Brianna Galeano Smith
Ridgewood,NY
Summary
Legal professional with strong skills in writing, organizing and project managing cases related to civil, personal injury and human rights law. Maintains professional demeanor and completes assigned tasks with focus on quality. Dependable and quick-learning team player with experience working with diverse populations to optimize representation. Successful at thriving in high stress, high-pressure environments and situations involving constant change and vast ambiguity in data and instruction.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Program Aide (temp/contract)
Division Of Human Rights, NYS
02.2024 - Current
- Determine whether an individual has the jurisdictional basis to file a complaint
- Answered phone calls and provided new clients with required paperwork to initiate complaint process.
- Utilize CMS to document and track investigative progress of complaints, schedule interviews, and generate forms.
- Assist with and Perform in-person/telephone intake of new complaints and enter new mail-in complaints into the Case Management System (CMS).
- Process and distribute case-related mail/document gathering
- Assist Human Rights Specialists in preparing/gathering evidence in files.
Paralegal I (temp/contract)
The Legal Aid Society
08.2023 - 01.2024
- Prepared legal briefs, motions, and pleadings.
- Conducted detailed client intakes and entered information into Law Manager.
- Assisted counsel in preparing answers, providing documentation, and information for discovery request.
- Edited and proofread legal documents to verify accuracy.
- Summarized depositions, legal documents and other material to provide attorney with relevant material for cases.
- Managed scheduling of court calendars and deadlines to maintain smooth flow of firm operations.
- Communicated pertinent information to clients via phone, email, and mail.
- Contacted clients to schedule appointments and discuss progress of cases.
Legal Intake Specialist | Paralegal
Law Offices Of Michael S. Lamonsoff, PLLC
11.2021 - 07.2023
- Drafted legal documents such as complaints, motions, subpoenas, discovery requests/responses, etc., for attorneys' review and signature.
- Managed lead database and provide daily/weekly reporting, so they may monitor usage and client/campaign data.
- Provided general counseling on issues such as personal injury, sexual assault, workers compensation, sepulcher cases, and landlord/tenant disputes.
- Conducted thorough research to support case development, contributing to successful outcomes for clients.
- Assisted counsel in preparing answers, providing documentation, and information for discovery request.
- Assisted counsel with review of claim files as necessary in conjunction with legal auditing.
- Collaborated with counsel on review of legal invoices received from defense counsel.
- Assisted potential clients in retainer process via phone.
- Frequented use of New York State Unified Court System - E-filling and case tracking.
Orientation Team Leader
The New School
01.2021 - 05.2022
- Aided new students with their transition to college life by providing one-on-one support.
- Addressed variety of visitor questions and concerns, offering additional resources and references for more detailed information.
- Sustained collaborative relationships with faculty, staff and administration.
- Lead tours and community discussion groups for incoming students and parents.
- Answered questions, pointed out important features and offered further details about special exhibits to educate visitors.
- Participated in team-building activities to enhance working relationships.
- Guided groups of up to 20 people on scheduled tours
- Coordinated and led group campus tours of up to 40 students and parents
Campaign Canvasser
Grassroots Campaigns
12.2019 - 03.2020
- Educated and engaged citizens on pressing issues; build membership and raise money for environmental and social change groups.
- Conducted interviews with participants to assess eligibility.
- Presented and discussed petitions to obtain signatures for key initiatives for pertaining to social justice issues.
- Coded data from participant interviews.
- Obtained updated contact information from all subjects and verified data for accuracy.
- Met with directors each week to evaluate progress and provide input on goals and priorities.
Legal Intern
Law Offices Of Roderick C. White
06.2017 - 11.2019
- Attended depositions and court proceedings and prepared summaries on cases.
- Organized legal filing system to maximize efficiency.
- Reviewed legal information and proofed documentation for errors.
- Performed legal and general research, drafting memoranda, and correspondence.
- Conducted initial client interviews, gathering facts and preparing case summaries.
- Assessed case dockets to prepare and provide appropriate legal advice.
- Revised and finalized letters, briefs, and memos.
Administrative Assistant
Christopher House
06.2019 - 10.2019
- Assisted parents and students with filing paperwork and other housekeeping needs.
- Answered phone calls and assisted with appointments.
- Greeted families at front desk and engaged in pleasant conversations while managing check-in process.
- Maintained files and records of families by implementing effective filing systems that boosted efficiency and organization.
- Resolved student and family issues quickly and notified program supervisor immediately when problems escalated.
Desk Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
Sarah's Circle
11.2018 - 10.2019
- Welcomed volunteers to the program; shared information about services; provide guidance as needed; requested that they sign in/out; communicated with the Volunteer Coordinator about volunteer activities.
- Fostered a safe and trauma informed environment.
- Provided a program orientation; provided copies of client rights and responsibilities and the grievance procedure; assessed for language barriers.
- Communicated clearly with program staff and participants through written and digital correspondence.
- Answered and managed incoming and outgoing calls while recording accurate messages for distribution to office staff.
- Developed and updated spreadsheets and databases to track, analyze, and report on performance and sales data.
- Answered multi-line phone system, routing calls, delivering messages to staff and greeting visitors.
Student Law Office Assistant
Loyola University Chicago School Of Law, Admission
05.2017 - 04.2019
- Welcomed office visitors and alerted staff to arrivals of scheduled appointments.
- Provided clerical support, addressing routine and special requirements.
- Assisted visitors with general and specific questions regarding the law program.
- Created visitor folders with documents, information packets, and recruitment materials
- Documented data entries.
- Published social media campaigns and web edits.
Paralegal Assistant
The Longe Law Firm
12.2016 - 12.2018
- Managed accounts and client records of clients, observing confidentiality, and extreme discretion.
- Maintained organized office and case-specific paper and digital files for easy tracking and retrieval.
- Prepared drafts of forms, letters and agreements for legal staff use.
- Helped with intake of new clients and materials by setting up files and documenting important information.
- Prepared and managed attorney travel itineraries to optimize scheduling.
Education
J.D. - Law
New York University
New York, NY05-2026
Master of Arts - Legal Studies, International Affairs
The New School
New York, NY05-2022
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science And Foreign Policy
Loyola University of Chicago
Chicago, IL04-2019
Skills
- Legal research and correspondence
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Project Management
- Operations assistance
- MS Office
- Python, Clio, CMS, Jira, Trial Works
- Adaptability
- Problem Solving
- Organization
- Docket Management
Personal Information
Title: Paralegal
Languages
English (Professional)
Spanish (Native & Professional)
Languages
Excellent,5,Excellent,5
Software
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Program Aide (temp/contract)
Division Of Human Rights, NYS
02.2024 - Current
Paralegal I (temp/contract)
The Legal Aid Society
08.2023 - 01.2024
Legal Intake Specialist | Paralegal
Law Offices Of Michael S. Lamonsoff, PLLC
11.2021 - 07.2023
Orientation Team Leader
The New School
01.2021 - 05.2022
Campaign Canvasser
Grassroots Campaigns
12.2019 - 03.2020
Administrative Assistant
Christopher House
06.2019 - 10.2019
Desk Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
Sarah's Circle
11.2018 - 10.2019
Legal Intern
Law Offices Of Roderick C. White
06.2017 - 11.2019
Student Law Office Assistant
Loyola University Chicago School Of Law, Admission
05.2017 - 04.2019
Paralegal Assistant
The Longe Law Firm
12.2016 - 12.2018
J.D. - Law
New York University
Master of Arts - Legal Studies, International Affairs
The New School
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science And Foreign Policy
Loyola University of Chicago
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