Heather A Taylor
Granby,CT
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Conflict Analyst
Quarles& Brady
10.2024 - 01.2025
- Review, analyze and resolve conflicts of interest issues with respect to clients, matters and incoming attorneys
- Perform corporate research in order to search and identify ethical and business issues in the firm's conflicts database
- Create conflict reports relating to new clients, new matters, lateral attorneys, marketing requests and special projects
- Take necessary steps to resolve conflicts of interest including working with relationship lawyers and their clients to obtain appropriate waivers
- Evaluate and escalate difficult or highly sensitive conflicts and matter opening issues to General Counsel's Office, senior conflicts personnel and/or Loss Prevention Partners and work with them to address the issues
- Review and resolve various issues related to opening legal matters, including business conflicts, area of practice issues, billing and client credit issues, pro-bono related questions and internal Firm policies
- Assist Legal Recruiting by summarizing conflicts and business issues, clearing issues and erecting screens related to the onboarding of lateral attorney hires
- Maintain current knowledge of trends and developments impacting the conflicts' function
- Recommend new policies and procedures related to conflicts analysis and clearance, business intake and risk compliance
Senior Conflicts Analyst
Withers Bergman
10.2023 - 04.2024
- Under the general direction of the US Head of Risk and Compliance and according to established policies and procedures, primarily focused on managing the Firm's Risk regarding new business intake, including initiating and analyzing conflicts checks for new matters and advising relevant fee earners on new client acceptance, anti-money laundering (AML) and reputational risk issues in order to secure the necessary resolutions and approvals
- Familiarity with, and conversant in, conflicts rules of various jurisdictions and the ability to take initiative in matters relating to applicable US Rules of Professional Conduct and related case law and ethics opinions
- Review conflict check forms and new client inception forms to obtain clarity on parties, positions, and scope of work
- Perform conflict checks that originate from various offices and jurisdictions around the world; monitor and follow up on requests
- Assist Head of Risk and Compliance with necessary research and due diligence to aid in conflict decisions and resolutions
- Process sanctions-database searches and analyze data in connection with the firm's processes, policies and procedures
- Perform due diligence regarding lateral attorney, paralegal, and consultant hires
- Timely escalate conflicts and other risk issues to US Head of Risk and Compliance
- Communicate with Risk and Compliance team members and other firm stakeholders with a brief, concise statement of potential conflicts situations recognized in the conflicts reports and supply possible evidence to support
- Perform quality control in Thomson Reuters 3E Financial Management to ensure that all clients and matters created via the NBI workflow process and any amendments to them are processed correctly and, where necessary, liaise with the Finance and/or Risk & Compliance teams in other offices
- Establish and perform maintenance on confidential and ethical screens; coordinate notifications and acknowledgments
- Document all communication; obtain waivers, acknowledgment to open and close client/matters
- Propose improvements for methods and standards for analysis of conflicts of interest and other Risk related processes
- Assist in the testing, review and implementation of new software systems
- Capture institutional knowledge discovered during conflict resolution; assist US Head of Risk and Compliance in developing and driving risk policies
- Maintain strict confidentiality of the firms internal, personnel, and client affairs
- Assist Head of Risk with Training Team members with protocols and conflict checking
Conflicts Analyst
Milbank LLP
03.2022 - 10.2023
- Responsible for the timely day-to-day processing of conflict and new client/matter requests, including but not limited to conducting corporate affiliate research
- Responsibilities also encompass performing similar conflict checks relating to the activities of the Firm's attorneys and lateral candidates
- Respond to calls, emails and workflow requests to answer any end user inquiry
- Update and maintain Intapp Open Intake System database
- Effectively administer requests in the department's workflow program
- Conduct exhaustive research on related parties and affiliates
Senior Conflicts Analyst
Murtha Cullina, LLP
Hartford, CT
09.2018 - 05.2021
- Responsible for the timely day-to-day processing of conflict and new client/matter requests, including but not limited to conducting corporate affiliate research, identifying where potential conflicts exist, and facilitating discussions that will lead to the resolution of those conflicts
- Responsibilities also encompass performing similar conflict checks relating to the activities of the Firm's attorneys and lateral candidates
- Ensure that a complete, documented conflict search is performed for every piece of proposed new business
- Ensure that a complete, documented conflict search is performed for every proposed lateral hire candidate
- Ensure that a complete, documented conflict search is performed for major organizational relationships of and investments made by Firm attorneys
- Conduct exhaustive research on related parties and affiliates
- Prepare and analyze reports and effectively summarize conflict check results
- Evaluate relationships between companies and individuals and incorporate those relationships into the conflicts database
- Assist in all aspects of the Conflicts & Records department operations inclusive of administrative tasks to maintain the integrity of the Firm's conflicts database
- Effectively administer requests in the department's workflow program
- Assign new matter numbers, collect all related waiver letters and engagement letters, and erect ethical walls as necessary
- Respond to all inquiries made by secretaries and attorneys relating to intake and Conflicts & Records activities
- Supervise and Train Junior Analyst to ensure Business Rules and policies and Protocols are followed
- Supervise Day to Day activities of Junior Analyst and oversee and ensure accuracy in work produced
Team Lead-Conflicts
Robinson & Cole, LLP
Hartford, CT
02.2007 - 09.2018
- Responsible for producing and reviewing conflicts reports produced and identify potential conflicts issues
- Engage in extensive discussions with lawyers to gather information and/or clarification as needed
- Use internal and external databases to research and resolve issues including determining the status of relevant matters, ascertaining the nature of an entity's role in a particular matter, analyzing existing waivers, and researching corporate relationships of affiliated companies
- Review reports with requesting lawyers and recommend steps necessary to resolve potential conflicts
- Summarize conflicts resolution process in writing and submit solutions to requesting lawyer or intake partner for approval
- Coordinate daily operations of conflicts/new business department, establish workflow and priorities for conflicts team in order to meet deadlines
- Train team members on conflicts/new business processes and procedures, including providing guidance and technical assistance
- Update and maintain Intapp Open Intake System (OIS) database
- Produce reports as requested from the Billing and Accounts Receivable Manager, Chief Financial Officer or Chief Operating Officer
- Manage Team calendars to ensure Coverage provided for holidays, projects, snow days
- Provide Team Members with Performance Evaluations to ensure they are fair and accurate of the whole time worked
Senior Specialist/Projects Coordinator
Robinson & Cole, LLP
Hartford, CT
05.2004 - 08.2004
- Responsible for supporting various law practice groups, protecting the business and clients, and meet the needs of the Attorneys, insuring the acceptance of new business will not harm the interests of the clients
- Assess the risk for firm with the quality assurance process
- Process intakes in accordance with policy and procedure
- Assist and maintain conflicts and data systems to ensure data is presented and maintained accordingly
- Responsible for all administrative aspects of ensuring that the firm is in compliance with relevant conflicts of interest ethics rules and practice
- Provided centralized file creation, organization and maintenance services to designated secretaries, lawyers and/or legal assistants, to ensure life cycle of materials
- Worked as a Business Analyst and Subject Matter expert on the Conflict and New Business Process Management Replacement system
- Responsible for developing standard requirement documents, participate in vendor evaluation process, assist with analysis, assist in all stages of testing and participate in quality management process
- Maintain project schedule, provide status to Project manager, and participate in status meetings
Intern
State Attorney- Juvenile Matters
Hartford, CT
05.2004 - 08.2004
- Compiled necessary documentation for daily docket
- Collaborated information from Probation Officers, Guardians and Public Defenders
- Maintained confidentiality
- Transcribed Attorney notes and cataloged documentation
Intern
CT General Assembly- State Senator John Kissell
Hartford, CT
01.2002 - 06.2002
- Tracked bills and researched matters on the Caucus and Senate docket
- Attend caucus and committee meetings, where research was presented to group
- Met with lobbyists to set up agendas for meetings
- Prepared press releases, announcements, and public letters
Timeline
Conflict Analyst
Quarles& Brady
10.2024 - 01.2025
Senior Conflicts Analyst
Withers Bergman
10.2023 - 04.2024
Conflicts Analyst
Milbank LLP
03.2022 - 10.2023
Senior Conflicts Analyst
Murtha Cullina, LLP
09.2018 - 05.2021
Team Lead-Conflicts
Robinson & Cole, LLP
02.2007 - 09.2018
Senior Specialist/Projects Coordinator
Robinson & Cole, LLP
05.2004 - 08.2004
Intern
State Attorney- Juvenile Matters
05.2004 - 08.2004
Intern
CT General Assembly- State Senator John Kissell
01.2002 - 06.2002