Kelly Barton
Mt. Airy,USA
Summary
Detail-oriented professional adept at managing estate administration and legal support. Efficiently organizes case files, ensuring timely adherence to deadlines while maintaining accurate correspondence between attorneys and clients. Strong analytical and communication skills enhance client relationships and facilitate seamless operations.
Overview
1
1
Certification
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Legal Assistant
Tydings and Rosenberg, LLP
Baltimore, Maryland
09.2025 - Current
- Prepared and proofread wills, trusts, and advance directives, ensuring compliance with state-specific legal requirements.
- Managed probate case files from intake to closing, tracking deadlines and court dates to ensure timely filings.
- Coordinated with executors, beneficiaries, and financial institutions to gather and verify asset information.
- Maintained attorney calendars, scheduled client meetings, and organized signings for estate planning documents.
- Served as primary point of contact for clients, providing updates and answering procedural questions with professionalism and empathy.
- Ensured timely premium payments from trust assets to maintain policy integrity and avoid lapse, while documenting all transactions for fiduciary reporting.
- Managed annual Crummey letter process for multiple irrevocable trusts, ensuring 100% compliance with IRS guidelines and timely beneficiary notifications.
- Processed and secured IRS-issued Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) for estates, ensuring adherence to federal tax and probate requirements.
- Processed and submitted property deeds via Simplifile e-recording platform.
- Managed electronic filing of court documents using Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC), ensuring compliance with Rule 20-106 and timely submission of all filings.
- Processed and submitted business and legal documents through the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) e-filing system.
Estate Administration Junior Paralegal
Oram & Moss, Chartered
07.2024 - Current
- Draft engagement letters, petitions and supporting documents for probate and trust administration
- Compiled necessary documents for court filings
- Evaluate creditor claims
- Communicate with clients, courts, personal representatives, trustees, and other parties to provide and obtain information and documentation on matters.
- Updated beneficiaries on claim status and critical developments to ensure awareness and engagement.
- Coordinated correspondence between attorney and clients to facilitate effective communication and case progression.
- Ensure adherence to deadlines for filing documents with courts or other entities.
- Contributed to meetings discussing case updates and strategies to enhance collaborative decision-making.
- Acquired Employer Identification Numbers from IRS for estate accounts via the IRS website
Administrative Assistant/Legal Assistant
Blades and Rosenfeld, PA
05.2023 - 02.2024
- File Management: Opened new client matter files. Organized, tracked, and maintained documents in client files, including closing and storing files following the resolutions of cases according to firm policies.
- Calendar Management: Ensured all relevant dates and deadlines were accurately and promptly reflected on each attorney's calendar.
- Assisted attorneys in coordinating and preparing for meetings with clients.
- Reviewed and proofread estate planning documents, ensuring compliance and precision in wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives.
- Transcribed and edited digital dictations to ensure accuracy and clarity.
- Time Entry: Accurately entered billable time on behalf of assigned timekeepers by the required deadline.
- Checked for conflicts regarding new clients and matters.
- Communicated with day-to-day vendors to ensure equipment maintenance.
- Managed the inventory, acquisition, distribution, and storage of office supplies.
- Worked in tandem with the building management team to facilitate office functions.
Teller
PNC Bank
11.2022 - 05.2023
- Executed daily operations and maintenance transactions for teller and branch with efficiency and accuracy.
- Managed diverse customer interactions while verifying credentials and handling all monetary transactions to ensure security and satisfaction.
- Provided a unique and consistent experience for each client through handling deposits and loan payments, cashier's checks, cashing checks and redeeming savings bonds.
- Conducted lobby engagement activities to connect with customers and assess individual needs for tailored service recommendations.
- Adhered to risk management policies and procedures and demonstrated sound judgment to identify and avoid loss.
Administrative Assistant
Leisure World of Maryland Corporation
07.2018 - 01.2021
- Coordinated preparation, filing, and updating of advisory committee documents to ensure timely access and compliance.
- Attended meetings and prepared, transcribed, reproduced, and distributed meeting minutes.
- Maintained current files on all minutes and resolutions.
- Organized and maintained comprehensive files of all minutes and resolutions for easy retrieval and reference.
- Maintained and updated assigned community association website/portal.
- Managed records of community association membership and processed membership certificates to facilitate member engagement.
- Assisted with preparing, filing, and updating advisory committee documents.
New Proceedings Division, Deputy
Office of Register of Wills for Montgomery County
05.2016 - 07.2018
- Exercised independent judgment in a variety of circumstances such as interpretation and application of the statute, adaptation of policies, and procedures and guidelines established by the Register.
- Interviewed people interested in a decedent's estate.
- Verified jurisdiction for estate openings to ensure compliance with legal requirements.
- Reviewed the estimated value of the estate to determine what type of estate needs to be administered (Regular Estate, Small Estate, Judicial Estate, Will of No Estate).
- Completed and submitted forms for public and attorney use to facilitate estate administration.
- Probated wills under administrative and judicial probate.
- Calculated bond values to secure coverage for court costs, inheritance tax, and unsecured debts.
- Reviewed forms for accuracy.
- Appointed individuals as Personal Representatives for estate management.
- Prepared and granted Letters of Administration to the Personal Representative.
- Granted the requests for Limited Orders to legally locate assets or locate the Last Will and Testament.
- Communicated statutory procedures/requirements to the public.
- Received and indexed wills of living persons for safekeeping.
- Established initial docket for new proceedings and assigned an estate number.
- Communicated with the records division to request updated Letters of Administration for regular estates.
- Bereavement training and experience dealing with individuals in very sensitive states.
Office Assistant/Shift Manager
Restaurants at Leisure World, Perrie LLC
06.2006 - 06.2018
- Executed opening and closing duties, including cash management and training new hires.
- Created procedural manual for store closing, ensuring cleanliness and readiness for next opening.
- Communicated information to staff while monitoring kitchen and customer areas, allocating duties to enhance coverage and improve customer service.
Education
A.A.S. - Biotechnology
Montgomery College
Skills
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
- Accuracy-focused
- Microsoft Excel
- PowerPoint
- Word
- Outlook
- Teams
- iManage
- Clio
- Simplifile
- SDAT
- MDEC
Certification
Notary Public, Maryland, 04/29/29
Personal Information
Title: Legal Assistant
Timeline
Legal Assistant
Tydings and Rosenberg, LLP
09.2025 - Current
Estate Administration Junior Paralegal
Oram & Moss, Chartered
07.2024 - Current
Administrative Assistant/Legal Assistant
Blades and Rosenfeld, PA
05.2023 - 02.2024
Teller
PNC Bank
11.2022 - 05.2023
Administrative Assistant
Leisure World of Maryland Corporation
07.2018 - 01.2021
New Proceedings Division, Deputy
Office of Register of Wills for Montgomery County
05.2016 - 07.2018
Office Assistant/Shift Manager
Restaurants at Leisure World, Perrie LLC
06.2006 - 06.2018
A.A.S. - Biotechnology
Montgomery College