Lawana Smith
Knoxville,TN
Summary
Highly-motivated employee with a desire to take on new challenges. Strong worth ethic, adaptability and exceptional interpersonal skills. Adept at working effectively unsupervised and quickly mastering new skills. Meticulous and knowledgeable Administrative Assistant with strong background supporting Child Support and Department of Children's Services attorneys. Familiar with legal proceedings, documentation and case management requirements. Offers excellent administrative and legal abilities.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Administrative Assistant
Department of Children Services
Knoxville, TN
01.2019 - Current
- Receive copies of filed pleadings from court staff.
- File orders and petitions with court staff.
- Prepare exhibits for upcoming trials.
- Uploading Termination of Parental Rights order, Guardianships Orders, Surrenders and updating Guardianship status in to the Tennessee Family and Child Tracking System (TFACTS).
- Processing invoices for process servers and court reporters
- Preparing motions and notices for default hearings to be filed with the court clerk.
- Requesting medical records and forensics for all DCS attorneys.
- Notify program staff of any hearing dates.
- Locate all files held at Knox County Juvenile. Court and shelve according to hearing date and hearing official.
- Request additional files from support staff at Western Avenue office, as needed.
- Notify RGC, assigned attorney, and support staff of any missing files.
- Monitor files being held by the assigned DCS attorneys.
- Regularly, and as requested, print docket and recheck against available files.
- Provide printed docket and files to assigned attorney with missing files noted.
- Request additional files from support staff at Western Avenue office, as needed.
- Notify RGC, assigned attorney, and support staff of any missing files.
- Monitor files being held by the assigned DCS attorneys.
- Regularly, and as requested, print docket and recheck against available files.
- Provide printed docket and files to assigned attorney with missing files noted.
- Process draft pleadings in virtual work basket using appropriate layout, grammar and punctuation.
- If barriers exist to completion of documents, contact the appropriate attorney for guidance.
- Submit finalized documents to attorney for review and filing within one week.
- File and distribute copies according to office protocol.
- If orders must be circulated to outside counsel for approval, monitor responses and submit order to DCS attorney for filing immediately upon expiration of the response date.
- Scan all orders identified as IV-E and upload to the legal shared drive in each child's virtual folder.
- Email scanned copies to the identified case managers and Child Welfare Benefits Counselor.
- Schedule court reporters based on requests from RGC and assigned DCS attorneys.
- Communicate with other support staff to avoid double-booking or missed dates.
- Developed a process for tracking petitions, motions, orders and summons.
- Maintain the legal calendar of all DCS attorneys.
- Secure a conference room for all administrative hearings.
- File pleadings to be cases set on the docket
Legal Case Specialist
Maximus/Child Support Services
Knoxville, TN
03.2018 - 01.2019
- Prepare service of process to local, out of county and out of state sheriff's office to obtain service
- Prepares legal pleadings, orders and other legal documents to the clerk of court.
- Prepared court filings, managed deadlines and tracked status of cases.
- Provided administrative support to attorneys in the preparation of legal documents and pleadings.
- Developed strategies for resolving disputes outside of court when possible.
- Entered data into and managed Excel spreadsheets.
- Trained staff on office procedures and case-specific duties.
- Coordinated services between multiple agencies such as DHS, law enforcement, courts.
- Educated clients on their rights and responsibilities regarding child support matters.
- Reviewed court documents and determined the appropriate parties to serve legal papers.
- Organized and tracked service attempts, as well as other process serving activities.
- Investigated cases to locate defendants who are evading service of process.
- Assisted attorneys by providing detailed reports regarding attempted service of process activities.
- Entering orders in to the Tennessee Child Support Enforcement System (TSCES)
Legal Case Specialist
Young Williams PC/ Child Support Services
Knoxville, TN
08.2009 - 02.2018
- Enters court dispositions into the Tennessee Child Support Enforcement Computer System within established state, federal time frames.
- Completes attorney-directed court follow-up such as alias summons, subpoenas and process of service within a required timeframe.
- Prepare service of process to local, out of county and out of state sheriff's office to obtain service.
- Prepares legal pleadings, orders and other legal documents to the clerk of court.
- Prepared court filings, managed deadlines and tracked status of cases.
- Provided administrative support to attorneys in the preparation of legal documents and pleadings.
- Developed strategies for resolving disputes outside of court when possible.
- Entered data into and managed Excel spreadsheets.
- Trained staff on office procedures and case-specific duties.
- Entering orders in to the Tennessee Child Support Enforcement System (TSCES).
Child Support- Case Manager
Young Williams PC
Knoxville, TN
03.2007 - 08.2009
- Conducted investigations to determine paternity and legal responsibility of parents for child support payments.
- Analyzed financial information related to income, assets, expenses, and liabilities of non-custodial parents.
- Negotiated payment arrangements with non-custodial parents in accordance with state laws.
- Assessed eligibility for public assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
- Reviewed court orders for accuracy and completeness of child support requirements.
- Enforced collection activities on delinquent accounts such as wage garnishment or property liens when necessary.
- Provided technical assistance to attorneys representing custodial parties in court proceedings relating to child support matters.
- Conducted outreach activities in local communities to promote awareness about available services and resources related to child support enforcement.
- Created reports detailing activities such as caseload statistics, arrears balances, collections history.
- Attended training courses on new legislation or changes to existing regulations affecting the administration of child support services.
- Performed data entry tasks into a computerized system used for tracking customer information related to child support cases.
- Prepared documentation of administrative and legal actions related to child support orders.
- Negotiated settlements and agreements with parties outside of court.
- Maintained current knowledge of child support policies and procedures, Tennessee family law and federal regulations.
- Conducted genetic testing to establish paternity.
- Gathered information from custodial parents and documented case history in case management software.
- Coordinated tests and paperwork to establish paternity, child support requirements and medical support obligations.
- Assisted prosecuting attorney with collection of necessary data in preparation for cases.
- Interviewed clients individually and in groups to assess situations, capabilities and problems.
- Conducted detailed investigations to locate individuals, verify employment and determine assets.
- Reviewed applications for service and effectively interviewed custodial and non-custodial parents.
- Adhered strictly to confidentiality guidelines when handling sensitive client information.
- Monitored compliance with court orders by verifying that payments are received within specified timelines.
Child Support- Case Manager
Policy Studies Inc
Knoxville, TN
05.2002 - 02.2007
- Coordinating with the Department of Human Services to maintain cooperation with all clients who are receiving state benefits as well as child support
- Implements programs such as Negotiation Day that gives parties an opportunity to agree upon child support without entering the court room
- Attends monthly meeting with the Department of Human Services to assure that we are meeting the clients' needs so that they can stay in full cooperation with child support while continuing to receive state benefits
- Drafting and filing pleadings for Attorney signature
- Conducted outreach activities in local communities to promote awareness about available services and resources related to child support enforcement.
File Clerk
Knox County Juvenile Court
Knoxville, TN
06.1999 - 04.2002
- Prepare files for court
- Verified accuracy of filing information prior to indexing documents into the system.
- Prepared labels for new files and folders as needed.
- Monitors all incoming and outgoing files
- Monitored file inventory levels and reordered supplies as necessary.
- Sorting and distributing incoming mail
- Examined, categorized and sorted incoming documents
- Responded to internal and external requests for information
- Administered gathering and preparation of orders, exams, and hearing notices within strict deadlines and in alignment with specific attorney needs and requests
- Processed correspondence, including post office pick-ups, sorting and distribution to appropriate parties.
Education
Associate of Science -
Pellissippi State Community College
Knoxville, TN01.2002
Skills
- Administrative Support
- Legal Specialist
- Knowledgeable in Intergovernmental Tribunal Laws
- Data analysis
- Report writing
- Clerical support
- Case Management
- Data entry
- Record Keeping and Maintenance Background
- Locate and Research Skills
- Negotiation
- Task Prioritization
- Legal Research
- Basic knowledge in Center-Based childcare, Infant/Toddler care, Family Child Care, School-Age childcare, and Administrator training
- MS Office proficient
- Legal Document Preparation
- Legal Terminology
- Proofreading
- Document Editing
- Billing Statements
Certification
Legal 101 Training, Child Support Services, Knoxville, TN 2007
Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance, Certificate of Completion of Administrator Orientation, Knoxville, TN, 2018
5 Year Service Award from the Department of Children's Services, Knoxville, TN 2024
Accomplishments
- Designed the Knox County Juvenile Court's banner for their new computer database.
- Received letters of recommendation from the Knox County Juvenile Court Judge and Magistrates.
Affiliations
- Tennessee Conference Youth Director
- Director of the Knoxville District Youth Dance Ministry.
Timeline
Administrative Assistant
Department of Children Services
01.2019 - Current
Legal Case Specialist
Maximus/Child Support Services
03.2018 - 01.2019
Legal Case Specialist
Young Williams PC/ Child Support Services
08.2009 - 02.2018
Child Support- Case Manager
Young Williams PC
03.2007 - 08.2009
Child Support- Case Manager
Policy Studies Inc
05.2002 - 02.2007
File Clerk
Knox County Juvenile Court
06.1999 - 04.2002
Associate of Science -
Pellissippi State Community College
Legal 101 Training, Child Support Services, Knoxville, TN 2007
Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance, Certificate of Completion of Administrator Orientation, Knoxville, TN, 2018
5 Year Service Award from the Department of Children's Services, Knoxville, TN 2024
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