Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

Donna Kugit

Old Bridge,NJ

Summary

Over 35 years of experience in OGC - IP Patent Litigation and Trademark areas

Experienced Paralegal dedicated and motivated to continuously enhance skills and expand knowledge to achieve greater responsibilities and opportunities for professional development. Successful at prioritizing diverse range of tasks, balancing demands, implementing processes that provide support and information to the attorneys, their clients, and management

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

Spclst, Legal Support (Paralegal II)

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Rahway, NJ
07.2018 - Current
  • Participated in client interviews, observed questioning process and documented information.
  • Trained staff on office procedures and case-specific duties.
  • Manage numerous settlement agreements, ensuring the completion of required forms and submission to the official Company legal records repository for maintenance, and electronically file the agreements in SharePoint for efficient access for attorneys
  • Review engagement agreements to ensure compliance with billing guidelines and identify any potential issues or inconsistencies, and provide appropriate comments or suggestions to attorneys
  • Fulfill various requests from IP Litigation, Patent, Trademark and outside attorneys on paralegal assignments
  • Independently prepare IP costs updates for Tax Entity Budget forecast
  • Prepare responses and gather patent information to update various quarterly reports
  • Prepare drafts of legal holds and manage the distribution and maintenance
  • Manage and process urgent wire transfers
  • Identify and address any challenge by analyzing the situation and determining the best resolution

Spclst, Legal Support (Paralegal II) - Trademark

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Rahway, NJ
06.2015 - 07.2018
  • Independently manage the domestic and international docket for the Respiratory, Immunology and Dermatology (RID), Bone, and Adjacency franchises
  • Analyze watch notices relating to RID, Bone, and Adjacency franchises on a weekly basis and report any potential conflicts to responsible attorney
  • Assisted attorneys with preparing and filing trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Conducted comprehensive trademark searches to identify potential conflicts.
  • Reviewed and analyzed search results for accuracy and completeness.
  • Prepared responses to office actions received from USPTO.
  • Monitored deadlines for filing documents with the USPTO.
  • Corresponded with clients regarding status of their trademark applications or other matters related thereto.
  • Responded to client calls and inquiries to deliver applicable information.

Paralegal II— IP Litigation

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Rahway, NJ
07.2008 - 06.2015
  • Managed and coordinated the paper and electronic document collections for various complex ongoing litigation matters
  • · Organized document reviews, coordinated and scheduled interviews, arranged for large volumes of documents to be scanned
  • Communicated with impacted areas of the Company with respect to document retention questions and advised them according
  • Assisted with sending out document hold and lift memos for litigation matters and worked with attorney to compile distribution lists
  • Reviewed and monitored a budget exceeding $50 million on a monthly basis
  • Organized the IP yearly budget and prepared budget/mid-year estimated actuals
  • Reviewed and independently assessed appropriate acceptance of subpoenas delivered to the Company; identified and forwarded subpoenas to responsible attorney
  • Managed the Document Management System and attended meetings in connection with the Site Collection for the IP Litigation group
  • Maintained the matter management system, created many new matters in Tymetrix and gathered necessary information from each responsible attorney for their matters
  • Responded to invoice, timekeeper, Tymetrix questions on a daily basis
  • Worked on various complex special projects such as 2008 EU Pharmaceutical Inquiry; 2014 IRS Inquiry
  • Legal research using Westlaw

Paralegal I— IP Litigation

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Rahway, NJ
2004 - 2008

Administrative Assistant IV – Patent/Litigation

Merck & Co., Inc
Rahway, NJ
1986 - 2004

Education

Certificate of Paralegal Studies -

Horizon Institute of Paralegal Studies
Linden, NJ
01-1991

High School Diploma -

Linden High School
Linden, NJ
06-1986

Skills

  • Understands Confidentiality
  • Patience
  • Team Player
  • Time-management
  • Litigation/Attorney Support
  • Database/Legal Research
  • Records Management
  • Document Preparation
  • Administrative Support
  • EngageZone/SharePoint
  • Westlaw
  • Tymetrix
  • IP Manager
  • Saegis
  • MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)

Timeline

Spclst, Legal Support (Paralegal II)

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
07.2018 - Current

Spclst, Legal Support (Paralegal II) - Trademark

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
06.2015 - 07.2018

Paralegal II— IP Litigation

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
07.2008 - 06.2015

Paralegal I— IP Litigation

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
2004 - 2008

Administrative Assistant IV – Patent/Litigation

Merck & Co., Inc
1986 - 2004

Certificate of Paralegal Studies -

Horizon Institute of Paralegal Studies

High School Diploma -

Linden High School

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Donna Kugit