Orange County Law Firm:                                                                                                 Irvine, California

Estate Administration Paralegal 2006-2007

Boutique estate planning, administration and tax firm catering to high net worth individuals and families.  Post-death administration including probate and other court petitions, preparation of asset inventories, trust allocations, title transfers and distributions pursuant to Trust terms, Preparation of gift and estate tax returns and assistance with IRS examinations. 

 International Technology Firm:                                                                                    Waterloo, Canada

Temporary Contract: Human Resource Consultant 2006

A fabless semiconductor company with Canadian and US facilities.  Reporting to VPs of Systems Engineering and Finance, assisted in employment recruiting across the United States, Europe and Asia. Negotiated contracts with recruiters.  Drafted and negotiated offer letters and employment contracts for potential employees, explained terms of employment and benefits -both company provided and as to Canadian law. Prepared estimated income tax schedules based on offered salary under Canadian taxing standards and contrasted with current tax standing in place of residence for certain candidates.  Coordinated with immigration attorneys to secure work and travel visas for candidates, hired employees and their families.  Assist in candidate travel and relocation issues.

Orange County Law Firm:                                                                                       Costa Mesa, California

Paralegal 1996-2000, 2004-2006 *still do consulting work on regular basis

Research, draft motions, ex parte, discovery and other pleadings in trust litigation cases and general civil matters for local churches, major home improvement retailers, mobile home and single family home developers. Meet with and assist clients in probate matters.  Summarize bank/investment records, medical records, expert reports and large volumes of raw data. Heavy Mediation/Arbitration/Trial preparation and assistance.  Assist in client billing.

1996-2000: Supervised 6-9 paralegals and their assistants.  Handled all aspects of case management from case inception to trial/settlement.  Analysis of real estate purchase and sales agreements, insurance policies, subcontracts and land development agreements involving major California developers and general contractors.  Managed teams of 20+ expert witnesses.  Pursued additional insured coverage under subcontractors’ general liability policies to arrive at joint defense agreements including documenting and corresponding with insurance claims examiners.  Advised/oversaw billing compliance in accordance with individual insurance companies’ audit panels.  Facilitated collection procedures from clients/insurance companies who were behind in payments to firm and vendors/expert witnesses.  Assisted on problem third party billing files to ensure expert witnesses and vendors were being paid timely.

Orange County Venture Capital Firm:                                                                             Irvine, California

Office/Fund Administrator 2001-2004

Venture Capital Firm with $35M under management.  Implemented firm’s financial policies and directed all accounting functions, including payroll, budgeting, cash management and financial reporting of trust accounts. Worked with independent auditors to produce annual audited financial statements for managed funds.  Researched and prepared tax returns for both domestic and foreign investors in accordance with international tax treaties.  Quarterly valuation statements and investor relations reporting.  SEC compliance for stock based distributions.  Performed due diligence on portfolio companies and assisted in various stages of organization/management from corporate organization, facility lease negotiations, human resource functions, (employment hiring, policy & procedures and administering benefits).   Managed partner’s personal finances and reorganized for asset protection & so as to be tax efficient. 

San Diego Law Firm                                                                                                    San Diego, California

Legal Assistant 1995-1996

Firm specializing in plaintiff civil litigation and business transactional.  Managed large caseload for two attorneys.  Handled correspondence between clients, courts and opposing counsel.  Researched civil procedure.  Participated in all phases of discovery and law & motion.  Drafted demands, complaints and memoranda.  Maintained client billing, trust accounts and company bookkeeping. Assistance in trial preparation, trial and appellate effectuation. 

County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health Services

Legal Assistant Intern 1995

Researched child lead poisoning and related legislation.  Proposed comprehensive childhood lead poisoning ordinance.  Promoted proposal to non-profit environmental organizations. 

Income Tax Specialist:                                                                                                       Blythe, California

Tax Accountant/Consultant 1984-90, 1994 *Still do consulting work on regular basis.

Consulting: Research tax code and assist in preparation for client audits/investigations by the IRS, state tax boards and administrative agencies. Represented clients before the Franchise Tax Board to negotiate payments plans and/or to reduce penalties/interest and to stop levied bank accounts/wages.  Draft articles of incorporation, bylaws, operating & partnership agreements, prepare Secretary of State compliance documents.  

Tax Accountant: Oversaw Account Balancing, General Ledger, A/R, A/P, prepared financial statements, sales tax reports, and simple tax preparation, including Schedules, C, E, and Depreciation.   Performed payroll and other accounting functions for clients. 

International Freight Company                                                                                     Anchorage, Alaska

Billing Accountant 1993

Maintained Daily Billing for large quantity freight company.  *While being the main biller, company’s account balances reached an all time high. 

California State University Long Beach, 2005-2009

Graduate Student: Philosophy, Coursework for M.A. Completed, Thesis outstanding.

Emphasis: Metaphysics (Ontology, Substance, Early Modern, Philosophy of Religion, Cognitive Science and Existentialism)

California State University Long Beach                                                    

• Philosophy Graduate Assistant to Professor Julie Van Camp, Introduction to Ethics: Spring 2008, Fall 2008
• Philosophy Graduate Assistant to Professor Lawrence Nolan, Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2009

University of San Diego, California, 1995

• B.A., Philosophy & Business
• Paralegal Certificate, Specialty: Corporate, Environmental Regulatory and Real Estate Law

Orange County Legal Document Assistant Lic. # 367

Arizona Legal Document Preparer Lic# 81408

California Notary Public Commission

Member, Orange County Paralegal Association

Member, Maricopa County Bar Association

Member, California Society of Certified Public Accountants

Member, California Association of Legal Document Assistants 

*2000-2001 gap year: Traveled through South East Asia & parts of Europe.