Lauren Utterback
Charlotte,NC
Summary
Results-driven Closing Paralegal known for delivering high-quality work in fast-paced environments. Skilled in preparing legal documents and navigating real estate transactions, ensuring adherence to compliance standards. Effective time management and problem-solving abilities support successful collaboration across all parties involved.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
Charlotte, NC
04.2025 - 10.2025
- Draft and prepare Deeds, Preliminary Closing Disclosures, Title Binders, Releases, Modifications, Addendums, Bill of Sales, Terminations, Opinion Letters, Promissory Notes, Subpoena, and Satisfactions to be reviewed by Attorney.
- Work directly with Opendoor Acquisitions, Amherst Acquisitions, Tricon Acquisitions, and Resale Closings.
- Prepare and balance Closing Disclosures for lender deals, prepare and balance HUDs for cash deals.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
- Verify Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposit.
- Maintain all post-closing matters including recording, curative, and sending on record emails.
- Send FTO requests to Title Companies and OTP / LTO to correct parties.
- Handle all communication, formatting of documents and criteria to meet client needs.
- Facilitate communication (both via email and phone) between buyers, sellers, realtors, and lenders.
- Schedule Closings, Mobile Notaries, Loan Closings, Estate Closings, Bankruptcy Closings, Cash Closings, and Mail ways.
- Order HOAs and loan payoffs included judgments, Lis Pendens, homeowners' association statements, chapter 13 documents, separation agreements, and estate documents.
- Prepare and review documents prior to submitting for recording.
- Review title searches NC/SC prior to attorney approval.
- Worked with 1031 Exchange Companies for purchases and sales.
Land Contract Coordinator
Pulte Home Company, LLC
Charlotte, NC
02.2024 - 02.2025
- Provide communication to vendors, consultants, and HOA's.
- Maintain correspondence via email and phone to keep vendors apprised of the status of invoice payments, and new / re-activation of vendor set ups.
- Handle new vendor set ups by retrieving their W-9, COI, and requesting approval via TransactAP.
- Assisting insurance coordinator with keeping active vendors insurance up to date and with new vendors having the required insurance requirements.
- Draft and prepare master trade agreements in docusign for new vendors and for updating current agreements.
- Draft and prepare professional land contract trade agreements and general land contract trade agreements in docusign.
- Draft application for bonds, request bond, and maintain bond renewals.
- Input approved quarterly budgets and reclass invoices for each community into Land Cost Management (LCM).
- Input executed contracts into LCM and adjusted the specific project cost code allowance accordingly.
- Handle invoices in TransactAP via coding to the land development account, project, cost code, and or tie to the payment number from LCM.
- Assisted hoa consultant being an hoa director for all communities, contracts, submitting invoices.
- Mail original signed hoa deeds, hoa cc&rs, and one off agreements to the attorney's office for recording.
- Notarized documents and mylar plats.
- Handle BOIR filings for current communities on behalf of the hoa.
- Maintain project folders saving all executed contracts, msa's for North Carolina and South Carolina, hoa documents, and recorded plat maps.
Legal Patent Assistant
ADO Professional Solutions, Inc. dba Parker Lynch
Charlotte, NC
07.2023 - 12.2023
- Draft and prepare legal documents to and on behalf of clients both foreign and domestic.
- Draft office actions, letters patent, client response letters, notice of publication, notice of allowance, notice of approval, renewals, declaration of use, statement of use, and issue fees.
- Maintain correspondence via email with clients/agents to keep them apprised of the status of the patent / trademark applications.
- Provide communication to foreign and domestic clients and agents.
- Informing clients and agents about upcoming filing deadlines such as renewals, statements of use, declaration of use, and annuity dues, for patents and or trademarks.
- Assist with providing updated information from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding receipts, approvals, publications, registrations, and office actions for patents and trademarks.
- Input billable hours for client matters to Aderant and requesting prebill to send to clients.
- Search and obtain documents from the USPTO website WIPO website, EUO website, Pattsy Wave, and TotalPatent One.
- Mail Original Patent and Trademark Registrations to clients.
- Open new client matters into Windows Explorer DM Extension.
- (Temporary Position at Moore & Van Allen, PLLC)
Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
Charlotte, NC
07.2021 - 12.2022
- Draft and prepare Deeds, Preliminary Closing Disclosures, Title Binders, Releases, Modifications, Addendums, Bill of Sales, Terminations, Opinion Letters, Promissory Notes, Subpoena, and Satisfactions to be reviewed by Attorney.
- Work directly with Opendoor Acquisitions and Resale closings.
- Prepare and balance Closing Disclosures for lender deals, prepare and balance HUDs for cash deals.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
- Verify Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposit.
- Maintain all post-closing matters including recording, curative, and sending on record emails.
- Send FTO requests to Title Companies and OTP / LTO to correct parties.
- Handle all communication, formatting of documents and criteria to meet client needs.
- Facilitate communication (both via email and phone) between buyers, sellers, realtors, and lenders.
- Schedule Closings, Mobile Notaries, and Cash Closing Mailaways.
- Order HOAs and loan payoffs included judgments, Lis pendens, homeowners' association statements, chapter 13 documents, separation agreements, and estate documents.
- Prepare and review documents prior to submitting for recording.
- Review title searches NC/SC prior to attorney approval.
- Work with 1031 Exchange Companies for purchases and sales.
Closing Paralegal
Hunter & Chandler Law Group, PLLC
Charlotte, NC
03.2021 - 07.2021
- Draft and prepare Deeds, Preliminary Closing Disclosures, Title Binders, Releases, Modifications, Addendums, Bill of Sales, Terminations, Opinion Letters, Promissory Notes, Subpoena, and Satisfactions to be reviewed by Attorney.
- Prepare and balanced Closing Disclosures for lender deals, Refinances, Estate, Bankruptcy, and HUDs for cash deals.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
- Verify Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposit.
- Maintain all post-closing matters including recording, curative, and sending on record emails.
- Handle all communication, formatting of documents and criteria to meet client needs.
- Schedule Closings, Mobile Notaries, and Mailaways.
- Facilitate communication (both via email and phone) between buyers, sellers, realtors, and lenders.
- Order HOAs and loan payoffs included judgments, Lis pendens, homeowners' association statements, Chapter 13 documents, separation agreements, and estate documents.
- Send OTP / LTO to correct parties.
- Prepare and review documents prior to submitting for recording.
- Review title searches, sent Title Binders for NC to Title Companies, and prepared Commitments for SC Title.
- Request Estate Documents, Judgments, Civil Documents, Criminal Documents from North and South Carolina Courthouses and Retrieving.
Closing Paralegal
Harry Marsh Law
Charlotte, NC
07.2020 - 02.2021
- Draft and prepare Deeds, Preliminary Closing Disclosures, Title Binders, Releases, Modifications, Addendums, Bill of Sales, Terminations, Opinion Letters, Promissory Notes, Subpoena, and Satisfactions to be reviewed by Attorney.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
- Schedule Closings, Mobile Notaries, and Mailaways.
- Maintain all post-closing matters including recording, curative, and sending on record emails.
- Handle all communication, formatting of documents and criteria to meet client needs.
- Order HOAs and loan payoffs.
- Verify Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposit.
- Prepare and review documents prior to submitting for recording.
- Review title searches for both North and South Carolina prior to attorney approval.
- Send FTO requests to Title Companies and OTP / LTO to correct parties.
- Request Estate Documents, Judgments, Civil Documents, Criminal Documents from the Mecklenburg County Courthouse and Retrieving.
- Manage daily operations within the office.
- Monitor office inventory to maintain adequate supply levels.
Pre-Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
Charlotte, NC
12.2019 - 07.2020
- Responsible for scheduling coordination for closings.
- Order HOAs and loan payoffs.
- Verify Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposit.
- Handle all communication, formatting of documents and criteria to meet client needs.
- Facilitate communication (both via email and phone) between buyers, sellers, realtors, and iBuyer's.
- Complete responsibilities related to customer service turnaround times, performance, and standards in accordance with firm policies.
- Review all documentation related to the closing.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
Legal Assistant, and Legal Secretary
Griffin Brunson & Wood, LLP
Charlotte, NC
07.2019 - 12.2019
- Prepare final title policies and opinions.
- Manage the Post Closing of mail and loan packages.
- Maintain all post-closing matters including recording, curative, and sending on record emails.
- Create daily bank deposits of checks through the bank and depositing system.
- Perform supply management duties, including maintaining inventory control, ordering and distribution of valuable equipment.
- Manage daily operations within the office and monitor office inventory to maintain adequate supply levels.
- Facilitate communication (both via email and phone) between buyers, sellers, realtors, and Builder Coordinator.
- Responsible for scheduling closings with builder closing coordinators.
- Worked directly with Lennar, Calatlantic, and Title Companies.
- Manage the creations of files in Softpro.
- Prepare preliminary settlement statements.
- Draft preliminary settlement and corresponding documents for preliminary title requests.
- Send FTO requests to Title Companies, OTP, and LTO's to correct parties.
Education
Bachelor's Degree (not Complete) - Business
Ferrum College
Ferrum, VAAssociate's Degree (not Complete) - Paralegal Studies
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NCSkills
- Software proficiency: SoftPro, Qualia, Oracle EMP and Cloud, Deltek T&E, Costpoint
- IT helpdesk applications
- Collaboration tools: Slack, Mondaycom
- Microsoft Office Suite expertise
- Document management: Simplifile, Windows Explorer DM Extension
- Contract and document review
- Bankruptcy and estate documentation
- Legal research: LexisNexis, TotalPatent One
- Legal software: Aderant, Pattsy Wave
- PDF management: Kofax Power PDF, Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Virtual workstation: Citrix Workstation
- Authentication tools: Authenticator Application
- Communication platform: RingCentral
- Document collaboration: IManage WORK, Docusign, TransactAP, Front Application
Certification
North Carolina Public Notary
Timeline
Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
04.2025 - 10.2025
Land Contract Coordinator
Pulte Home Company, LLC
02.2024 - 02.2025
Legal Patent Assistant
ADO Professional Solutions, Inc. dba Parker Lynch
07.2023 - 12.2023
Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
07.2021 - 12.2022
Closing Paralegal
Hunter & Chandler Law Group, PLLC
03.2021 - 07.2021
Closing Paralegal
Harry Marsh Law
07.2020 - 02.2021
Pre-Closing Paralegal
Hankin and Pack, PLLC
12.2019 - 07.2020
Legal Assistant, and Legal Secretary
Griffin Brunson & Wood, LLP
07.2019 - 12.2019
Bachelor's Degree (not Complete) - Business
Ferrum College
Associate's Degree (not Complete) - Paralegal Studies
Central Piedmont Community College