Jenna Payne
Clearwater,FL
Summary
Seasoned litigation/trial paralegal and operations manager with with proven track record in managing trial preparations and assisting in complex litigation. Strong grasp of Florida Civil Rules of Procedure. Demonstrated experience handling cases in Federal court. Specialized skillset in handling complex and high value cases involving catastrophic damages, wrongful death and medical malpractice. Demonstrated proficiency in legal and medical literature research, ensuring optimal outcomes for legal cases.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Medical Litigation/Trial Paralegal (Defense)
Liebler, Gonzalez & Portuondo
03.2024 - Current
- Prepare all medical chronologies and billing summaries based on thorough analysis of medical records, pleadings, discovery responses and deposition transcripts.
- Support attorneys in complex, high-value personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and product liability cases.
- Prepare all medical chronologies and billing summaries based on thorough analysis of voluminous medical records and pertinent pleadings, discovery responses and deposition transcripts.
- Identify key medical experts based on case analysis for expert retention and subsequently identify key records for experts' reports, depositions and live testimony.
- Act as liaison between medical experts and attorneys through lifecycle of each case, assisting with the interviewing and preparation of experts, analyzing medical literature, and providing ongoing litigation and trial support.
- Interview and prepare experts.
- Identify key medical providers to subpoena for case strategy.
- Drafting and filing relevant pleadings, motions, discovery requests and and responses.
Senior Paralegal/Operations Manager (Plaintiff)
Durham Law Group
05.2023 - 02.2024
- Responsible for leading expansion of firm into Tampa Bay and Florida at-large.
- Managed all cases in pre-litigation, litigation and trial phases.
- Built and maintained strong network of medical doctors for use as expert witnesses in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and product liability cases.
- Conducted case law research for pleadings and motions.
- Developed firm operations protocol specific to Florida office’s operations.
- Lead implementation, integration and training of all staff firm-wide on new case management system, FileVine.
- Supported managing sole shareholder in proactively identifying and mitigating risks related to compliance.
- Responsible for leading all internal meetings with senior attorneys and board specific to Florida’s operations.
- Determined viability and merit of cases upon inception.
- Drafted relevant notices, pleadings, discovery requests, discovery responses, and motions and e-filed in the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and Federal PACER filing portal.
- Responsible for business development and marketing strategies to align with projected and predicted growth.
- Drafted relevant notices, pleadings, discovery requests, discovery responses, and motions and e-filed in the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and Federal PACER filing portal.
- Developed and prepared routine audit reports specific to all cases, business development and firm operations.
- Developed Business Continuity Plan to ensure all operations between headquarters and Florida functioned smoothly and efficiently.
- Act as liaison between clients, attorneys, medical providers, insurance carriers and opposing counsel.
- Responsible for recruiting new talent and all hiring decisions corresponding with firm’s growth in Florida.
Senior Paralegal (Plaintiff)
RHINO Lawyers
11.2022 - 05.2023
- Managed all pre-litigation files through all phases of case lifespan from inception through settlement/disbursement.
- Lead implementation, integration and training on new case management system, FileVine.
- Drafted all demands and revised all other staff’s demands.
- Managed settlement and reductions negotiations.
- Performed case law research utilizing West Law, LexisNexis etc. to draft pleadings and motions.
- Built and maintained strong network of medical doctors for use as expert witnesses in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and product liability cases.
- Handled cases throughout litigation and prepared cases for trial accordingly.
- Managed legal staff in tandem with firm administrator, advising on and ensuring compliance with firm’s policies and legal compliance.
- Performed routine audits of files and prepared corresponding reports for senior management meetings.
- Attended marketing events and advised on business development, ensuring new relationships were established and existing relationships were maintained for optimal growth.
Litigation Paralegal (Plaintiff)
Roman & Gaynor
03.2021 - 11.2022
- Prepared all demands and prepared all demand packages for personal injury cases.
- Supported attorneys in high-value, complex personal injury and wrongful cases through pre-suit, litigation and trial.
- Built and maintained strong network of medical doctors for use as expert witnesses in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and product liability cases.
- Successfully implemented structure and training programs for pre-litigation department to ensure efficiency and maximal recovery for clients.
- Provided leadership to junior paralegals and developed/adhered to structure to ensure efficiency of office operations.
- Generated settlement statements and performed reductions and negotiations.
- Disbursed all settlement funds and performed trust account reconciliation.
- Drafted relevant notices, pleadings, discovery requests, discovery responses, and motions and e-filed in the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and Federal PACER filing portal.
- Acted as liaison between attorneys and clients, insurance adjusters, opposing counsel, medical providers and health insurance companies.
Litigation Paralegal (Defense)
Reynolds Parrino Shadwick, P.A.
06.2020 - 03.2021
- Handled insurance defense litigation cases from inception through litigation and trial
- Drafted notices, stipulations, orders, letters and pleadings
- Propounded discovery responses
- Drafted medical chronologies and billing summaries
- Identified key expert witnesses to retain and coordinated expert witness depositions
- E-filed notices, discovery and discovery responses through Florida E-Filing Portal & PACER
- Managed Excel spreadsheets for all cases and corresponding attorneys/counties
- Managed all timesheets and billables for attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants
- Managed all bills on monthly basis to ensure compliance with insurance carriers/clients
- Organized and managed all firm expenses in case management system
- Assisted all attorneys with drafting litigation documents and correspondence
- Calendared responses and deadlines and all pre-trial and trial dates
Worker’s Compensation Legal Assistant (In-House)
Encore HR
09.2018 - 06.2020
- Assisted in-house counsel with worker’s compensation matters.
- Drafted relevant notices, pleadings, discovery requests, discovery responses, and motions and e-filed in the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and Federal PACER filing portal.
- Managed attorneys’ calendars.
- Propounded discovery responses.
- Prepared summaries and medical chronologies for use at depositions, arbitrations and mediations.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Pre-Law Philosophy
Florida International University
06-2027
Skills
- Legal Research
- Legal Writing
- Litigation Support
- Expert Witness Preparation
- Trial Preparation
- Operations Management
- Leadership & Mentorship
- Critical Thinking
- Synthesis of Key Information
- Case Management Software Implementation
- Communication
- Internal Auditing & Compliance
- Trust Accounting, Financial Analysis, Budgeting & Bookkeeping
- Networking & Business Development
- Client Relations & Retention
- Tech-Savvy
- Time Management & Organization
Timeline
Medical Litigation/Trial Paralegal (Defense)
Liebler, Gonzalez & Portuondo
03.2024 - Current
Senior Paralegal/Operations Manager (Plaintiff)
Durham Law Group
05.2023 - 02.2024
Senior Paralegal (Plaintiff)
RHINO Lawyers
11.2022 - 05.2023
Litigation Paralegal (Plaintiff)
Roman & Gaynor
03.2021 - 11.2022
Litigation Paralegal (Defense)
Reynolds Parrino Shadwick, P.A.
06.2020 - 03.2021
Worker’s Compensation Legal Assistant (In-House)
Encore HR
09.2018 - 06.2020
Bachelor of Arts - Pre-Law Philosophy
Florida International University
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