the basis proponents of HIPAA.

•Support the Administrative Simplification Practice Group (ASPG)-comprising of 23 attorneys from various HHS divisions. Responsible for preparing guidance memoranda for various federal agencies.

•Developed a comprehensive flowchart to define and explain in plain language the basic proponents of HIPAA for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) website.

•Assist the OCR Privacy Team in preparing analytic and legal reports, flowcharts and spreadsheets.

•In support of OCR Director's activities, conduct legal research on legislative history and preemption.

•Serve as Federal Register contact for HIPAA procedures for Enforcement Rule.

•Coordinate activities and conduct research and manage documents of attorneys drafting the proposed and final rules.

Legal Liaison

Pierce, Hamilton, and Stern (Collections)

May 2001 to September 2001

•Primary contact for more than 60 law firms in the U.S. Ensured clients, attorneys, and representatives of rental properties appeared for appointed court date.

•Notified compliance staff, clients, attorneys, and designated rental property representative of resolving disputes and adverse claims, trial and settlement dispositions.

•Provided legal consultation as needed.

Paralegal/Office Manager

Law Office of Michael Fried (Bankruptcy)

April 2000 to June 2000

Legal Research Specialist

KPMG (Accounting)

December 1999 to April 2000

Paralegal

Corporate Securities

February 1998 to November 1998

Law Clerk

Law Office of Myron C. Smith

July 1997 to January 1998

Paralegal Consultant

Banzet, Banzet & Thompson, PLLC

1996 to 1998

Manager, Customer Satisfaction & Interim Law Clerk

Performance Systems International

October 1995 to July 1997

Law Clerk

Law Offices of Fitzgerald and Smith

June 1990 to October 1995

Education & Professional training

Juris Doctor

Howard University School of Law - Washington, DC

Bachelors of Arts in Political Science

Virginia State University - Petersburg, VA

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