fema birch

* Birch & Associates is a company I started to assist small law firms that were handling Civil Litigation in the New York City area. Birch & Associates provided temporary paralegals to assist firms with research, drafting, reviewing and correcting litigation documents for trial and appeals. The company primarily focused on Civil Litigation, however it handled various aspects of Criminal, Matrimonial and Estate proceedings. My responsibilities included: * Managing the employees and their qualifications. * Finding clients and matching them with a qualified temporary paralegal. * Maintained client relations by answering any and all inquiries regarding their matter. * Maintaining work product standards and reviewed final drafts prior to review by client. * Providing training to new employees, assisted with inquiries that they had while working for the client. * Developed and managed database in order to maintain access to case law that was previously used. * As of August 2013 I closed Birch & Associates in order to further my legal education.

* Worked on a range of legal practices including, personal injury, matrimonial, estate, and criminal law. * Worked directly with clients from intake through settlement or verdicts * Assisted with drafting of litigation documents including pleadings, subpoenas, and appellate briefs * Maintained and updated client files manually and electronically, including dockets and calendaring * Assisted attorneys on matrimonial matters like divorce, adoption, and custodial cases * Collaborated with clients and adjusters in order to pursue settlement * Researched factual and legal issues * Performed office procedures in the everyday maintenance of a legal office

* Performed intakes and investigations of new case files * Independently composed Motions, Bill of Particulars, Interrogatories, and other legal documents * Collaborated with with attorneys and insurance adjusters to settle cases * Prepared drafts of legal briefs, contracts, agreements, and pleadings for attorneys * Assisted attorney in settlement negotiations and arbitrations * Completed closings and deeds for home purchases utilizing ACRIS database * Assisted attorneys on landlord-tenant and Housing Preservation Department (HPD) cases * Utilized LexisNexis and WestLaw in legal research

Research current and potential laws and legislation relating to human trafficking for upcoming Law Review Article.