Legal Secretary/Legal Assistant
Resume:
Michaela Hamilton-Whitehead
Philadelphia, PA 19121
******************@*****.***
EDUCATION:
Harris Business Institute
Business/Legal Secretary Certification 1982-1983
SUMMARY OF SKILLS:
More then 26 years of legal experience consisting of construction litigation practices and procedures, real estate transactional law and a solid background in domestic relations. Strong organizational and administrative skills with meticulous attention to detail. Ability to prioritize work, operate under tight deadlines and manage multiple, complex tasks. Drafting and transcribing of various documents, correspondence, discovery and pleadings; filings to various county and federal court systems both via hard copy and electronically; trial preparation; organizing documents and exhibits into a systematic order; assisting with the management of secretarial work load; managing of multi-line phones; strong computer skills in Word Perfect, Microsoft Word, and Outlook. Also knowledgeable in Juris, CMS, Legal Key, PC Docs, DTE and MailSite.
EXPERIENCE:
Legal Secretary/Legal Assistant
Astor, Weiss, Kaplan & Mandel, LLP February 2008 – November 2010
• Report to Equity Partner and case related attorneys
• Answer, screen and/or respond to telephone calls and take appropriate messages
• Open, review and screen all incoming mail
• Type and accurately proofread all documents, correspondence, memoranda, notes, outlines, etc.
• Docketing of both pleadings and discovery documents
• Prepare and review expense reports
• Arrange papers for court filings, including cover letters to appropriate courts, clerk offices, counsel and other parties as necessary
• Use of Juris to input attorney time
• Schedule travel arrangements, conference calls, depositions and necessary meetings
• Coordination of other office services as needed
EXPERIENCE:
Legal Secretary/Administrative Assistant
Robert Half Legal January 2006 - February 2008
Temporary Staffing Positions held at the following:
- Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP (temporary employee for over a year to one partner and one associate)
- Ledgewood, PC
- Nixon Peabody LLP
Michaela Hamilton-Whitehead
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Diversified Duties, which included:
• Answer, screen and/or respond to attorney telephone calls and take appropriate messages
• Open, review and screen attorney correspondence
• Type, via dictation, both micro cassette and Executive Transcription 3.2, and accurately proofread all documents, correspondence, memoranda, notes, outlines, etc. to clients, opposing counsel, and/or Judges
• Maintaining pleadings binders
• Prepare, review expense reports and/or retrieve checks and/or petty cash
• The use of MailSite to open and maintain files
• Arrange papers for court filings, including cover letters to appropriate courts, clerk offices, counsel and other parties as necessary
• Use of CMS/DTE to input attorney time
• Schedule travel arrangements, conference calls and meetings
• Coordination of other office services as needed
Legal Assistant June 2003 –
Sirlin, Gallogly & Lesser, P.C. November 2005
• Serve as the Assistant to one Partner, and one Senior Associate who specialize in Real Estate Transactional Law and SBA Loans
• Responsible for drafting, proofreading, editing, and finalizing loan documents for closings; subsequent preparation of post closing binders
• Recordings of deeds, mortgages and real estate documents to various City Departments
• Entity formations and UCC/lien/judgment searches and filings
• SBA Closing preparations; organize documents and exhibits into a systematic order
• Screen incoming mail, manage filing system, update correspondence and files
• Maintain a tickler system
• Maintain calendar of events, appointments and deadlines for the Partner
• Arranged conference calls
Legal Assistant January 1993
Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall & Furman, P.C. June 2002
• Serve as the Assistant to one Senior Partner, one Senior Associate and one Jr. Associate who specialize in construction and commercial litigation
• Responsible for drafting, proofreading, editing, and finalizing complaints, motions, memoranda, and orders for court filing
• Filing to various Federal Court systems
• Discovery preparations, draft answers to interrogatories, document requests, chronologies and schedule depositions
• Trial preparations; organize documents and exhibits into a systematic order; draft testimony outlines
• Transcribe tapes containing a variety of correspondence, pleadings and discovery documents (i.e., interrogatories, document requests, chronologies and briefs)
• Screen incoming mail, manage filing system, update correspondence and pleading files
• Maintain a tickler and chronology system of all outgoing and incoming correspondence
• Maintain calendar of events, appointments and deadlines for the Senior Partner
• Utilize a case management system (Juris) to input attorney’s time
• Arranged conference calls travel arrangements
Michaela Hamilton-Whitehead
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Secretary December 1990-
City of Philadelphia, Adoptions Department December 1992
• Preparation and filing of voluntary/involuntary dismissal of parental rights
• Filing and documenting new adoptions
• Filing of attorney submitted Court documents
• Preparation of general correspondence and heavy phone duties
File Clerk May 1985-
Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen November 1990
• Opening and closing of client files
• Maintain distribution log of attorney time per file
• Preparation of general correspondence, proofreading and data entry
• Maintenance of all client files
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE:
American Cancer Society Current
Help in the presentations on cancer awareness. Host health fairs and provide volunteer services at various community outreach programs as well as fund raisers
Contact this candidate