Michele A. Chavez
Paralegal
Whittier,CA
Summary
Seeking employment in the private or public sector for an organization that will allow utilization of paralegal degree, and strong professional skills in writing, research, organizing, project management. Expertly conducts research, organizes files, meticulous correspondence and follow through.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
2
2
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Business Financial Administrator
Advantage Solutions
7 1013 - Current
- Drafting contracts
- Provide Sales Team with accurate and timely promotional contracts up to 30 per day
- Perform Database updates of over 500 line products, UPC changes, and cost increases in under 3 days
- Maintain client and retailer files
- Assist with reporting data utilizing various software programs
- Transfer contracts and price changes to PDF utilizing KOFAX
- Index contracts and supporting documents
- Entry of claims, deductions, & promotional materials utilizing ECM Document Management System.
Legal Document Assistant
Self-employed
10.2019 - 03.2022
- Assist clients in completion of various legal documents, legal letters, business correspondence, etc.
- Expedited meticulous document processing utilizing advanced software tools for scanning, copying, and printing tasks
- Researched statutes, decisions, legal articles, and codes
- Communicate pertinent information to clients via phone, email, and mail
- Draft motions and briefs to support litigation processes and proceedings
- Reviewed Deed of Trust, Title Commitment, and prior bankruptcies documents
- Revise and finalize letters, briefs, and memos
- Draft and file pleadings in appropriate court
- Research statutes, decisions, legal articles, and codes
Volunteer PTO Founder and President
Daniel Phelan Elementary School
09.2009 - 06.2014
- Develop strong partnership with school administrator and staff to allow for collaboration, significant partnership between school administration and student families, fostering sense of community
- Research local, state, and federal laws pertaining to education and fundraising, PTA requirements vs. PTO requirements
- Draft, author, and establish bylaws to form non-profit PTO
- Ensure compliance with all tax laws and reporting requirements
- Identify demographic challenges and concerns for proactive resolution
- Secure funding for growth through fundraising, grants, donations and networking activities
- Develope key operational initiatives and norms to drive and maintain substantial organization growth
- Host monthly meetings with parents and staff to identify areas of needs and take suggestions, inform families of events, offer transparency of financials, hold elections for board chairs, etc.
- Raise in excess of $60,000 each year resulting in providing field trips and transportation for every class and grade level, new playground equipment, library formation, purchase of tablets for classrooms, and more
- Cultivated space of equality and inclusion with student success as motivating factor
- Successfully increase parent participation in school activities and classroom volunteerism from 10% to 80% by implementing open door policy and encouraging all parents to join
- Plan and arrange successful annual Family Fun Math and Science Night, Dr. Seuss Family Read Along, Spring Carnival and Talent Show Night, Fall Craft Fair, Winter Festival, and other events in order to bridge gap between families in community and institute student pride
- Assist in office duties as requested
- Attend county, district, and community meetings
Front Office Coordinator
Alta-Med Health Services Corporation
05.1995 - 05.1999
- Responsible for supervising front office and medical records department staff in community clinics
- Ensuring staff are thoroughly trained in all procedures and laws pertaining to patient care, privacy, medi-cal, medicare, private insurance guidelines and regulations
- Conducted insurance verification tasks accurately, ensuring proper coverage and minimizing billing errors.
- Administer programs and financial screenings for government subsidized programs for patients in need such as Family PACT, sliding fee pay schedule, Proposition 99
- Handle computerized schedules for several providers, arrange for locum tenens as needed, plan and arrange various meetings for all providers and staff to provide training for ever changing insurance requirements and medical laws
- Assist with back office duties as needed by providers
- Accompany contracted representatives in medical records subpoenas
- Daily billing, reconciliation of superbills, weekly, monthly, quarterly reporting, conduct healthcare utilization and quality of care reports, completion of treatment authorization, utilization review, and referral requests
- Ensuring timely answering of phone calls, and return of messages for appointments and other inquiries, maintaining clean and neat reception area throughout daily influx of patients in order to limit cross contamination of illnesses
- Facilitated timely check-in and check-out procedures, streamlining patient flow through clinic.
- Improved patient relations by proactively addressing concerns or complaints with professionalism and empathy.
- Collaborated with medical staff to ensure seamless coordination of patient care and timely communication.
- Safeguarded patient privacy by ensuring all staff strictly adhere to HIPAA regulations, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
- Produced letters and memoranda to inform stakeholders of business decisions.
- Hired, managed, developed and trained staff, established and monitored goals, conducted performance reviews and administered salaries for staff.
JET Unit Training Supervisor/Contracts Administrator
West San Gabriel Valley Consortium
07.1991 - 05.1995
- Perform intake screening and eligibility evaluation, collection of documentation to verify eligibility for government funded job training and placement programs and supportive services
- Administer basic skills evaluations for proper placement in training programs leading to job training and placement with retention as goal
- Conduct training facility and employer follow up to placements, in order to ensure success for program participants as well as employer's satisfaction
- Assist Job Developers in assessing participants for appropriate and optimum training/employer matches
- Administer general office training to participants covering personal grooming, professional dressing, proper professional etiquette, resume composition, operation of office electronics and machinery, etc.
- Train new hires in eligibility intake guidelines, proper documentation, compilation and maintenance of participant files according to government guidelines and legislation.
- Responsible for planning, arrangements, and coordination of schedules for monthly executive board meetings, timekeeping and minutes.
- Attend various networking meetings and mixers, community meetings, conduct presentations in order to nurture connection to service area community and employers.
- Update and keep government bulletins pertaining to various job training programs, composing memos relaying updated suggested and mandated guidelines to all staff.
- Played key role in successful change management initiatives by effectively communicating benefits of new procedures to staff members while addressing any concerns raised during implementation stages.
- Created comprehensive orientation program for government funded training program participants as well as for new hires to ensure they were equipped with necessary skills and knowledge of legislation needed to excel in their roles as intake specialists.
Employer Contracts Administrator
West San Gabriel Valley Consortium
07.1988 - 07.1991
- Reduced legal risks with comprehensive contract reviews and risk assessments.
- Led efforts in renegotiating existing contracts for better terms without compromising quality or delivery timelines.
- Drafted, reviewed and revised contracts for accuracy and completeness.
- Created organized filing system to manage department documents.
- Demonstrated proficiency in data entry, contract modification and billing.
- Streamlined operations by developing and implementing improved contract management processes.
- Ensure contract requirements were met before administering authorization for payment
- Develop and maintain manual centralized database.
- Built and managed processes for tracking and monitoring employer and participant performance.
- Participated in county and state audits related to contractual compliance and participant eligibility identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions as needed.
- Coordinated office events, seminars and meetings for staff and clients.
- Hired, managed, developed and trained staff, established and monitored goals, conducted performance reviews and administered salaries for staff.
- Negotiated and executed contracts on behalf of department
Education
Associate of Arts - Paralegal Studies
Fremont University
Cerritos, CA 08.2017 - 10.2019
Skills
Office Administration, Effective Communication, Project Coordination, Employee Supervision, Contract Administration, Legal Research, Data Collection, Legal Document Preparation, Legal Letter Writing
References
Available Upon Request
Timeline
Legal Document Assistant
Self-employed
10.2019 - 03.2022
Associate of Arts - Paralegal Studies
Fremont University
08.2017 - 10.2019
Volunteer PTO Founder and President
Daniel Phelan Elementary School
09.2009 - 06.2014
Front Office Coordinator
Alta-Med Health Services Corporation
05.1995 - 05.1999
JET Unit Training Supervisor/Contracts Administrator
West San Gabriel Valley Consortium
07.1991 - 05.1995
Employer Contracts Administrator
West San Gabriel Valley Consortium
07.1988 - 07.1991
Business Financial Administrator
Advantage Solutions
7 1013 - Current