Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
Admissions
Timeline
Generic

Asha V. Mathai

Rockford,IL

Summary

Adaptable attorney with ample experience in both law firm and corporate in-house settings. Experience advising companies on issues related to labor & employment, healthcare regulations, litigation, and contract management through contract life cycle. Strategic insights and competencies gleaned over 16 years of legal experience combined with a graduate degree in Social Service and Policy Administration (CADC training pending).

Professional with extensive background in regulatory compliance and risk management. Proven ability to develop and implement effective compliance programs, ensuring adherence to industry standards and legal requirements. Strong focus on team collaboration and achieving results, adaptable to changing needs. Skills include policy development, auditing, and stakeholder communication, with reputation for reliability and integrity.

Overview

17
17
years of professional experience

Work History

Quality and Compliance Manager

DWF - Mindcrest
11.2019 - 12.2022
  • Commenced position on contractor basis and hired on as full-time permanent Quality Manager.
  • Scope of Responsibilities include:
  • Labor and Employment Risk Mitigation and Analytics: Work as remote legal analyst to provide advice on various employment discrimination and risk mitigation matters.
  • Advise clients on matters regarding employment discrimination regulations, risk mitigation, compliance, and employment training requirements.
  • Handle contract review and management for employment agreements, severance agreements, and performance improvement plans or disciplinary actions.
  • Provide clients with counsel and compliance training on regulations including but not limited to FMLA, ADA, HIPAA, HITECH, data privacy and EMR.
  • Quality Improvement: Quality check work performed by First Level Review (FLR) and quality check 1 (QC1) attorneys and provide edits and constructive feedback to attorneys on methods for greater accuracy and efficiency.
  • Contract Life Cycle Management: Serve as final level of quality check review of the following project types: contract abstraction, contract analysis, contract coding, post-merger contract integration, research/drafting of laws, statutes, regulations applicable to a given client.
  • Playbooks and Workflow Documentation: Develop, edit, and improve comprehensive playbooks. Maintain and update playbooks to provide up-to-date legal and business explanations for all contractual terms, define pre-established fallback positions and outline clear escalation protocols. Tailor playbooks to meet clients unique and individual needs and mitigate risk.
  • Due Diligence Review: Remediate contracts and customer files and conduct due diligence for mergers, ring-fencing, and spin-offs.

Temporary Attorney - Senior Investigator

Wells Fargo (Contracted through Axiom)
01.2020 - 03.2021
  • Address employee relations-related investigations (Title VII, retaliation, harassment, discrimination, sales practices, etc.).
  • Conduct remote, interviews the reporting party, and others relevant to the investigation, reviewing records, thorough documentation, creating a fact-finding report.
  • Review and analyze employment policies to determine whether client and employees of client are compliant.
  • Respond to inquiries from various internal departments relating to ADA, FMLA, HIPAA, and FLSA.
  • Work with Human Resource informed to advise on risk mitigation, liability, investigations, EEOC compliance, and general day-to-day employment matters.
  • Assist in determination of the propriety and legality of employment decisions.

Staff Counsel, Employment & Contracts

Inside Out Legal, LLC
11.2016 - 02.2019
  • Worked as for-hire corporate counsel. Advised clients in the educational, healthcare, and commercial sectors on compliance, internal investigations, litigation, corporate transactions, and healthcare matters.
  • Leveraged ample educational and employment law background to provide clients with strategic counsel regarding compliance with the FMLA, ADA, ADEA, and Department of Education regulations.
  • Drafted agreements related to medical trials and research. Trained professionals at the University of Chicago Medical Center on employment and privacy law issues. Handled numerous discovery and e-discovery projects on multiple platforms.

Case Manager and Patient Social Worker Intern

The University of Chicago Medical Center, Ongology and Cardiothoracic Unit
09.2015 - 09.2016
  • Collaborated with patients suffering from chronic or terminal cancer or cardiac illnesses to help with day-to-day treatment obstacles.
  • Assessed whether patients were struggling with substance abuse and provided them with one-on-one counseling where they were open to it and/or referred them to other resources to assist with substance abuse.
  • Administered Anxiety and Depression Questionnaires to assess whether patients could benefit from referral to hospital psychiatric unit or medical intervention for depression.
  • Helped patients to locate housing, food assistance, job training, childcare and Medicaid coverage.
  • Advised patients on their protection against employment discrimination under ADA and FMLA laws.
  • Trained and Educated other Social Workers about patient protection laws such as ADA and FMLA in onsite training seminars.
  • Drafted treatment plans and tracked progress through treatment plans to determine movement to next level or treatment or successful completion of the program.
  • Assisted patients in locating sponsors and/or AA & NA meetings and working through 12-step programs or CBT/DBT therapy.
  • Assisted patients with insurance coverage, intake, and initial/ongoing assessments.
  • Researched and presented on the pros and cons of Harm Reduction versus Full Substance Abstinence.

Case Manager and Grief & Loss Class Instructor/Intern

Mercy Hospital
09.2014 - 09.2015
  • Assisted patients in locating sponsors and/or AA/NA meetings and working through 12-step programs.
  • Utilized Motivational Interviewing, CBT and DBT therapy.
  • Attended onsite AA and NA meetings with patients held at Mercy Hospital.
  • Designed and Led Class on coping with grief and loss for PHP and IOP patients.
  • Assisted patients with insurance coverage, intake, and initial/ongoing assessments.
  • Helped patients to locate housing, food assistance, job training and encouraged family involvement where appropriate to the patient treatment.
  • Drafted treatment plans and tracked progress through treatment plans to determine movement to next level or treatment or successful completion of the program.
  • Researched and presented on the pros and cons of Harm Reduction versus Full Substance Abstinence.

Employment Counsel

TCS Education System, Inc.
04.2010 - 11.2013
  • Worked as in-house attorney for a non-profit system of colleges, providing representation and counsel with regards to education and employment law compliance, contract management, and litigation and dispute resolution.
  • Labor & Employment Counsel
  • Advised executives, senior management, and professors on laws and regulations pertaining to employment and higher education law, including the ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and Department of Education regulations.
  • Oversaw and advised company on concerns related to prevent sexual harassment, retaliation, whistle blowing, discrimination, and misconduct through counsel, training, student, and employee handbook production, and more.
  • Drafted and reviewed severance agreements, NDAs, employee handbook/policies, and employment contracts among other. Performed internal investigations considering employee or student complaints; recommended courses of action to resolve issues. Liaised with Human Resources, the Student Advisory Committee.
  • Serve as company contact with Illinois Department of Human Rights, California Department of Fair Employment Housing, the Department of Education, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  • Litigation & Discovery: Oversaw, collaborated, and strategized with outside counsel on pending employment litigation and risk management. Took the lead on handling multiple complex discovery projects, including working with the Information Technology Department on internal document reviews and recoveries related to pending employment investigations and litigation.

Commercial Litigation Associate

Jenner & Block, LLP
05.2006 - 04.2010
  • Served in increasing positions of leadership and responsibility in the office’s Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Employee Relations Groups.
  • Ample experience on contract disputes, insurance coverage cases, family lawsuits, leveraged buyouts, and bankruptcies. Selected to serve on several high-profile cases, including the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, the General Motors Bankruptcy, and Exelon.
  • Oversaw all stages of the employment and contract litigation process, including research, case strategy, motions practice, trial preparation, and settlement negotiations.

Education

Master of Social Service Policy & Administration (MSW/SSA) -

University of Chicago
01.2017

Juris Doctor (JD), cum laude - undefined

DePaul University College of Law
01.2006

Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Psychology

Northeastern University
01.2002

Skills

  • State & Federal Employment Law & Compliance
  • Group/ One-on-One Patient Counseling
  • Patient Intake & Assessment
  • Class Instructor for PHP and IOP
  • Case Management and Resource Referral Specialist
  • Treatment Plans
  • Anxiety and Depression Assessment
  • Substance Abuse Counseling and Aftercare in PHP/IOP and Sober Living

Affiliations

Member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, National Employment Law Institute, American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, and Illinois Bar Association

Admissions

Admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois. Admitted before the Illinois Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Timeline

Temporary Attorney - Senior Investigator

Wells Fargo (Contracted through Axiom)
01.2020 - 03.2021

Quality and Compliance Manager

DWF - Mindcrest
11.2019 - 12.2022

Staff Counsel, Employment & Contracts

Inside Out Legal, LLC
11.2016 - 02.2019

Case Manager and Patient Social Worker Intern

The University of Chicago Medical Center, Ongology and Cardiothoracic Unit
09.2015 - 09.2016

Case Manager and Grief & Loss Class Instructor/Intern

Mercy Hospital
09.2014 - 09.2015

Employment Counsel

TCS Education System, Inc.
04.2010 - 11.2013

Commercial Litigation Associate

Jenner & Block, LLP
05.2006 - 04.2010

Juris Doctor (JD), cum laude - undefined

DePaul University College of Law

Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Psychology

Northeastern University

Master of Social Service Policy & Administration (MSW/SSA) -

University of Chicago

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