Senior Paralegal

Stephen R. Stapleton

**** ******** **** • Sacramento • California 95823-3512

**********@*********.*** • 916-***-**** home • 916-***-**** cell Career Experience

Michael Gollbach Trust, Roseville, CA June 2023 – December 2024 Senior Paralegal

• Was hired to run and conclude the trust of the late Michael Gollbach for the Sacramento Friends Meeting. The trust had passed to a member of the church that left everything in a form will to the Meeting. The trust was formed by his spouse, but the Trustee had never been updated. I was responsible for petitioning the court to become the trust, sell the assets, and turn them over to the Meeting.

• Settled all creditor demands, sold the family home, maintained accounting, reported to the court, reported regularly to the Meeting, and closed the trust.

• Handled a wide variety of legal issues left behind by the decedent, include various life insurance and retirement policies that had not been handled when his husband predeceased him.

• Worked entirely remotely.

Robert Half Recruiters & Employment Agency, Various Cities, CA January 2021 – May 2023 Senior Paralegal

• Was assigned to a variety of legal groups from small, one-person organizations to larger multi- lawyer organizations. Longest assignment was a year with JDM Law in Roseville, also worked on-call with one-woman law firm on discovery and a private company that performed investigations for governmental bodies.

• Hit the ground running with each assignment, often with significant back long to clear. Interview clients; drafted and edited complaints, responses, motions, replies, and all manner of legal documentation; wrote quitclaim and grant deeds for multiple states, including New York, New Mexico, and California, wrote appearance motions, cases states, motions to extend time, motion to substitute counsel, motions to file and remove notices pending action, and other motions as required (sample redacted motions available upon request).

• Discussed and implemented case strategy in cases small to large. Represented restaurants and other small businesses before Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, Indian Claims Commission, State Board of Control, and other non-judicial boards and commissions.

• Wrote amendments and codicils for wills and trust, including multi-generation trusts.

• Wrote recommendations and filled-out necessary work for students apply for graduate school, personalized for each student. Also, wrote and filed responses to student requests.

• Interviewed clients and provided client support, including letters of inquiry and demands. Wrote form discovery requests and special interrogatories as well as responses.

• Created presentations for trials, meetings, university classes, both handouts and Power Point

• Drafted lawyer letters.

• Reviewed contracts, real estate and business, as well as employee, and suggested edits.

• Worked independently for most assignments, but work well in team settings.

• Researched legal questions and issues, including labor topics. Discovered how to defeat Kaiser’s arbitration clause.

• Tracked and maintained multi-million dollar family trusts and filings.

• Trained new paralegals and clerks.

Law Offices of Mark Choi, Sacramento, CA November 2020 – November 2021 Senior Paralegal

• Drafted and edited complaints, responses, motions, replies, and all manner of legal documentation;

• Recently, working independently, complete discovery material, including special interrogatories and verification of documents.

• Discussed and implemented case strategy in two multi-million dollar cases as well as three cases involving housing and employment discrimination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. One involved suing an HOA that demanded proof of citizenship for unit renters.

• Wrote employee manuals and guidelines for several local restaurants .

• Interviewed clients and provided client support.

• Created presentations for trials and meetings

• Drafted lawyer letters, demand letters, and settlement proposals.

• Reviewed contracts, real estate and business, as well as employee, and suggested edits.

• Worked independently for most assignments, but work well in team settings.

• Researched legal questions and issues and wrote legal summaries and briefs based on research.

• Trained new staff.

Michael Warda Professional Law Corporation, Turlock, CA December 2018 – July 2019 Senior Paralegal

• Drafted and edited complaints, responses, motions, replies, and all manner of legal documentation

• Conducted transactional reviews of real estate and business contracts for multiple real estate agencies and REITs.

• Reviewed client cases, including PI, housing, employment, and discrimination complaints.

• Provided transactional reviews of vendor agreements with two local area hospitals and clinics.

• Wrote compliance guidelines for several local dispensaries and conducted compliance inspections and document review.

• Interviewed clients and provided client support.

• Appeared before city councils and boards of supervisors representing clients applying for licenses and permits.

• Created presentations for trials and meetings using PowerPoint

• Drafted lawyer letters.

• Reviewed contracts, real estate and business, as well as employee, and suggested edits

• Worked independently for most assignments, but work well in team settings.

• Participated in strategy discussions and researched legal questions and issues.

• Trained new paralegals.

Eighmey and Sherron, Attorneys at Law,

Strategic Legal Group,

The Sherron Law Firm, Turlock, CA January 2015 – November 2018 Paralegal

(Please note: the company underwent several name changes and partner split-ups during my tenure)

• Provided litigation and client support as a senior paralegal in the various different incarnations

• Wrote multiple proposals for submission to State of California for several large grow and dispensary applications, including post-permitting compliance reviews

• Conducted collection efforts for area’s largest horse veterinary practice and hospital and brought their client and vendor contracts up-to-date

• Wrote drafts and edits for a major real estate case including appeal. The case dealt with a very unusual real estate contract that provided a case of first impression in the county

• Was lead paralegal on multiple real estate mortgage cases at both Federal and state levels

• Conducted transactional reviews of several business purchases, including due diligence compliance

• Wrote and re-wrote drafts of complaints, responses, motions, replies, and all manner of legal documentation

• Interviewed clients and provided client support

• Created presentations for trials and meetings using PowerPoint and Keynote

• Drafted lawyer letters for collection and contract enforcement

• Participated in strategy discussion and researched legal questions and issues

• Wrote draft contracts for businesses as diverse as automotive body shop, hair salon, bowling alley, and medical practices.

Bill's Legal Docs, Hayward, CA June 2012 – December 2014 Document Processor

• Created statutory wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, divorces, and child custody form documents at the direction of clients

• Interviewed clients to obtain facts and completed forms per their instructions. Power Press, Inc., Sacramento, CA January 2004 – September 2010 Store Manager

• Starting as a part-time computer consultant and general help

• Promoted to take-over management of newly acquired store in Sacramento’s business district

• Provided desktop and telephone support to the five-employee operation

• Provided world-class customer support

• Within the span of one year, my customer support skills assisted in doubling of the gross revenues of the location

• Planned and supervised the installation of updated equipment and transition to new OS Designed and implemented sales campaign and hiring of sales associates.

• Daily use of Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, and Illustrator), along with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and other graphic-design software, such as FreeHand, FileMaker Pro, and MacLink Plus, to create a wide variety of materials, from business cards to invitations, plastic bags to magnets.

Other Experience

• Managed total of 11 townhouse rental units for more than ten years. Wrote and supervised all rental agreements and tenant selection. Took several Realtor classes on managing rental housing and compliance with Federal, state, and local laws on good rental property practices.

• Received top student award in Property and Business Associations classes at Drivon School of Law.

Skills:

• Research and Writing

• Public Speaking

• Project Management

• Systems/Network Administration

• Software & Hardware Training

Education:

• Humphreys College, Drivon School of Law, Stockton, CA 95207 JD, 2012

• University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211

B.A., Arts Administration; May, 1979

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